2010 Annual Report

2010 Annual Report INCLUDESSPECIALPHOTORETROSPECTIVE CONTACT US AT: NCSJ 2020 K Street NW, Suite 7800 Washington, DC 20006 (202) 898-2500 (202) 898-0822 fax Email: [email protected] Web: www.ncsj.org

© 2011 NCSJ. All rights reserved. All photographs are from the archives of NCSJ except where otherwise credited. Front cover: Top row, center, and third row, left-hand side, photos by Ron Sachs/CNP. Back cover: Map © David Swanson/Equator Graphics, Inc. Contents

Mission and Background

Interview with the Chairman of the Board of Governors ...... 2 From the President ...... 3 From the Executive Director ...... 5 Programs and Activities ...... 6 Highlights of the Year ...... 7

SPECIAL PHOTO RETROSPECTIVE: 40 YEARSOF HISTORY ...... 9 Celebrating 40 Years of History Rallies and Protests Activists and Prisoners of Zion Meetings ...... 15 Jewish Life Reborn ...... 16 ...... 18 ...... 20 Board of Governors Meetings ...... 22

Financial Statement ...... 24 Donors and Program Funders ...... 26

...... 27

NCSJ Annual Report for 2010 1 Mission and Background

MISSION

To empower and ensure the security of Jews in the 15 successor states of the former Soviet Union (FSU); to foster cooperation among the US government, US Jewish organizations and the Jewish communities and governments of the 15 successor states; to facilitate international Jewish NCSJ maintains a strong commitment to its mission, affirmed through a strategic review in December organizations’ access to Jewish communities in the FSU; to represent the organized US Jewish 2008: community, including the Jewish Federations of North America and its member Federations; and to collaborate with other organizations for the provision of humanitarian aid, social services, and educational/communal development assistance throughout the FSU.

BACKGROUND

The population of the fifteen independent states of the FSU totals over 282 million people, of whom 1.5 million are Jews. This constitutes the third largest aggregation of Jews after Israel and the United States. Although many Jews left for Israel and the West in the decades since the 1970s, the population has now stabilized and includes Jews returning to the region for personal, community, or business reasons. The recent passage of the New START treaty between the US and Russia highlights the region’s continued geopolitical importance. Russia and the other countries of the FSU play a particularly strategic role for the United States concerning Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan. The FSU is also critical for Europe, whose energy needs depend on natural gas and oil produced in the FSU. The Soviet state’s systematic destruction of Jewish communal life and institutions, and its persecution of Jewish activists, left communities without resources after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Many communities still struggle. Although FSU governments have ceased overt support for anti-Semitism, its popular expression remains woven into the fabric of daily language and life. As extremism and ultra- nationalism increase, the threat of violent anti-Semitism may reemerge. NCSJ has taken an active role in the region since 1971. NCSJ’s historical roots in the rebirth of Jewish consciousness at the end of the Soviet era and its central role in the growth of new, post-Soviet Jewish institutions make it a respected leader in all aspects of Jewish communal life, Jewish relationships with the states of the FSU, and relations between the FSU and the US. NCSJ’s efficient and multilingual staff works in conjunction with volunteer lay leaders from national agencies, Federations across the country, and representatives from Jewish organizations in the fifteen independent states of the FSU to support international, domestic, and educational programs. NCSJ and its partners maintain close personal relationships with key government officials in the FSU, Israel, and the US. NCSJ sponsors missions to the FSU region and maintains networks of personal communication 1.through Armenia, the Azerbaijan, Board of Belarus, Governors, Estonia, whose Georgia, members Kazakhstan, represent Kyrgyz a wideRepublic, array Latvia, of Jewish Lithuania, organizations Moldova, Russian from theFederation, US and the Tajikistan, FSU region. Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

2 NCSJ Annual Report for 2010 Interview with Richard Stone, Chairman of the NCSJ Board of Governors

Richard Stone has been Chairman of the NCSJ Board of Governors for the past two years. This year he also became Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

When did you become interested in Soviet Jewry?

I was always fascinated with the history and culture of Russian Jews. My own family roots were in the Lithuania-Poland region of the Soviet Union. Most of my family had migrated to the US in the early part of the 20th century and had settled in Louisiana. My father was a well-respected attorney and senior partner of a leading law firm. My mother was a leader in the National Council of Jewish Women.The Jews of Silence The plight of Russian Jews under Communism was a contemporary tragedy. The efforts to stamp out the religious identity and practice of the world’s third largest Jewish community demanded my attention. I was inspired by Elie Wiesel’s book, . After I finished law school in the 1960s, I came to Washington and worked in the Office of the Solicitor General. During these years Nathan Lewin, a friend and colleague, and I formed the Jewish Center for Policy Studies to lobby Congress for passage of the Jackson-Vanik amendment. In 1972 we successfully lobbied both the Democratic and Republican parties to include the right of Soviet Jews to emigrate in theirHow party did you platforms, become and a part in 1973, of NCSJ? during the Yom Kippur War, I was in Siberia meeting Jewish activists who were applying to leave the USSR for Israel.

I knew about NCSJ since it was formed in 1971. When I moved to New York, I met Mark Levin through my activities with the New York Jewish Community Relations Council and the Conference of Presidents. I became Chair of the public affairs arm of the Orthodox Union and an active member of the NCSJ coalitionWhy do youabout think ten years NCSJ ago. is important? I was elected to NCSJ’s Board of Governors and Executive Committee about five years ago.

NCSJ is the leading organization in the US focused on advocacy on behalf of Jewish community life in the former Soviet Union. It has ties with Jewish organizations created during the post-Soviet decades, many of which it was instrumental in assisting. It also has a history of facilitating resolutions in difficult situations within the community and between the community and the government. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that NCSJ plays a vital role in the continuing well-being and NCSJ Annual Report for 2010 growth of Jewish communal life in the former Soviet Union. Its name is trusted, its commitment valued.3 Although there is no state-sponsored anti-Semitism, the threat of its resurgence is omnipresent and the insidious informal presence of anti-Semitism is still a part of everyday culture. A US-based umbrella organization with approximately fifty national agencies and three hundred local US Jewish group members is well-positioned to be influential. NCSJ continues to advance the interests of Israel in the countries of the former Soviet Union. During these years when threats to Israel’s legitimacy as a independent state have proliferated, NCSJ’s advocacy on behalf of closer ties among the countries of the former Soviet Union, the“There US, and Israel is absolutely has a special importance. Our usefulness is manifestly evident in such situations as no doubt in my last year, when NCSJ actively and successfully advocated for Ukraine to oppose the Goldstone Report to the UN. mind that NCSJ The unique experience of NCSJ has become a valued asset for the Jews plays a vital role in of Russia and of the US. The organization’s cumulative knowledge is a repository for facilitating better business relationships, government the continuing well- relations, and a richer Jewish communal life. I am proud to be its Chair, being and growth of especially during this anniversary year. I also feel that chairmanship of NCSJ has been uniquely effective preparation for my chairmanship of Jewish communal the Presidents’ Conference, and I am proud to have the privilege, in common with Morris Abrams and Shoshana Cardin, of holding both of life in the former these important posts. Soviet Union.”

4 NCSJ Annual Report for 2010 From the President

Dear Friends:

This past year I was re-elected to my second term as President of NCSJ. It is an honor that I value highly. I have known NCSJ since I was a young refusenik in Moscow during the 1970s, when it was the symbol of American-Jewish support. During the past year I have represented NCSJ in discussions with community groups, at high-level international meetings, and with government officials in the FSU, the US, and Israel. Although happily settled in the US, given my Russian background I am especially interested in engaging Russian-speaking Jews in the work of NCSJ. On my business trips to Russia this past year I have had many opportunities to meet with Jewish leaders and community groups. These frequent meetings allow me to help strengthen the links between NCSJ and our Russian partners like the Russian Jewish Congress and the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, and also to support more regional or local community-based groups and synagogues. As part of the NCSJ delegation to Baku, Azerbaijan, I visited a predominantly Muslim country that has a small Jewish community with deep historical roots. The delegation met with senior government officials and encouraged them to strengthen their already close ties with Israel. I also spoke in Israel at the Tenth Annual Herzliya Conference. The conference brings together global leaders to explore international issues and policy alternatives. The experiences of my own life and my work with NCSJ came together in my presentation, which examined the contemporary Russian Jewish experience in the Diaspora. NCSJ has thrived over the past year, and I look forward to helping it thrive in the years to come. I especially look forward to the events of our fortieth anniversary as a time when many Russian-speaking Jews can express their appreciation for NCSJ’s historical role in the renaissance of FSU Jewry and contribute to its future well-being.

Sincerely,

Alexander Smukler President

NCSJ Annual Report for 2010 5 From the Executive Director

Dear Colleagues:

It is a special privilege to be Executive Director during the fortieth- anniversary year of NCSJ. I have the opportunity to celebrate our accomplishments and to look ahead to achievements in the future. The organization, however, could not have attained four decades of success without the dedication of its lay leaders and staff. Members of the Board of Governors and especially of the Executive Committee devote time and resources to our programs. They join us on missions, they speak on our behalf to government leaders, and, above all, they represent the goals of NCSJ to the Jewish community across the country. Over the decades our mission has never wavered—we support the renaissance and development of Jewish communal life in all of the independent states of the FSU. We stand ready to offer our help in crisis and to collaborate in partnership for new growth. Although we are already a generation distant from the break-up of the Soviet Union, we remain acutely aware of the fragility of democratic institutions and the need to be “ever vigilant.” I am pleased to report that 2010 was another banner year for NCSJ. We had many accomplishments, including overseeing the organized American Jewish community’s campaign in support of Russia’s graduation from the Jackson-Vanik amendment, working with the governments of the former Soviet Union to monitor and respond to acts of anti-Semitism, collaborating with our member agencies to fight the delegitimization of Israel, advocating for stronger bilateral relations between Israel and the countries of the FSU, as well as organizing missions to the former Soviet Union and Washington, DC, for our members and partners. In addition, under the long-time leadership of NCSJ Vice-President Rabbi David Hill, Operation Lifeline continued to send kosher products to communities in need throughout the FSU. David has been an anchor of support for NCSJ and has devoted much of his life to securing a better life for our brothers and sisters in the FSU. Of special note this year is the election of our Board Chair, Richard Stone, to the presidency of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. It is an honor for Richard Stone and for NCSJ that he now holds one of the most visible and prestigious positions in the US Jewish community. In 2011, a unique year for NCSJ, I look forward to sharing with you all of the special events we have planned to celebrate our forty years of service and commitment.

Cordially,

6Mark B.NCSJ Levin Annual Report for 2010 Executive Director Programs and Activities

INTERNATIONAL

NCSJ specializes in person-to-person communication between the leaders of NCSJ member organizations and FSU Jewish organizations. It offers direct and personal access to US government officials and the FSU diplomatic corps in Washington, and to the US and Israeli embassies in the countries of the FSU. NCSJ monitors anti-Semitic incidents in the region and assesses their impact. At national and international meetings, NCSJ presents papers and leads sessions relating to Jewish communal life in the FSU, anti-Semitism, restitution, and Israeli relations with the successor states. At international fora, NCSJ facilitates discussions on Jewish issues between the governments of the successor states and the US. NCSJ’s networks and experience regularly assist Federations and national agencies in managing community services and supporting FSU projects and missions. NCSJ frequently arranges meetings and DconsultationsOMESTIC for visiting FSU Jewish organizations and community leaders with government officials and their US Jewish-organization counterparts.

NCSJ works closely with all branches of the US government, and particularly the White House and Department of State, on religious freedom issues in the fifteen successor states, especially with relation to combating anti-Semitism. NCSJ testifies often before the US Congress and international bodies, such as the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (the Helsinki Commission), on behalf of Jewish concerns. NCSJ also maintains personal ties with Members of Congress and Congressional committees important to US-FSU relations and US-Israel relations. NCSJ advises Congress and the Administration on issues DUCATION affectingE the FSU’s Jewish communities. NCSJ regularly organizes missions to the fifteen successor states for leaders of US Jewish organizations.

NCSJ provides information to the public on new developments relevant to the FSU, anti-Semitism, and other issues in which it maintains a program focus. NCSJ nurtures its media relationships through informational press releases,Country a regularly Reports updated, information-driven website, online and hard-copy publications, and semi-annual meetings for lay leaders, interested professionals, and the diplomatic community. Country Reports NCSJ publications include , a unique compilation of information gleaned from local publicationsNewsWatch (translated by members of the NCSJ staff), US diplomatic missions, and international organizations. is disseminatedWeekly News in hard Update copy to offices of key Members of Congress, embassies in Washington and abroad, international organizations, and member organizations of NCSJ. NCSJ’s newsletter is available in hard copy and online and is sent to over 2,000 supporters NCSJ Annual Report for 2010 7 and US member organizations. NCSJ’s , a summary and analysis of the past week’s events in the FSU of interest to national and international Jewish leaders, Federations, and national organizations, is widely disseminated online. NCSJ’s national lay leadership explores problems, issues, and developments in the countries of the FSU at NCSJ’s semi-annual Board of Governors meetings. These meetings often include a presentation by FSU ambassadors to Washington and presentations from senior US officials and experts in US foreign policy, especially in US-Russia relations. The meetings also provide member organizations an TUDENT EADERSHIP ROGRAM opportunityS L to discuss sharedP problems in programming in the FSU, exchange resources, and spark new collaborations.

Education. NCSJ initiated its Student Leadership Program, an ongoing international exchange initiative, in 1999. Program objectivesSocial Service. are: Developing an increased understanding and knowledge of the Jewish community in the FSU and the institutions of civil society. Advocacy Training.Exploring information and ideas about post-Soviet society through a single institution, such as the Moscow Jewish Home for Children, that incorporates the social, political, and economic aspects of many Jewish issues in post-Soviet society. Teaching advocacy to advance the causes of Jewish institutions and the practice of Judaism in a free and mutually respectful civil society. The program includes pre- and post-session meetings held in the US and FSU. Participants also join an electronic network on Facebook, which furthers their relationships and provides an ongoing forum for discussion. NCSJ’s Director of Community Services and Cultural Affairs leads the exchanges. Participants come from FSU Hillels and the Hillels of the US academic institutions, which have included American University, Brandeis University, George Washington University, Stanford University, Tufts University, and the University of Texas.

8 NCSJ Annual Report for 2010 Highlights of theYear

NCSJ’s accomplishments in 2010 stretched around the globe. NCSJ responded to anti-Semitic incidents, testified before Congress, attended international meetings, conferred with leaders in the US Department of State, led missions to the region, and organized a successful student leadership trip to Ukraine. NCSJ continued its commitment to Kehillah Projects, strengthening ties between sister cities in NTERNATIONAL theI United States and countries in the region, and featured two such projects at its semi-annual meetings.

In Russia, NCSJ took a prominent role in Iran strategy discussions with senior officials to secure Russian support for inhibiting Iran’s development of a nuclear arsenal. When a bomb exploded outside a synagogue in Tver, Russia, NCSJ acted as an intermediary among American and Russian officials and Jewish community leaders. Similarly, after a Jewish woman’s murder in Yekaterinburg, NCSJ encouraged the US Embassy, local Russian authorities, and the Jewish community to investigate. In May, NCSJ hosted a farewell reception for Ukrainian Amb. Oleh Shamshur (left), During the UN General Assembly in September, NCSJ met with speaking here with Azerbaijan Amb.Yashar Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. NCSJ acted as an Aliyev. (Ron Sachs/CNP) intermediary in resolving a dispute between an NCSJ member Federation and the Jewish community in Tula, Russia, and similarly helped an international organization mediate a dispute in Chisinau, Moldova. NCSJ worked with Ukrainian authorities to facilitate the investigation of a yeshiva student’s murder in Kyiv, and pressured the government for swift action after a Jewish man was murdered in Uman. NCSJ also introduced the new administration in Kyiv and the new Ukrainian Ambassador to the US Jewish community. NCSJ met with the Latvian government to urge action against Nazi sympathizers marching in Riga to commemorate Germany’s 1941 conquest of the city. In response, the Latvian political leadership In June, NCSJ hosted a meeting with Latvian Amb. Andrejs Pildegovics and denounced the march, ensured that RigaVice Mayor Ain rs Šlesers (fourth and sixth from left). ā adequate security was present to prevent violence, and allowed a counter- demonstration to take place. In addition, the government participated in a memorial service for the victims of the Holocaust. NCSJ called for the government of Estonia to act againstNCSJ a group Annual of Report Waffen for2010 SS veterans9 and their supporters holding a pro-Nazi ceremony in Vaivara. An intervention by NCSJ contributed to Estonian officials publicly distancing themselves from the ceremony and articulating a distinction between those who fought with the Nazis against the Soviets and those who committed genocide during the Holocaust. NCSJ also worked with the Estonian Embassy, US Department of State, and Estonian Jewish community on restitution issues and on the protection of Jewish sites, especially cemeteries. Supporters of Waffen SS NCSJ pressed for the resolution of restitution veterans at a pro Nazi issues in Latvia and Lithuania. NCSJ played an ceremony in Estonia in important behind-the-scenes role in resolving July. (WCRJ.org) the potential prosecution of Jews in the Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Lithuanian government’s war crimes Ažubalis (left) with NCSJ’s Lesley investigation of World War II partisan fighters. Weiss (second from right) in November. NCSJ met with the Moldovan Foreign Minister and Prime Minister and their delegation regarding an anti-Semitic incident in Chisinau, where a mob dismantled the community Chanukah menorah. NCSJ emphasized the government’s inadequate response when it charged the Orthodox priest who led the attack with a misdemeanor and levied a small fine. NCSJ called for stronger measures, including the reopening of the investigation. In addition to hosting a meeting for the Prime Minister’s delegation during his visit to NCSJ’s Lesley Weiss and Moldovan Prime MinisterVladimir Filat at the Washington, NCSJ continued its consultations about communalCountry property US Department of State in January. restitution,Reports to which the government was open and responsive. In Armenia, NCSJ worked with Jewish community leaders after a Holocaust memorial was desecrated. NCSJ published several , including one about Azerbaijan documenting the accomplishments of the nation’s Jews and the challenges they face. NCSJ also worked with government officials and community leaders to strengthen the US-Azerbaijan relationship. When the new Uzbekistan Ambassador to the US arrived in Washington, NCSJ met with him to discuss Uzbekistan’s Jewish community and its relations with Israel. During violence and political unrest in Kyrgyzstan, NCSJ maintained The synagogue in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, continuous contact with the Jewish communities to monitor anti- sustained damage from a pipe bomb Semitic acts. When a Bishkek synagogue was bombed during Rosh (inset) in September. Hashanah, NCSJ condemned the act and urged the government to undertake a full investigation. NCSJ attended several high-level international meetings in 2010. During the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Conference on Tolerance and Non-Discrimination in 10 NCSJ Annual Report for 2010 Kazakhstan, NCSJ met with Kazakhstan Chief Rabbi Yeshaya Cohen and other Jewish community leaders, and with government representatives, to strengthen ties with the US and Israel. During the Nuclear Summit in Washington NCSJ met with Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev NCSJ and Jewish leaders with Chairman of the Caucasus Muslim to highlight the importance of the Jewish Board Sheikh ul Islam Haji Allahshukur Pashazade (sixth from left) in community. Baku,Azerbaijan. NCSJ plays a unique role among Jewish organizations with regard to support for Israel. In addition to collaborating with other national organizations to support pro-Israel positions in Congress and at the Department of State, NCSJ counters delegitimization efforts and increases support for and engagement with Israel among the independent states of the FSU. In 2010, Richard Stone and Alexander Smukler led a mission to Baku, Azerbaijan, for a meeting with the small but deeply rooted Jewish community and with high-level government officials. A largely Muslim state, Azerbaijan has warm relations with Israel, which the mission reinforced. Following Israel’s interception of the Gaza-bound flotilla, NCSJ helped explain the necessity of Israel’s actions to FSU governments. NCSJ also worked closely with Israeli and Uzbek leaders to facilitate their bilateral dialogue and a reengagement. NCSJ and HIAS leadership participated in the Conference As part of the annual Conference of Presidents mission of Presidents mission to South Africa. to Israel and abroad, the group, including Executive Director Mark Levin, also visited South Africa, where DOMESTIC they met with Jewish leaders and government officials to strengthen ties with Israel.

In 2010 NCSJ conferred with senior officials in the Obama administration and Members of Congress on issues of concern to NCSJ. The Administration and Congress also sought input from NCSJ on regional issues. Michael McFaul, Senior Director for Russian and Eurasian Affairs at the US National Security Council, met with NCSJ officers about US- Russia relations, the Jackson-Vanik amendment, the New START treaty, and the World Trade Organization. Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Michael Posner met with representatives from NCSJ McFaul addressing the NCSJ Board of Governors in December. (Ron about overall human rights concerns in the FSU and individual cases. Sachs/CNP) Ian Kelly, US Ambassador to the OSCE, consulted with NCSJ about the overall US approach on human dimension issues, the FSU region, Russian concerns about the OSCE’s role in human rights, upcoming NCSJ Annual Report for 2010 11 OSCE review meetings, and the June conference on combating discrimination, including anti-Semitism. US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Hannah Rosenthal met with NCSJ about her upcoming visits to the region, the 2010 OSCE meetings, and the general state of anti-Semitism in At a June reception at the Department of State with Rosenthal and Secretary Hillary region. Rodham Clinton. NCSJ participated in roundtables convened by the US Department of State on human rights and democracy in the FSU and in meetings on Holocaust assets and religious freedom. NCSJ briefed students at the US Foreign Service Institute (which trains diplomats to work in the region) on political, economic, and social conditions affecting Jewish communities. NCSJ also sponsored a film and talk by Yosef Begun, who was a Prisoner of Conscience and leader in the movement to free Soviet Jews. NCSJ briefed over a dozen staff members of the Congressional Task Force on Anti-Semitism about anti-Semitism in the FSU. NCSJ Executive Director Mark Levin delivered testimony in support of Russia’s graduation from the Jackson-Vanik amendment before the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Subcommittees on Levin testifies before Congress. Europe and Eurasia and on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade. In addition, NCSJ facilitated the work of US member and non- member agencies in the FSU. NCSJ assisted the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee on tax and registration issues in Ukraine and Uzbekistan, and on issues of communal property DUCATION restitutionE in countries including Latvia and Lithuania.

In March, as part of its Student Leadership Program, NCSJ led a group of Stanford University students to Kyiv, Ukraine, where they engaged in advocacy training alongside a select group of Kyiv Hillel Jewish students. The combined student groups engaged in grassroots social action and met with officials from leading social and civic institutions in Ukraine. The participants remain in contact through Facebook and have become a part of NCSJ’s growing network of future Jewish leaders. NCSJ’s Director of Community Services and NCSJ Student Leadership Program participants in Kyiv, Ukraine. Cultural Affairs coordinates the program and led the trip. The trip, made in coordination with the Stanford University and Kyiv Hillels, was funded as part of a three-year grant by 12the KoretNCSJ Foundation, Annual Report the for Taube 2010 Foundation for Jewish Life & Culture, and the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties. The march 2010 trip marked the first time the program was held in Kyiv. For the participating students the experiences of the trip expanded theirIsaac identity Bleaman, as Jewsa Stanford and altered student, their wrote: perception of Ukraine and the Jewish community in Kyiv.

Participants gathered at a Sholem Aleichem statue on a tour of Jewish Our meetings, which always struck the proper balance Kyiv. between formality and candidness, presented me with plenty of opportunities to ask the “tough questions” of our speakers, particularly regarding anti-Semitism, what it means to be Jewish in Ukraine, and the place of Israel in the lives of Jews from the former Soviet Union. Meeting with Jewish and non-Jewish officials Sadie Weber, anothergave both Stanford an insider student, and outsider observed: perspective on the Jewish minority question.

It was amazing to see how similar and different the two cultures are. We share a more or less common background, yet the manner in which this background is viewed is completely different; for the Ukrainian students, being Jewish is more of a national Oleksandr Bobrovskyidentity, from while Kyiv for the said: American students, being Jewish is a cultural identity and religious affiliation.

What I liked the most is that our American peers really tried to understand what’s going on in this country before making final judgments. We all know that it is different from what one could see in the States, but different doesn’t mean bad or something like this. The questions they raised showed they are eager to know the reasons or obstacles why And Stanford studentit happened Miriam this Ellora or that Marks way, and spoke at the for same everyone time when tried to she provide noted: suggestions from their own experiences. I think that’s how the constructive dialogue should go.

The visits with Ukrainian Jewish leaders and organizations taught me a lot about Judaism and Jewish practices in Ukraine. . . . Most interesting to me were our interactions with the different rabbis; the incredibly diverse Jewish life that we glimpsed revealed the dynamic nature of Judaism as I had imagined existed only in America. NCSJ Annual Report for 2010 13 OUTREACHTO FEDERATIONS

NCSJ’s 2010 objectives included a commitment to strengthening and expanding relations with the Jewish FederationsWeekly and News national Update organizations, providing their leadership with information, analysis, and a role in international affairs. To further the goal of outreach, NCSJ contacted executive directors at major Federations to alert them to NCSJ’s regular , invite their participation in NCSJ missions to the FSU, and encourage them to inform their constituents about events in the FSU’s Jewish communities. NCSJ offered to send additional materials and speakers and invited them to submit inquiries. During 2010, NCSJ visited the Jewish Federations in New York City, San Francisco, South Palm Beach, Washington, DC, West Palm Beach, and MetroWest, New Jersey. Representatives from Federations in Boston, Chicago, Columbus, Delaware, Greensboro, Los Angeles, MetroWest, New York City, and Philadelphia attended the semi-annual meetings in Washington, and NCSJ corresponded with many Federations around the country.

14 NCSJ Annual Report for 2010 SPECIAL PHOTO RETROSPECTIVE:CELEBRATING 40 YEARSOF HISTORY

“All Jews have a memory, which is part of being Jewish… [T]o those Jews who had lived in the Soviet Union, there was such a clampdown on freedom that the ability to remember what a Jewish life was had become quite distant. NCSJ [is] focused on policy issues, policies that can affect an environment for freedom, and … transfer[ing] back to those Jews who lived in Russia, Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus—and throughout the Soviet Union—an opportunity to once again have a Jewish life. History will be the greatest testimony to your success, because what we begin to see is that Jewish life is again emerging.”

—Amb. Carlos Pascual Former US Ambassador to Ukraine

NCSJ Annual Report for 2010 15 40 YEARSOF HISTORY

Rallies and Protests

“I, like many of my generation, want to make a difference, to make the world a better place. I also want to do something that would “Freedom Sunday” March on Washington for Soviet Jewry, 1987. benefit the Jewish people. I never want my children to ask me the same question about the Pavel Semenov (right), plight of millions of Jews Lydia Gonorovskaya (middle),“NO to long in another part of the term refusals!” in front of the Supreme Soviet world the way I asked my of the USSR, Moscow, 1988. (U.S. News and parents about why their World Report) generation couldn’t have done more to stop the Holocaust.”

—Mark Levin Executive Director NCSJ

Images are from www.sovietjewry.org.

Singing Israel’s national anthem at the Freedom Rally for Israel at City Hall in NewYork City, 1973.

16 NCSJ Annual Report for 2010 40 YEARSOF HISTORY

At the Reagan Gorbachev summit in Reykjavik, Iceland, 1986.

Yosef Mendelevich at the “Freedom Sunday” March on Washington for Soviet Jewry, 1987.

The Greater NewYork Coalition for Soviet Jewry leads a hunger strike on the fourth anniversary of the Leningrad Trial,1974.

Daily vigil in front of the Soviet Embassy in Washington, DC, 1980s.

Natan Sharansky at the “Freedom Sunday” March on Demonstration in Moscow on Holocaust Day, 1989. Washington for Soviet Jewry, 1987.

NCSJ Annual Report for 2010 17 40 YEARSOF HISTORY

Activists and Prisoners of Zion

“I was born and grew up in the Soviet Union in Kyrgyzstan, in Central Asia. Believe me, it’s quite difficult to imagine how it was not simple to be a Jew in the Soviet Yuli Edelstein. RefuseniksVladimir and Maria Slepak. Union. . . .And you cannot imagine how we admire and how we [feel toward] these people, who put every day their heart, their soul to help people who are quite far from them, who live in a

different country. But, Vladimir Dashepsky, wife, and son, Moscow. we feel all our life their support. And [there are] a lot of changes which happened because of these people, because these people every day think about us.”

—Alexander Mashkevich President Left to right: Inna Begun, Faina Berenstein, and Tanya Edelstein hold pictures of Euro-Asian Jewish Congress their husbands,Yosef Begun,Yosef Berenstein, andYuli Edelstein, who were imprisoned as part of a mid 1980s Soviet crackdown on Jewish cultural activists.

18 NCSJ Annual Report for 2010 40 YEARSOF HISTORY

Children of Soviet Jewish activists.

A partial list of Jews in Soviet prison camps, 1970s.

Soviet Jewish activists Leonid Koshevoi,Vladimir Prestin, Lev Karp, and Benjamin Fain, 1970. Prisoner of Zion Ida Nudel.

Refuseniks recite psalms outside the Leningrad trial of Shoshana Cardin meeting withVa’ad leaders and officials, Evgeny Lein, 1981. Moscow, 1991.

NCSJ Annual Report for 2010 19 40 YEARSOF HISTORY

Meetings

“Throughout those difficult years [of Soviet persecution], and continuing until this very day, the NCSJ has helped to keep human rights high on the US national President George W.Bush signs the bill “graduating” Ukraine from the Jackson Vanik amendment, originally enacted in 1975 to promote rights for agenda. Whether by Soviet Jewry. providing information on individual cases…or by advocating legislative and policy changes to support the cause of religious freedom, the NCSJ has acted effectively and Former Israeli Prime Minister Golda President Ronald Reagan meets with Meir at the World Conference on constructively to ensure Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev. Soviet Jewry, held in Brussels, 1976. that the American Jewish community’s voice is heard and that the rights of Jews throughout Eurasia are protected.”

— Paul Sarbanes United States Senate Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin speaks at the 1978 NCSJ Israel seminar. Foreground, left, is Jacob Birnbaum of the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry.

20 NCSJ Annual Report for 2010 40 YEARSOF HISTORY

US Sen. Henry “Scoop” Jackson, second from left, at a The Seventh Annual Women’s Plea for Soviet Jewry, 1977. Solidarity Day rally in NewYork City, 1979.

NCSJ Chairman Burt Levinson, right, meets with President NCSJ Chairman Shoshana Cardin shakes hands with Soviet Ronald Reagan and National Security Council Advisor Premier Mikhail Gorbachev at the Kremlin, 1991. Richard Allen, 1980.

Russian PresidentVladimir Putin meets with Russian Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar and American Jewish leaders, including Congressional Wives for Soviet Jewry and other activists NCSJ Chairman Dr. Robert J. Meth (background, far left), meet wife of Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, 1979. 2003.

NCSJ Annual Report for 2010 21 40 YEARSOF HISTORY

Jewish Life Reborn

“I would say that you gave us freedom.

“You inherited freedom; most of you were born free. Jews in the Soviet Union didn’t have Music class in Jewish school, Riga, Latvia. freedom: simple freedom to live, freedom to emigrate, freedom not to be afraid…

“This is what you gave us.You made the voice of freedom heard.You let us join in that freedom, in that voice.” JDC sponsored Hebrew lessons at Moscow’s Main Synagogue. (UJA —Marina Furman Operation Exodus, photo by Robert A. Cumins) Former refusenik

Sephardi Synagogue,Tbilisi, Georgia.

22 NCSJ Annual Report for 2010 40 YEARSOF HISTORY

Moscow Jewish leadership at Congress of Jewish Organizations and Communities of the Soviet Union, 1989. Jewish Day School, Moscow.

Moscow Hillel students receive Torahs returned to the community. Central Synagogue, Minsk, Belarus.

Moscow Hillel. Reading Torah,Kyiv Synagogue.

NCSJ Annual Report for 2010 23 Board of Governors Meetings

NCSJ held two Board meetings during 2010, both in Washington, DC. At the June meeting attendees discussed restitution issues with the Assistant Executive Vice President of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, received a briefing on the upcoming OSCE meeting, and listened to a presentation, followed by discussion, about Turkey’s expanding influence in the Caucasus and Central Asia. At the December meeting attendees discussed anti-Semitism in the region with the OSCE Personal Representative on Combating Anti-Semitism, were briefed on the “reset” in US-Russia relations by the Senior Director for Russian and Eurasian Affairs at the National Security Council, and heard reports from the Boston Jewish Community Relations Council and the Greensboro Jewish Federation on their respective sister-city partnerships with Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, and Beltsy, Moldova. The latter twoJUNE presentationsMEETING represent Kehillah projects and cross-cultural partnerships to which NCSJ has a special commitment.

Zeyno Baran, Senior Fellow and Fred Turner, Chief of Staff, NCSJ Student Leadership Mission participant from Director of the Center for Eurasian Commission on Security and Kyiv Margarita Lopatina and NCSJ Director of Policy, Hudson Institute. Cooperation in Europe. Community Services and Cultural Affairs Lesley Weiss.

Left to right:Tatiana Munteanu, Counselor, and Andrei Galbur, Deputy Chief of Mis sion, Embassy of Moldova, in discussions with NCSJ Executive Director Mark Levin, JDC Assistant ExecutiveVice President Herbert Block, and NCSJ Executive Com NCSJ Chairman Richard Stone. mittee member Dr. Robert J. Meth. (All photos this page Ron Sachs/CNP)

24 NCSJ Annual Report for 2010 DECEMBER MEETING

Michael McFaul, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director NCSJ Chairman Richard Stone presenting the Torch of for Russian and Eurasian affairs at Liberty award to US Rep.Alcee Hastings, who accepted NCSJVice President Rabbi David the US National Security Council. on behalf of the US Helsinki Commission. Hill.

The Hon.Vaino Reinart,Ambassador of Estonia, Moldovan Ambassador Igor Munteanu (right) and Counselor Tatiana Munteanu and Mark Levin. (left) with members of the Greensboro Federation and Lesley Weiss (center).

Ukrainian Ambassador Olexander Motsyk (third from left) and representatives from the Ukrainian Embassy with NCSJ Executive Director Mark Levin (right),Vice President Dr. Judy Wolf (center), and representatives from the Boston Jewish NCSJ President Alexander Smukler. (All Community Relations Council. photos this page Ron Sachs/CNP)

NCSJ Annual Report for 2010 25 Financial Statement

NCSJ Income 2010 $852,000 Dues from Member 9% 1% 10% Agencies

Individual Donations and Contributions

Allocationsí1DWLRQDO Federation/Agency 36% Alliance of JFNA

44% Grants

Allocationsí1RQ- Alliance Federations

NCSJ Expenses 2010

$826,000

14% Advocacy/ Public Information Education / Leadership/ 19% International 50% Consultations Communications Community Liaising and Servicing 8% Operating Costs 9%

26 NCSJ Annual Report for 2010 Donors and Program Funders

($25,000 and greater)

Benefactors

Koret Foundation Alexander Mashkevich The National Federation/Agency Alliance of the Jewish Federations($10,000 to $24,999) of North America Richard Stone

Patrons

Diplomats

Consuls

Policy Makers

Supporters and Advocates

The National Federation/Agency Alliance of the Jewish Federations of North America is a major supporter of NCSJ. The Alliance is a partnership of 33 Federations that promotes deeper relationships and creates synergy between the Federations and national Jewish agencies.

NCSJ regrets any omissions or errors in these donor lists. To correct a listing, please contact NCSJ at 2020 K Street NW, 28 NCSJ Annual ReportSuite for 7800, 2010 Washington, DC 20006, phone (202) 898 2500 or email [email protected]. NCSJ Leadership

CHAIRMAN

PRESIDENT

Richard Stone VICE-PRESIDENTS HONORARY COMMITTEE Alexander Smukler

Stephen M. Greenberg Amb. Morris B. Abram* Rabbi David Hill Denis C. Braham AllenTREASURER Kronstadt Shoshana S. Cardin Herbert Seif Eugene Gold Dr. Judith L. Wolf Jerry Goodman SECRETARY Lesley Israel Charlotte Jacobson* Max R. Schrayer Fabian Kolker* Burton S. Levinson EXECUTIVECOMMITTEE Stanley H. Lowell* Karen Moss Harold Paul Luks Richard Maass* Theodore R. Mann Alan Ades Robert J. Meth, M.D. Dr. Betsy Gidwitz Rabbi Israel Miller* Conrad Giles Edward B. Robin Martin Goldstein Howard E. Sachs Betty Golomb Rabbi Herschel Schacter Susan Green Joel M. Schindler, Ph.D. Nuri Katz Rabbi Mark N. Staitman Leonard L. Kleinman Lewis*Deceased H. Weinstein* Dr. Stephen Kutner Martin A. Wenick Hon. Mel Levine Richard L. Wexler NCSJ PROFESSIONAL STAFF Executive Director Director of Community Services and Cultural Affairs Senior Program Associate Program Assistant Mark B. Levin,Program Assistant /Translator Lesley Weiss, David S. Shulman, Alla Lipsky, Judy Turkeltaub, NCSJ 2020 K Street NW, Suite 7800 Washington, DC 20006 (202) 898-2500 (202) 898-0822 fax Email: [email protected]