A Cold War Exodus

An eye-opening history text, A Cold War Exodus covers a pivotal period of Soviet, American, and Jewish history, chronicling the important activism that made escape possible. ~Foreword Reviews

A Cold War Exodus has real relevance in these times, as Jewish communities across North America contend with a profoundly disturbing upsurge in antisemitism. As we search for a counternarrative of our own, Kelner reminds us that we have a story to tell, and that grassroots mobilization is an effective means of telling that story. It can allow us to effect real change, and to do so in a way that is uniquely Jewish. In the words of Joe Hill, the great Swedish American labor activist, 'Don’t mourn, organize.' ~Jewish Book Council

A great example of the importance of studying history from the grassroots. Shaul Kelner frames the story of this transformative social movement in a fresh new way, starting out not with the boardrooms of the mighty national organizations with their professional staffs and well developed press contacts, but from the vantage point of the ordinary women and men who came from, as the rallying cry of the 1960s resounded, from the bottom up. The deep research, sharp writing, and keen insights bring the actions undertaken in kitchens and living rooms to life. ~Hasia Diner, co-author of Immigration: An American History

A tour de force. The prose is beautiful and every page is rich with insight. A Cold War Exodus makes landmark contributions to the sociology of movements and culture, offering important lessons for how to turn politics into a cultural movement. The cultural impact of the movement to free Soviet Jewry was profound and eclectic, reshaping religious rituals, summer camps, professional identities, tourism, and even the cola wars. Kelner’s revealing book makes clear how political impacts over decades of activity were a direct consequence of the culture and creativity of the Soviet Jewry movement, pressuring American and Soviet governments and forever reconfiguring the Jewish-American experience. ~Terrence McDonnell, co-author of Measuring Culture

A Cold War Exodus brings back a somewhat forgotten but endlessly fascinating movement that has gone overlooked by social movement scholars. Kelner artfully blends cultural sociology with social movement theory to understand tactical innovation in the U.S.-based movement to free Soviet Jewry. The result is a complex story of culture, religion, politics, and the life course. An excellent book. ~Rachel Einwohner, author of Hope and Honor: Jewish Resistance during the Holocaust

Want to be an activist, make the impossible happen? Read this book! A comprehensive and compelling study of how grassroots actions can invent a movement that alters those engaged in it as well as the larger world. ~Ronald Eyerman, author of The Cultural Sociology of Political Assassination

Kelner breaks new ground by focusing on the strategies and tactics used to mobilize American Jews to this cause ... In a particularly brilliant and perceptive chapter, he analyzes travel accounts from Jews who visited with 'refuseniks.' The introduction and conclusion contextualize these findings within the sociological literature on social movements and mass mobilization. Readers of all kinds will benefit from this volume, which persuasively reinterprets the Soviet Jewry movement from a fresh vantage point. ~CHOICE

Shaul Kelner's work distinguishes itself in this ever-evolving corpus... [his] conclusions are essential not only to enthusiasts of the American Soviet Jewry movement, but to students of American Jewish history writ large. ~H-Net Reviews