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Joseph and Connie Smukler Papers on Soviet Jewry
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Held at: Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Joseph Smukler and Connie (Constance) Smukler, Philadelphia Soviet Jewry activists, organized local and national rallies, freedom runs, and protests, and lobbied lawmakers to liberate Soviet Jews in the 1970s and 1980s. The Smuklers both served on the Soviet Jewry Council of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Philadelphia and the National Conference on Soviet Jewry.
The Joseph and Connie Smukler Papers on Soviet Jewry document the Smuklers' involvement in the Soviet Jewry movement to advocate, aid, and communicate with Refuseniks, Soviet Jews denied the right to emigrate from the USSR. The bulk of the collection consists of records from the Soviet Jewry Council and allied national organizations such as administrative correspondence, meeting minutes, reports, publicity materials, and speeches given by the Smuklers at events. Other records in the collection include correspondence from Refuseniks sent to the Smuklers; extensive newspaper clippings and press releases about the plight of Soviet Jews including Natan Shcharansky's imprisonment and local and national efforts to provide aid to them; Soviet Jewry conference materials; records related to Project Manna, a food distribution program conceived by Joseph Smukler in 1991; and photographs of rallies and related events. The bulk of the collection is in English with some records, namely correspondence and reports from Refuseniks, in Russian.
Files in the collection have been grouped in the following categories and arranged alphabetically: "Anatoly (Natan) Shcharansky, " "Federation of Jewish Agencies, " "International Conferences, " "Life in the Soviet Union, " "National organizations, " "Philadelphia Soviet Jewish activism, " and "Soviet Jewry Council."
Donated by Joseph Smukler in 1998. Collection previously administered by the Philadelphia Jewish Archives Center, acquired by Temple in June 2009.
The bulk of the collection initially processed and inventoried in February 1998 by Andrew Harrison, Ph.D. Collection arranged according to contemporary archival standards, reboxed, and finding aid prepared in July 2019 by Jessica M. Lydon, Associate Archivist. Some folder titles were edited for the sake of clarity and description enhancement, including the addition of dates and formats.
People
Organization
- Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Philadelphia
- National Conference on Soviet Jewry (U.S.)
- Soviet Jewry Council (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Subject
- Antisemitism
- Civil rights -- Soviet Union
- Food relief -- Soviet Union
- Jews -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia -- Societies, etc
- Jews -- Persecutions
- Jews -- Soviet Union
- Political activists
- Political prisoners
- Refuseniks
Place
- Publisher
- Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center
- Finding Aid Author
- Machine-readable finding aid created by: Rajkumar Natarajan, Sky Global Services India (P) Ltd.
- Finding Aid Date
- February 2024
- Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research.
- Use Restrictions
-
The Joseph and Connie Smukler Papers on Soviet Jewry is the physical property of the Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries. The creators have not assigned their rights to Temple University Libraries. Other creators' intellectual property rights, including copyright, belong to them or their legal heirs and assigns. Researchers are responsible for determining the identity of rights holders and obtaining their permission for publication and for other purposes where stated.