Hidden Heroes One Woman's Story of Resistance and Rescue in the Soviet Union

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About Hidden Heroes One Woman's Story Of Resistance And

Product Description Spanning nearly three decades, Hidden Heroes gives an insider's view of the modern-day exodus of Soviet Jews from the Soviet Union, a period of Jewish history that has rarely been told and is in danger of being forgotten. This deeply personal narrative explores the grassroots Soviet Jewish emigration movement through the eyes of one of its indefatigable leaders, focusing on the actions of heroic refuseniks in the Soviet Union as well as courageous individuals in the West described by Natan Sharansky as the "army of students and housewives" who waged the battle to free Soviet Jews. From Russia, Ukraine, and Lithuania to the distant republics of Central Asia, refuseniks come to life, discovering their identity, protesting on the streets, defending themselves in courtrooms, defying jailers in their prison cells, and struggling to survive in Siberian labor camps. This engrossing memoir tells the story of the resistance and moral courage of men and women inside the Soviet Union and of those in the West who relentlessly crusaded on their behalf. Review "A very important memoir. It is this personal, intimate connection between these two groups that gave inspiration, encouragement, and strength to the people on both sides of the Iron Curtain and made our struggle so powerful." --Natan Sharansky, former Prisoner of Zion "Tells an important part of the unique story of brave and courageous individuals who effected immense change for human rights worldwide." --Alan Dershowitz, Professor Emeritus, Harvard University; lawyer for refuseniks and dissidents "One woman's story here illuminates a vast historic movement that changed Jewish and Israeli history." --Elliott Abrams, former Deputy National Security Advisor and Assistant Secretary of State About the Author Haunted by the legacy of the Holocaust, Pamela Braun Cohen became an activist in the Soviet Jewry movement in the early 1970s. She served as cochair of Chicago Action for Soviet Jewry from 1978 until 1986, when she became the national president of the Union of Councils for Soviet Jews (UCSJ). Her leadership role took her to the halls of Congress and the White House and on frequent trips to the Soviet Union. Cohen received the Humanitarian Award from the Raoul Wallenberg Committee of Chicago; the Medal of Honor from refuseniks; and a Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Spertus College of Judaica. She lives in Chicago with her husband Leonard. They divide their time between family in the United States and their home in Jerusalem.