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Hidden Heroes: One Woman's Story of Resistance and Rescue in the Soviet Union
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.
384 pages, Hardcover
Published July 18, 2021
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21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 12, 2022
This is not an easy book. Retelling the story of Soviet Jewry is not an easy topic. Ms Cohen, an absolute insider to the fight, has jammed over 20 years of intense history into 400 riveting pages.
As a teenager in NY, I was very involved with the demonstrations and protests at the Soviet embassy, consulate, and Dag Hammarskjold Plaza in the late 60s. Reading Ms. Cohen's book was, in some ways, a trip down memory lane. As she writes about the early refuseniks, I found myself remembering many of the names. I read the ends of so many stories I knew at the beginning.
The struggle to get the Refuseniks and other Jews out of the Soviet Union was a masterwork of intense effort, political acumen, and stubborn belief that it could be done. Coordinating immigration from the USSR to the US and Israel was not simple. That immigration happened at all is a miracle.
The sections on Central Asia are particularly riveting. I suspect most people, self included, were unaware of the treatment of Jews outside the European half of the Soviet Union. What you learn from reading the detailed descriptions of UCSJ's determined effort to get Jews out, is that silence is NOT an option.
The biggest takeaway is the art of NOT being silent. And as hard as it is to read, HIDDEN HEROES should be on everyone's reading list. It stands as a lesson we need to learn again and again. Ms Cohen chose NOT to be silent. She chose to change the world. And she did.
Brava, Pamela Cohen!
As a teenager in NY, I was very involved with the demonstrations and protests at the Soviet embassy, consulate, and Dag Hammarskjold Plaza in the late 60s. Reading Ms. Cohen's book was, in some ways, a trip down memory lane. As she writes about the early refuseniks, I found myself remembering many of the names. I read the ends of so many stories I knew at the beginning.
The struggle to get the Refuseniks and other Jews out of the Soviet Union was a masterwork of intense effort, political acumen, and stubborn belief that it could be done. Coordinating immigration from the USSR to the US and Israel was not simple. That immigration happened at all is a miracle.
The sections on Central Asia are particularly riveting. I suspect most people, self included, were unaware of the treatment of Jews outside the European half of the Soviet Union. What you learn from reading the detailed descriptions of UCSJ's determined effort to get Jews out, is that silence is NOT an option.
The biggest takeaway is the art of NOT being silent. And as hard as it is to read, HIDDEN HEROES should be on everyone's reading list. It stands as a lesson we need to learn again and again. Ms Cohen chose NOT to be silent. She chose to change the world. And she did.
Brava, Pamela Cohen!
November 10, 2021
A fascinating, detailed account of the grassroots movement seeking to assist Russian Jews to escape the former Soviet Union (USSR) over the course of three decades. The movement also sought to ensure freedoms for Jews remaining in the former USSR to maintain their Jewish identity. Pamela Braun Cohen worked tirelessly to coordinate resources in the United States as well as the USSR.
Cohen provides very factual accounts of story after story of the challenges she and her organization faced when doing such incredibly important work, embodying the principle of Tikkun Olam. While the engrossing stories of her work make for captivating reading, it was the impact her work had on her own life, and her faith, I found most interesting in this book. An impactful must-read!
Cohen provides very factual accounts of story after story of the challenges she and her organization faced when doing such incredibly important work, embodying the principle of Tikkun Olam. While the engrossing stories of her work make for captivating reading, it was the impact her work had on her own life, and her faith, I found most interesting in this book. An impactful must-read!
December 8, 2021
This book is an important and worthwhile read. Really it is a must read and it is a page turner. It documents the heroic movement to free the Jews of the USSR. Until the late 1980's it was illegal for Soviet Jews to practice or study Judaism. Applying to leave the country led to being fired from jobs and isolation and imprisonment. Many Jews in the USSR risked everything to express their Judaism and/or to leave the large C0mmunist prison where they lived. Pamela Braun Cohen of Chicago became active in the movement to free Soviet Jews after seeing on the nightly TV news that Jews had been arrested for trying to hijack a plane in Leningrad (the "hijackers" purchased tickets for all the seats on the plane to avoid kidnapping anyone). Pamela was shocked to learn about the situation of Soviet Jews and never looked back. Working out of a small office in Chicago, she worked around the clock to ensure that Soviet Jewry would be at the top of every agenda when Soviet and American diplomats met and that American Jews would also make the cause of Soviet Jewry their cause. Pamela introduces us to the many Soviet Jews she met over the years when she visited the USSR numerous times. Although she is truly a heroine for the dedicated leadership she provided for the movement, she really focuses on others and the important risks they took. Each page is filled with interesting details about life in the USSR and how one housewife (as the KGB called her and others) risked so much to help many.
November 10, 2022
I received this book for an honest review.
Hijacker’s from Leningrad Russia who could not get permission to leave the Soviet Union had planned to take a plane in a desperate attempt to attract the attention of the west concerning their problems. It was impossible to live as Jews there due to anti-semitism. They were trying to leave and settle in Israel. There were no synagogues, only ones that were controlled by the government. There were no Jewish schools and no Jewish organizations. Teachers in non Jewish schools promoted anti-Semitic bullying.
This book tells the story of the Soviet Jewry movement. This is a very important book and Pamela Cohen is one amazing hero. I highly recommend reading this book of amazing history.
Hijacker’s from Leningrad Russia who could not get permission to leave the Soviet Union had planned to take a plane in a desperate attempt to attract the attention of the west concerning their problems. It was impossible to live as Jews there due to anti-semitism. They were trying to leave and settle in Israel. There were no synagogues, only ones that were controlled by the government. There were no Jewish schools and no Jewish organizations. Teachers in non Jewish schools promoted anti-Semitic bullying.
This book tells the story of the Soviet Jewry movement. This is a very important book and Pamela Cohen is one amazing hero. I highly recommend reading this book of amazing history.
December 5, 2021
I received this book for an honest review.
Hijacker’s from Leningrad Russia who could not get permission to leave the Soviet Union had planned to take a plane in a desperate attempt to attract the attention of the west concerning their problems. It was impossible to live as Jews there due to anti-semitism. They were trying to leave and settle in Israel. There were no synagogues, only ones that were controlled by the government. There were no Jewish schools and no Jewish organizations. Teachers in non Jewish schools promoted anti-Semitic bullying.
This book tells the story of the Soviet Jewry movement. This is a very important book and Pamela Cohen is one amazing hero. I highly recommend reading this book of amazing history.
Hijacker’s from Leningrad Russia who could not get permission to leave the Soviet Union had planned to take a plane in a desperate attempt to attract the attention of the west concerning their problems. It was impossible to live as Jews there due to anti-semitism. They were trying to leave and settle in Israel. There were no synagogues, only ones that were controlled by the government. There were no Jewish schools and no Jewish organizations. Teachers in non Jewish schools promoted anti-Semitic bullying.
This book tells the story of the Soviet Jewry movement. This is a very important book and Pamela Cohen is one amazing hero. I highly recommend reading this book of amazing history.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews