Photo Gallery — Hidden Heroes

Here is the author in the mid 1970s with Lorel Pollack Abarbanel, founder and chairman of Chicago Action for Soviet Jewry.

A demonstration in New York in the early 1970's for imprisoned Leningrad trial defendant, Sylva Zalmanson, initiated by Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry and the Long Island Committee for Soviet Jewry. Sentenced to ten years of labor camp in 1970, Sylva was released in 1974. Her husband, Edward Kuznetsov and Mark Dymshitz were given the death sentence, later commuted to 15 years of labor camp. Center right is Lynn Singer, chairman of the LICSJ.

The street outside Moscow's Chorale Synagogue was the unofficial meeting ground for refuseniks and their Western visitors. Here I am in Moscow, consulting with Solomon Alber and Leonid Sharansky in the fall of 1978, six months after his brother, Natan, had been sentenced to 13 years of prison and hard labor on the spurious grounds of spying for the United States.

Arrested in 1977, Anatoly Sharansky was convicted for treason and sentenced to 13 years of labor camp. An iconic symbol of the struggle for human rights, he was released in 1986 after his wife, Avital, spearheaded a world-wide campaign for his release.

Marillyn Talman and Pamela Cohen spar with Soviet press officer, Vladimir Mikoyan, at the Soviet Embassy in Washington, over the Sharansky case. March 1984

Chicago Action for Soviet Jewry dedication of the Sharansky Free Speech Public Forum in Chicago's Lincoln Park. Marillyn Tallman, co- chairman of Chicago Action for Soviet Jewry and Pam Cohen with Congressman John Edward Porter, co-chair of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus.

1981. Union of Council for Soviet Jewry Meeting In Israel. Pam Cohen, Lynn Singer, UCSJ president, Rita Eker and Margaret Regal of London's 35's Women's Campaign for Soviet Jews.

The priority of the Union of Councils for Soviet Jews was the release of Jewish refuseniks who were arrested and sentenced to prison and Siberian hard labor camps for their emigration activity.

1984. Chicago Action for Soviet Jewry leads a horse-drawn hearse bearing a casket, symbolically to bury public for imprisoned refusenik Hebrew teacher, Yuli Edelstein who would later serve as Speaker of the Knesset in Israel.

sketch of prison cell by Josef Latinsky, Moscow refusenik

Rabbi Yosef Mendelevich, Leningrad trial defendant who spent 11 years in prison and labor camps.

Former Leningrad trial defendant, Anatoly Altman in Israel, 1983

Shirley Goldstein and Pamela Cohen with former Leningrad trial defendant, Hillel Butman; Jerusalem, 1983

prayer vigil, Reykjavic, Iceland, 1988.jpg

The author's brother, Chip Braun, at Chicago Action for Soviet Jewry's "Volvovsky Day" in Highland Park, Illinois. Hundreds helium balloons were released carrying the message "Freedom for the Volvovsky family."

The author in Israel with the Soviet Jewry Education and Information Center's first chairmen, Sasha Shipov and Yuri Shtern.

Former Leningrad refuseniks Gregory Kanovich and Lev Utevsky who were my Finish connection and consultants in Israel, 1983 . Read the full story in "Hidden Heroes"

Boris Blitshein, campaigning in the West for his father, refusenik Lev Blitshtein and Rita Eker, 35's Women's Committee for Soviet Jews. See Hidden Heroes for the full story of Lev Blitshtein.

South Florida Conference on Soviet Jewry's chairman, Hinda Cantor, former refusenik Alec Ioffe and Pam Cohen

Micah Naftalin, national director of the Union of Councils for Soviet Jews, at work at his desk in Washington

Leonid Stonov, Moscow refusenik leader who became the International Director of the Union of Council for Soviet Jews' after he received permission to emigrate in 1990.

Union of Councils and Student Struggle's press conference at the Soviet Embassy in Washington. From left, SSSJ Chairman Rabbi Avi Weiss, Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), UCSJ executive director Micah Naftalin and Senator Dennis Deconcini (D-AZ). March 23, 1988.

Marillyn Tallman and Susie Futterman at lunch meeting at CASJ with Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry's Glenn Richter (right) and Henry Gerber (left).

Yuri Shtern, Soviet Jewry Education and Information Center, Jerusalem

Yakov Gorodetsky arrives in Israel, February 1986

The Chicago Sun Times holds a public forum on the plight of Soviet Jews featuring former refuseniks, Yuri Shtern and Yakov Gorodetsky. October 1986

Sun Times moderator, Jay Bushinsky.

Luba Bar Menachem

My speech at the Leningrad Duma. 1990. See Hidden Heroes for the full story.

The UCSJ convenes the historic first open meeting between Jews from the West and Jews throughout the former Soviet Union. 1989

US Ambassador to the USSR, with Micah and me at the UCSJ meeting in Moscow, 1989

Panel discussion at UCSJ's meeting in Moscow. Janie Fisher, Congressional Helsinki Committee. 1989

Leonid Stonov presents me with the Medal of Honor on behalf of refuseniks at our Moscow meeting. Seat left is Marillyn Tallman and Rhoda Levine, Chicago Action for Soviet Jewry,

My treasured honor....

Moscow Meeting. Far left is Micah Naftalin. Right to left stands my husband, Lenny, Leonid Stonov, Sharon Shneider, Long Island committee, Hinda Cantor, South FloridaC Conference and refusenik Boris Kelman.

sketch of me by refusenik, Yosef Latinsky.

Consulting with Moscow refusenik, Victor Fulmach. Seat is David Waksberg, Bay Area Council on Soviet Jewry. UCSJ Meeting in Moscow, 1989

Friday night Shabbat dinner in Moscow united Jews from around the world in joy. UCSJ Moscow Meeting, 1989

Message call to Tanya Zunshine in Riga from the desk of Congressman John Porter after she had been knocked to the ground by KGB. For full story see Hidden Heroes.