May 6, 2025
AJC New York’s latest installment of Critical Conversations featured former AJC CEO David Harris, in dialogue with AJC New York Director Josh Kramer. The discussion centered on the enduring lessons of the American Movement to free Soviet Jewry, as explored in Harris’ recent memoir, On the Front Lines: A Lifetime of Global Jewish Advocacy. Dr. Samuel Kliger, AJC Director of Russian and Eurasian Affairs, himself a refusenik and respected scholar on this topic delivered opening remarks.
Drawing from his own lived experience—ranging from his upbringing in a family of Holocaust survivors to his unexpected imprisonment in the Soviet Union and to a nearly five-decade career at the forefront of Jewish advocacy—Harris unpacked what made the Soviet Jewry movement both uniquely effective and broadly resonant. He identified three essential forces that made up the movement: the extraordinary individuals who became the face of the movement, the diaspora Jews who embraced it as their generational calling, and the indispensable roles played by Israel and the United States.
The conversation moved fluidly between history and the present. Harris and Kramer explored the dangerous continuity between Soviet-era antisemitism, cloaked in anti-Zionist rhetoric, and the ideological currents we see today. Harris warned that much of today’s anti-Israel discourse mirrors Cold War-era propaganda—and emphasized the need to remain “swivel-headed,” vigilant in identifying antisemitism and anti-Zionism in all their forms, across the political spectrum, however coded or nuanced they may appear.
As the discussion drew to a close, Harris underscored the urgency of confronting hatred head-on—through principled diplomacy, coalition-building, and unwavering engagement. In this moment of rising global antisemitism following October 7, the conversation was a potent reminder of the continued importance of empowering every segment of the Jewish people—including Russian-speaking Jews—and drawing strength from our shared legacy of resilience.
Critical Conversations is a signature AJC New York series for members of the AJC Marshall Society and National Leadership Council.
