The Wreckage, Season 3: “Open Up the Gates”

A narrative podcast from the American Jewish Historical Society
Hosted by Rebecca Naomi Jones
Produced and written by Gemma Birnbaum, Shaul Kelner and Andrew Sperling

9 episodes · 2025

Listen at AJHS | Apple Podcasts

About the Season

The Wreckage follows Soviet Jews struggling to leave the USSR as totalitarianism descended, and chronicles how a grassroots movement among American Jews grew to secure their release — and how this shaped the political identity of the American Jewish community.

Episodes

Episode 1: The Delegation
A delegation of American Orthodox rabbis traveled to the Soviet Union in June 1956, marking the first significant contact between U.S. Jews and Soviet Jewry in nearly four decades. Featuring Rabbi Herschel Schacter, a former U.S. Army chaplain who had worked with Holocaust survivors.

Episode 2: The Refuseniks
Soviet Jews who applied for exit visas — primarily to Israel — and the majority whose applications were denied, creating the plight of those known as Refuseniks.

Episode 3: The Hijackers
In summer 1970, Soviet Jewish dissidents organized a group of 16 refuseniks to attempt an airplane takeover to escape to Israel. The operation, called “Operation Wedding,” was intercepted by the KGB, leading to a widely publicized trial that ignited international attention to Soviet human rights violations.

Episode 4: The Students
College students became driving forces in the American Soviet Jewry movement. Jacob Birnbaum founded the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry in 1964, inspired by civil rights activism and dedicated to supporting refuseniks.

Episode 5: The Coalitions
Various Jewish and non-Jewish organizations collaborated to support Soviet Jewry, coordinating between grassroots and established nonprofits despite internal tensions. Featuring Shaul Kelner.

Episode 6: The Travelers
American activists traveled to the Soviet Union to meet with Jewish residents and provide support, navigating dangerous conditions and KGB restrictions. Featuring Shaul Kelner.

Episode 7: The Stateless
American Jewish aid organizations deployed caseworkers worldwide to help resettle Jewish emigres across the United States, Israel, Canada, and other nations.

Episode 8: The New Americans
Over four decades, more than 500,000 Soviet Jews emigrated to the United States, settling throughout the country and integrating into American Jewish communities.

Episode 9: The Dissolution (Bonus Episode)
A live-recorded series finale featuring scholars and creators discussing the Soviet Jewry movement and its historical significance. Featuring Gemma Birnbaum, Shaul Kelner and Gal Beckerman. Moderated by Julie Salomon.