Effective Forms of Protest Utilized by Jewish Human Rights Groups

What type of protests took place in Seattle?

Many Jewish human rights groups utilized different forms of protest. Several protests consisted of staging walk-in protests at conferences, holding public meetings, and displaying a public exhibit of personal photographs of Soviet Jews.

“It’s one thing to read newspaper stories about the plight of refuseniks, but it’s another to see real people standing in their kitchens facing the dilemma”(Marsha King).

1983 Protest

Type of Protest: Public Display

This public exhibit “Survival of the Spirit, Jewish Lives in the Soviet Union” took place in Bellevue Square Seattle. The Jewish Federation and Women’s American Organization for Rehabilitation Training (ORT) used a similar tactic to the Target Seattle Peace activist group that distributed personal peace letters to individuals in the Soviet Union in 1983. They focused on building personal connections with observers on the street, similar to the 1985 protest, mentioned later on this page. In this exhibit, this group displayed individuals wanting to emigrate out of the Soviet Union. These photos didn't need any long explanation to show the struggles these refuseniks faced as many of their fundamental rights were stripped away.

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This photo is an example of the types of photos they displayed in the exhibit. This photo displays a Soviet Jewish family in the Soviet Union. Through capturing families and their emotions, the groups hoped to illicit emotions from onlookers and hoped to get them involved with the cause.

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This is another example of a photo they would display. This group wanted to share personal connections with the viewers and through seeing a family, many could relate to the photo. Interestingly, this Soviet Jewish family protested in the Soviet Union and risked their lives under authoratative control in order to install peace.

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This photo relates to the image to the left as the Furman family was imprisoned for advocating peace. This led many to protest the release of this family. The photo implements the same technique the ORT used through displaying photos in order to personally connect with viewers.

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This photo shows the children of parents who struggled to attain visas. This family photo would be an example of a photo they would display in this exhibit.

1985 Protest

Type of Protest: Walk-in

Seattle and Tashkent sister city organization met in Seattle to strengthen their relationship. This meeting did not just discuss politics; instead, they met to discuss mainly economics. The Action for Soviet Jewry and the Jewish Federation staged a walk-in protest in order to have their voices heard from both the Soviet Union and U.S. representatives. Although the Jewish groups did manage to meet the Tashkent representatives as they had hoped, sister-city organizers limited the meeting to only a short period of time. This protest was unique because this group capitilized on this opportunity where they could share their ideas to individuals who had a direct link to the Soviet Union.

1987 Protest

Type of Protest: Public Meeting

Another Seattle and Tashkent sister city conference took place in Seattle and the United Jewish Federation and other human rights groups protested through holding a public meeting that criticized the goal of this conference. The human right groups believed they should discuss ways to help the oppressed Soviet Jews and the Soviet Union’s authoritative control instead of discussing economic policies. The human rights groups also wanted to personalize this matter at hand through inviting divided family members to speak about their personal struggles and injustices with this current system. Through individuals sharing their own personal ties to the Soviet Union, the human rights groups thought this was a strong way to build personal connections with whomever would listen.

How did other Jewish human rights groups (not based in Seattle) protest?

Soviet Union Protests

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This photo displays Soviet Jews advocating for visas so they could leave the Soviet Union. Although it wasn't an official public meeting, this protest is similar as individuals were out on the streets sharing their concerns about the current flaws of the system.

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In 1988, several protesters gathered in Moscow to protest the injustices of the current Soviet system. The sign reads "No more saying no" which alludes to the limited visas given out.

U.S. Protests

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This photo took place in D.C. as groups built on forming personal connections with the viewers and connections with the Soviet Jews. Unlike staging a walk-in or public meeting, they formed another meaningful protest through enacting experiences Soviet Jews faced. For instance, being imprisoned, as noted of them standing behind prison-like barriers, and other struggles such as losing a job.

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In 1984, many Soviet Jewry groups gathered to advocate for the freedom of Soviet Jews in Florida. This form of protest included personal photographs of individuals and handmade signs with powerful messages.

Iceland Protests

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A woman, along with several other individuals, protest Soviet authority at a summit meeting in Iceland. This form of protest included personal photographs to provide empathy for those affected by this authority.