Pamela Cohen
Called “the general of a fighting army” by jailed dissident Natan Sharansky, Pamela Cohen rescued countless refuseniks from Soviet Russia with her grassroots efforts. Cohen grew up on tales of one grandparent who escaped the Czar’s army and another who survived pogroms. When she heard that Jews were being jailed in the USSR for their beliefs, she felt a moral responsibility to avert another tragedy. She created the satellite office of Chicago Action for Soviet Jewry and eventually became president of the Union of Councils for Soviet Jews. She testified before Congress and participated in briefings on Soviet emigration and state-sponsored antisemitism for President Reagan and Secretaries of State Schultz, Baker, and Condoleeza Rice. Her army of students and housewives became advocates for Soviet Jews; they “adopted” specific refuseniks to raise American awareness of their plight and help them emigrate. Pamela Cohen was honored at the 2005 Women Who Dared event in Chicago.
Pamela describes her family background, heritage, and how her grandparents immigrated to the United States; her grandfather fled the czar's army, and her grandmother escaped Lithuania after the Kaunas pogrom. She grew up in Oak Park, Illinois, graduated from Oak Park High School, and attended Indiana University before transferring to Roosevelt University. She mentions she got married when she was twenty-one and talks about starting her family. Pamela describes the historical movements of the 1960s and '70s that led to the formation of and her involvement in the Chicago Action for Soviet Jewry and other grassroots efforts to mobilize support and networks for Soviet Jewry. She details her career in activism, fundraising, organizing, lobbying Congress, and serving as president of the Union of Councils for Soviet Jews for ten years. Pamela also reflects on Judaism, how her relationship with religious practice changed over the years, and how it has manifested in her children's lives. She discusses various topics throughout the interview including, Zionism, antisemitism, Soviet Jewish emigration, foreign policy, and the diplomatic history of Eastern Europe. Finally, Pamela looks to the future, advising human rights organizations to work together and hoping that future generations can continue participating in grassroots educational efforts.
