This month, we are celebrating Passover. And what goes hand-in-hand with Passover? A seder, of course! Along with observing the holiday with family and friends, many organizations host their own seder, just like the one seen in the photograph. Can you guess the year? Here are some hints:
- Notice the haggadah? Yep, those are Russian letters. That’s because this was a Russian-Language seder hosted by the Russian Acculturation Committee at the Jewish Community Center in Oak Park.
- While the Soviet Jewry movement had begun, the Operation Exodus campaign to rescue Jews from the former Soviet Union and resettle them in Israel, the U.S., and Canada had not yet occurred.
- The first night of Passover was April 18; this event took place the next night.
Think you know the year? Make your best guess and see the answer at the bottom of the page!
Soviet Jews, long silenced by censorship and isolation, sought freedom of religious beliefs by leaving the Soviet Union. Those denied permission to emigrate were labeled as refuseniks. Many Jewish organizations, including those in Detroit, became involved in the struggle to bring Soviet Jews to the United States and other countries. Over time, thousands of Soviet Jews made a home in Metro Detroit, aided by Jewish Family Service’s Resettlement Program. Other organizations, including the Jewish Community Center, provided programs to help acclimate the newly arrived community members. This included creating program materials in both English and Russian, as we see in this image.
Want to discover more about the history of Soviet Jewry in Detroit? We’ve got you covered! Explore our digital database for photos, documents, films and more!
And the year is…1981!
Image: Jewish Community Center Photograph Collection, Leonard N. Simons Jewish Community Archives, Image# JCC.80, (L to R): Nikolai Klemptner, Toli Shabashov, Sam Kaplan, Dr. Luba Berton.
