Student Coalition for Soviet Jewry- Brandeis University

From the 1960s through the 1980s, the government of the Soviet Union began an official campaign of anti-Semitism, shutting down synagogues, squashing Jewish cultural activities, arresting Soviet Jewish citizens, and denying Jews the right to emigrate to Israel or the United States. Anti-Semitic news articles, television programs and books were on the rise, and Jewish students had difficulties getting accepted into universities or passing their classes.

The Student Coalition for Soviet Jewry (SCSJ) was founded in 1977 in response to the arrest of Anatoly B. Shcharansky. Thirteen students from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts went to Washington, D.C. to lobby Congress about the problems faced by Jews in the Soviet Union. The numbers of students involved continued to grow, and expanded to include students from other colleges and universities in the United States. The Washington Lobby, which was held every February, provided opportunities for students to meet with members of Congress to educate them on the plight of Soviet Jews and urge them to get involved, either in letter writing campaigns or the adoption of Refuseniks. Students also participated in silent vigils in front of the Soviet embassy and met with representatives of the Soviet Affairs desk at the State Department.

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