Oral history interview with William M. Cohen, [electronic resource] / interviewed by Michael Rourke and filmed by Elaine Chang, 2010. 2010.

ArchivalResource

Cohen, William M., 1940-,. Oral history interview with William M. Cohen, [electronic resource] / interviewed by Michael Rourke and filmed by Elaine Chang, 2010.

Oral history interview with William M. Cohen, [electronic resource] / interviewed by Michael Rourke and filmed by Elaine Chang, 2010. 2010.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/670442207

A wide-ranging interview with Bill Cohen covering the founding and history of Boulder Action for Soviet Jewry (BASJ) in 1987 and, later, the Center for Human Rights. He talks about increasing anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union and how human rights issues for refuseniks contributed to the creation of BASJ, the goal of which was to provide advocacy and resettlement for Soviet Jews. He describes families who were helped to come to Boulder or Israel, the many Boulder volunteers who assisted in this challenging process, and the steps that helped integrate the New Americans. The Center for Human Rights was founded to meet the legal and political complexities of the resettlement process. Bill talks about how some of the legal problems were solved by working with Soviet counterparts and involving the U. S. Congress, INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service), and other government agencies. He relates the details of refugee cases in which the Center for Human Rights and he were involved and also describes a landmark case that he handled that changed INS policy to allow family members to be given refugee status in a more equitable way.

Boulder Public Library