Freedom for Soviet Jewry

Red text and image of Jewish star on white background.

Concerned about the political and economic influence of the church, and fearful of any alternative belief system challenging the primacy of the Communist party, leaders of the Soviet Union worked to limit the role of the Jewish religion in Russian society. During the 1960s, organizers drew attention to the plight of the persecuted religion through an international campaign, encouraging victims to emigrate.

The Russian government relaxed its restrictions on expressions of Jewish identity and Jewish culture when President Mikhail Gorbachev instituted Glasnost. Since the mid-1980s, the ban on teaching Hebrew has been lifted and many facilities for the rituals of the faith have been opened in Russia.