Grayce Perlbinder Papers
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Grayce Perlbinder reflect her work at the Long Island Committee for Soviet Jewry from 1971 to 1982. The materials include Perlbinder's speeches, notes, reports, a play script, information on her travels to the USSR, correspondence with Soviet Jews, bulletins, memos, proposals, news clippings and photographs.
The collection consists of one manuscript box and one half manuscript box.
Dates
- undated, 1971-1982
Creator
- Perlbinder, Grayce, 1931-2018 (Person)
Access Restrictions
The collection is open to all researchers, except items that may be restricted due to their fragility, or privacy.
Use Restrictions
No permission is required to quote, reproduce or otherwise publish manuscript materials found in this collection, as long as the usage is scholarly, educational, and non-commercial. For inquiries about other usage, please contact the Director of Collections and Engagement at mmeyers@ajhs.org.
For reference questions, please email: inquiries@cjh.org
Historical Note
The Papers of Grayce Perlbinder represent one collection housed within the Archive of the American Soviet Jewry Movement (AASJM). These papers reflect the effort, beginning in the 1960s through the late 1980s, of thousands of American Jews of all denominations and political orientations to stop the persecution and discrimination of Jews in the Soviet Union. The American Soviet Jewry Movement (ASJM) is considered to be the most influential movement of the American Jewish community in the 20th century. The beginnings of the organized American Soviet Jewry Movement became a model for efforts to aid Soviet Jews in other countries, among them Great Britain, Canada, and France. The movement can be traced to the early 1960s, when the first organizations were created to address the specific problem of the persecution and isolation of Soviet Jews by the government of the Soviet Union.
The collection contains the papers of Grayce Perlbinder related to the activities of the Long Island Committee for Soviet Jewry during the 1970s and the early 1980s. Created by Inez and Sydney Weissman in the early 1970s, the East Meadow-based Long Island Committee for Soviet Jewry became the pivotal grassroots group within the national coalition Union of Councils for Soviet Jews. Grayce Perlbinder was one of the cadre of leaders of the LICSJ that included Inez Weissman, Toby Newman, Honey Karasyk and Lynn Singer. She served as the Committee’s Vice President and President. LICSJ worked to raise awareness of the plight of Jews in the USSR by keeping its community informed via its own newsletter, the Soviet Jewry Report. The group organized numerous demonstrations, vigils, sit-ins and benefit concerts on behalf of Soviet Jews. The Committee helped connect American and Soviet Jewish families with projects such as Adopt-A-Family and the Soviet Jewry Write-ins. They also arranged meetings between Jews in the USSR and the American travelers.
Extent
0.75 Linear Feet (1 manuscript box, 1 half manuscript box)
Language of Materials
English
Russian
Abstract
Papers of the Soviet Jewry movement activist Grayce Perlbinder of Great Neck, NY reflect her activities as one of the leaders of the Long Island Committee for Soviet Jewry during the 1970s and early 1980s. The materials include speeches, notes, reports, a play script, information on trips to the USSR, correspondence, bulletins, memos, proposals, news clippings, newsletters and photographs.
Arrangement
The collection consists of one manuscript box.
Physical Location
Located in AJHS New York, NY
Acquisition Information
Donated by Grayce Perlbinder in 2008.
- Title
- Guide to the Grayce Perlbinder Papers, undated, 1971-1982 *P-942
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Processed by Andrey Filimonov
- Date
- © 2012
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is in English.
- Sponsor
- Digitization of the Papers of Grayce Perlbinder (P-942) was made possible through a generous grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).
Revision Statements
- May 2015: Added dao links by Eric Fritzler.
- November 2020: RJohnstone: post-ASpace migration cleanup.
Repository Details
Part of the American Jewish Historical Society Repository