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Soviet Jewry Activist Jacob Birnbaum Dies at 87

JL;DR SUMMARY Jacob Birnbaum, the founder of the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry (SSSJ), passed away at 87, leaving behind a lasting legacy of grassroots activism. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Soviet JewryPassoverJewish IdentityHuman RightsActivismFreedomJacob BirnbaumGrassroots MovementSssjLet My People Go

Places mentioned

Beverly Hills, California, United States
"He lives in Beverly Hills, CA."
Washington Heights, New York, United States
"He lived in Washington Heights, in the vicinity of Yeshiva University."
New York, United States
"It is certainly no accident that the first public meeting over which Birnbaum presided, at Columbia University, took place in 1964 just a couple of weeks after Passover."
Hamburg, Germany
"although luckily he and his family had escaped from their native Hamburg, and settled in England, shortly before World War II."
United Kingdom
"although luckily he and his family had escaped from their native Hamburg, and settled in England, shortly before World War II."
Russian Federation
"and particularly those whom he knew were being terrorized and prevented from emigrating to the West, or to Israel, by the Soviet authorities."
Egypt
"In every generation each Jew must see himself as one of those who was redeemed from Egypt."

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Cairo Item ID 77928
Cairo Source ID 10
Retrieved 2026-03-18 05:32:46 UTC
Curated 2026-03-18 08:32:04 UTC