Until 1989 most Soviet Jews wanting to immigrate to the United States left on visas for Israel via Vienna. In Vienna, with the assistance of American aid organizations, thousands of Soviet Jews transferred to Rome and applied for refugee entry into the United States. The Struggle for Soviet Jewry in American Politics examines the conflict between the Israeli government and the organized American Jewish community over the final destination of Soviet Jewish ZmigrZs between 1967 and 1989. A generation after the Holocaust, a battle surrounded the thousands of Soviet Jewish ZmigrZs fleeing persecution by choosing to resettle in the United States instead of Israel. Exploring the changing ethnic identity and politics of the United States, Fred A. Lazin engages history, ethical dilemma, and diplomacy to uncover the events surrounding this conflict. This book is essential reading for students and scholars of public policy, immigration studies, and Jewish history.

"Lazin has written an indispensable study of the U.S. Jewish community's struggle on behalf of Soviet Jewry. . . . Highly recommended." - CHOICE

"Fred A. Lazin has written an interesting and informative account of how both the United States and Israel responded to the issue of Soviet immigrant Jews. It is a detailed book based extraordinary research into the archives… . Lazin has written a rich book, throwing much light on a complex issue." - Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal Of Jewish Studies

"Meticulously documented through access to the extensive archives of the Jewish Agency and through interviews with many of the key players, [Lazin's] case study provides new insights into the growth and political maturity of the American Jewish community." - American Jewish History

"Fred Lazin's well-researched narrative, The Struggle for Soviet Jewry in American politics, is the most comprehensive work to date on this central issue in Israeli-U.S. diaspora relations.... Until 1967, Israelis were far better informed than their American Jewish counterparts about the situation of Soveit Jews. This important point, which is well developed by Lazin, has been overlooked by most historians of Soviet Jewry. Lazin is also very good in his general discussion regarding the 'turf issues' at the core of his book.... An important contribution. It will broaden and deepen our understanding—and appreciation—of a time in which the American Jewish communal agenda, and American Jewry's relationship with the state of Israel, moved in radically new directions." - Jews and The Sporting Life: Studies In Contemporary Jewry