I just received word that David A. Harris, a leading expert, advocate and author on Soviet Jewish life has agreed to do an interview for Cycles and Revolutions. Mr. Harris’s knowledge of and insight to the history of the Jewish people of the region past and present will add invaluable perspective to the project.
Mr. Harris is the Executive Director of the American Jewish Committee. Here are the first two paragraphs of his bio from their website (with a link to the entire article).
David A. Harris is one of the Jewish people’s leading advocates and most eloquent spokesmen. The Executive Director of AJC since 1990, he travels the globe meeting with world leaders to advance the well-being of Israel, combat anti-Semitism, monitor the condition of Jewish communities, and promote intergroup and interreligious understanding.
Among the highlights of his work, he was centrally involved in the emigration of over one million Jews from the Soviet Union and was described by the Washington Post as “one of the leading spokesmen” for the Soviet Jewry movement. In the course of this work, he was twice detained by Soviet authorities and once expelled from the country. He was asked by the Jewish community to serve as the national coordinator for the historic Freedom Sunday for Soviet Jewry, the 1987 demonstration in Washington that drew over 250,000 participants. (the full article)
Many thanks to Eli Lipmen of the AJC for his initiative and assistance in getting Mr. Harris on board.