Review of "Let my people go"

There are many areas of Australian Jewish history that have been relatively untouched by historians. One is the growing engagement of Jews with Indigenous issues and concerns. Another is the complex nature of the relationships between Jewish leadership and advocacy groups, and Australian political parties and governments. A third gap until now has been the campaign for Soviet Jewry.

In Let My People Go, the well-known journalist and communal activist (Sam Lipski) and prominent historian Suzanne Rutland combine to present an ambitious historical overview of the Australian Soviet Jewry movement from 1959-89. This is very much an insider’s story. Lipski personally participated in some of the key events described in the book, and much of the archival content is sourced from the private Jerusalem-based collection of Isi Leibler who was a key leader of the movement.