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Panelists: Lana Alman and Yelena Lazdun

In partnership with the Jewish Study Center.

The December 1987 March on Washington and Rally in support of Soviet Jewry was an extraordinary demonstration of American Jewish concern for the rights of Soviet Jews to freely leave the USSR for Israel, the US and elsewhere. For many Soviet Jews, exit from the USSR did become possible, and families and individuals seized the opportunity. But what came after they flew out of Moscow, Kiev and Minsk? The documentary Stateless, directed by Michael Drob, who emigrated from Latvia when he was 10, explores the unanticipated turns of events that a number of emigres encountered. Following our screening, two emigres who took very different paths to the United States—from two very different republics of the former Soviet Union—will share their personal experiences. This will be the first in a series of sessions the Jewish Study Center will host over the winter, exploring the U.S. experience of Russian-speaking Jews from the former Soviet Union -- a journey too little known in the wider American Jewish community.

Lana Alman is originally from Tiraspol, Moldova and immigrated with her family to the U.S. in 1990. She has dedicated her career to diverse immigration issues in the U.S. and in Latin America.

Yelena Lazdun, a biologist, immigrated from Odessa, Ukraine in 1992 and grew up in New Jersey and the D.C. area. She lives in Maryland.

Register with the Jewish Study Center: JSC, Museum members $10, others $15. Russian speakers free!

A young professionals evening: Happy Hour, Peruse the Museum, and a talk by Professor Jenna Weissman Joselit of George Washington University's Program in Experiential Education and Jewish Cultural Arts.