Operation Wedding — The Story of Soviet Jews Who Cracked the Iron Curtain

11 AM LOS ANGELES • 2 PM NEW YORK

Leningrad, 1970. A group of Soviet Jews who were denied exit visas plots to hijack an empty plane and escape the USSR. 45 years later, filmmaker Anat Zalmanson-Kuznetsov reveals the compelling story of her parents, leaders of the group, “heroes” in the West but “terrorists” in Russia, even today.

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VIEW THE TRAILER

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THE SCHEDULE

⇒ September 12-15 view the film Operation Wedding on your home device. A link will be provided to all who register.

⇒ Sunday, September 14 at 2:00 p.m. US Eastern Time, tune into the program with our distinguished panel of speakers. A link will be provided to all who register.

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MEET THE PANEL

Anat Zalmanson-Kuznetsov was born and raised in Israel and studied filmmaking in Israel and in England before embarking on a film career, achieving success in both popular media and promotional productions. She is best known for her award-winning documentary Operation Wedding, winner of 21 international awards. The film tells the story of her parents, leaders of the 1970 Soviet “plane hijacking” plot that drew global attention to the plight of Soviet Jews and helped crack the Iron Curtain. She also developed the educational program Let My People Go, created for the Prime Minister’s Office (Nativ) and the Ministry of Education, which provides lesson plans and activities on the Soviet Jewry struggle to educators in Israel and beyond.

Glenn Richter, a political science graduate of Queens College in New York, helped found the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry (SSSJ) in 1964 under the leadership of Yakov Birnbaum, whose grandfather coined the term “Zionism.” Drawing on civil rights movement tactics, SSSJ led innovative demonstrations, lobbied Congress and coordinated with global activists to support Jews oppressed in the USSR. Following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, SSSJ shifted to supporting Soviet Jewish immigration to Israel and rebuilding Jewish life in Russia for those who chose to stay. Glenn now devotes himself to Jewish volunteer work, including monitoring court cases involving antisemitic violence.

Janna (Lipmanova) Kaplan, who will moderate, is a Senior Research Scientist at Brandeis University, specializing in Neuropsychology and Space Research. Her degrees are from the University of Leningrad. A former refusenik, she came to the United States from the Soviet Union in 1982 at the age of 28 as a Jewish political refugee, fleeing state sponsored antisemitic violence and intellectual and cultural suppression. In the United States, she was able to rebuild her life, find personal fulfillment and professional success.

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