Interview with Yuli Kosharovsky and Stuart Wurtman. April 27, 2006.
Yuli: You were very valuable… First of all, when did you join the Union of Councils for Soviet Jewry?
Stuart: The end of 1973.
Yuli: I remember that you were in the Soviet Union in November 1973… We met then…
Stuart: Right… We came back and we joined the Union.
Yuli: In August 1975, in two years you became the President of the Union of Council for Soviet Jewry, of the national organization.
Stuart: I was the President of UCSJ for two years.
Yuli: You weren’t immediately the President after Lou Rosenblum…
Stuart: I was after Inez Weissman…
Yuli: What was the job you did in this capacity?
Stuart: The UCSJ was an organization made up of local organizations in different cities.
Enid (Editor’s Note: Enid Wurtman – Stuart’s wife) and I printed a newsletter which we sent out every few days. We sent mailings of news we learned about from the Soviet Union. I spoke to you every two weeks and Bella Palatnik on alternate weeks. We also, spoke to Michael Sherbourne who made telephone calls regularly to Refuseniks and provided us with information to disseminate. We sent out our newsletters, ALERT to our organizations throughout the US; ‘35’s in England and Canada, etc.
Yuli: What was your relationship as President of the Union of Councils to National Conference, the establishment Soviet Jewry organization?
Stuart: I was in an unusual situation. Part of the time that I was head of the Union, I was also, head of the Philadelphia Soviet Jewry Council which was part of National Conference.
Yuli: You began to chair the Philadelphia branch of the Union of Councils before you became the national President.
Stuart: I was co-Chairmen with Enid of the Philadelphia Soviet Jewry Council. When the groups merged, then I became Co-Chairmen with Joe Smukler of the Soviet Jewry Council of the JCRC in Philadelphia.
Yuli: Really your relations were quite friendly.
Stuart: It was proper. We still differed sometimes.
Yuli: On which questions did you differ?
Stuart: For instance, we were given a statement that Refuseniks wanted released and it was their policy to release the statement at a European meeting later. (Lihkat Hakesher’s request) We made the decision to release the statement because the refuseniks in Russia who gave us the statement via Michael Sherbourne – wanted it released immediately as it was urgent. We felt that helping the Refuseniks was our imperative and obligation. We decided to do what we felt was right and in the interests of the Refuseniks. It was actually Nehemia Levanon’s request. He called me from Israel at that point and asked me not to release the statement.
Yuli: What was their reasons?
Stuart: They were having a Soviet Jewry meeting in Europe at a later date and wanted to release the statement at that time.
Yuli: Oh my G-d, it was organizational interests…
Stuart: Yes. We felt it was contrary to the whole purpose as to why we were doing this…
Yuli: Do you remember the contents of the statement?
Stuart: Call Enid. She’ll remember.
Yuli: What other controversial issues did you have with National Conference? This was one – the policy of releasing information from Refuseniks.
Stuart: In general, the ways the organizations ran. One aspect which we liked about t The Union of Councils –– it was the one type of organization where you didn’t have to give to give money to be active – if you put in your time and wanted to actively work for Soviet Jewry – then everyone was welcome whereas establishment organizations were sometimes more for people who were big donors and not necessarily active, they gave money and their names appeared on lists and plaques… We believed in working differently. In some cases such as in Philadelphia there were Soviet Jewry activists.
Yuli: What was your position on the issue of neshira?
Stuart: My personal feeling is that we got involved in order to help the survival of the Jewish people. I felt that there was a much better chance of joining the Jewish people and staying Jewish in Israel. We already saw that some Russian immigrants who came to the US were very busy becoming Americans and finding good jobs and they didn’t get involved in the Jewish community and eventually disappeared. I very much favored aliya and opposed neshira. The Union didn’t necessarily have one policy. They could make independent decisions. Following me, there may have been leadership who believed in freedom of movement and that the Russians should personally determine their destinations. While I was President I explained to the Union membership why it wasn’t in the interests of Refuseniks to go to the West as they might be very well sacrificing and jeopardizing future aliya. Although many members of UCSJ wanted to see Soviet Jews go to Israel, they still believed in freedom of movement.
Yuli: If I understand you properly the Union of Councils allowed full autonomy to different branches of UCSJ and they developed their own policies. Different leaders took different positions towards essential problems such as neshira.
Stuart: There wasn’t one opinion – one statement that you had to agree to. The idea was the group was involved in helping Soviet Jews get out; spreading their cause and working for them but you could have different opinions on different aspects. National Conference had professionals who ran the office. Some of their board may have contributed funds and may have been active or chose not to work on a day to day basis.. There were official policies at National Conference. Union of Councils didn’t do that.
Yuli: Did you have any professionals?
Stuart: Except for a secretary who typed the newsletters, we put all the mailings out ourselves; Enid and I wrote the newsletters; we reproduced them; we distributed them. While I was President, we essentially did everything ourselves. We had a very low budget at that time. Later UCSJ had more funds and they were able to higher professionals.
Yuli: How were decision making polices made?
Stuart: We had a Board and we met several times a year. We also, communicated by phone.
Yuli: What questions were discussed by the Board?
Stuart: It’s a long time…
Yuli: I understand. Did you have diaries or documentation from that time? I understand that Enid most likely has archives from that period.
Stuart: She would have copies of all the mailings we sent out for sure… There probably were minutes from the Board meetings and they should be in the UCSJ offices or their archives.
Yuli: I understand that The Union of Council still functions… You were August 1975 until your aliya in August 1977 – you were President of the Union for exactly two years and you also, chaired Philadelphia Soviet Jewry Council for three years. You were invited to National Conference meetings and Brussels Conference.
Stuart: Enid and I went to Brussels and covered our own costs.
Yuli: You were 100% volunteers.
Stuart: We have a family history of volunteerism. We covered our own expenses. We never used funds given for the cause for our own expenses.
Yuli: Do you have any Russian roots?
Stuart: My mother’s family. My grandparents were from Kiev.
Yuli: Oh my G-d.. Mine as well. When did they leave?
Stuart: The last two children were born in America in 1905 and in 1910. Probably 1902 or 1903. My grandfather was a tailor and he was sewing uniforms for the Czar. Apparently they came to the house one night and said we’re taking you to the army tomorrow. At that point Jews were drafted for 20 years. My grandfather left Kiev within a few hours; leaving his family behind and went to America. At that time there was open immigration in America. What happened he came to America; got busy and forgot about his family in Kiev. My Grandmother waited two or three years and then she took her two children and his son by a former marriage and she brought them to America and found him in Philadelphia. Then they had two more children in America including my Mother. It’s a good thing that she found him.
Yuli: (laughing) It was your chance.. What about your father’s side?
Stuart: We’re from Warsaw….
Yuli: Also Russia at one time – from the Pale of Settlement. When did they come to America?
Stuart: My Father was born in 1908 in Philadelphia. His sister was born in 1905 in London. They left Warsaw and went to London. Probably 1906 or 1907 to America.
It was a good time to leave.
Yuli: Then Warsaw was part of Russia. It was then one country.
Thank you very much.
Stuart: You can talk to Enid too and she’ll have more details for you.
Read Stuart Wurtman’s obituary by Yuli Kosharovsky and Marvin Verman.