On November 18, 2021, the first conference was held to address the missing legacy of Soviet Jewry in the public space of the State of Israel at the ANU – Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv. Its goal was to make the Soviet Jewish heritage an integral part of the lives of Israelis. It is important for Israel because thirty years have already passed since the great aliyah from the USSR and today there are 1.2 million Russian-speaking citizens living in Israel. Public figures, academics, cultural and educational workers gave lectures and discussions and organized round tables and other events on four main topics: History, Literature, Civil Law, and Jewish-Israeli Culture. At the end of the event, a final document was published to serve as a basis for cooperation with the Ministry of Education, academic institutions, and the Ministry of Culture.
The “Let My People Know” conference was initiated by the “One Million Lobby” and supported by the Genesis Philanthropy Group, the Nadav Foundation, the Yaakov Herzog Centre, the Hartman Institute, Hillel, and other organizations. The conference was attended by Congressmen Sharren Haskel and Alex Kushnir, former Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky, Professor Larisa Remennik, stand-up comedian Giora Zinger, Dr. Anna Pershitskaya, a researcher in the field of immigration and senior lecturer in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Western Galilee, Dr. Ruth Kaniel Kara-Ivanov – poet, researcher and lecturer at the Israeli History Study Club at Haifa University, Dr. Alex Valdman – historian and researcher at the Institute for Diaspora Research at Tel Aviv University and others.
