Union of Councils for Soviet Jews
| Motto | The Voice of Human Rights Throughout Eurasia |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1970 |
| Type | Non-profit NGO |
| Location |
|
| Services | Defending human rights and the rule of law |
| Fields | Monitoring, reporting, research, lobbying, direct-appeal campaigns |
|
Key people
|
Lawrence Lerner, President and Executive Director Leonid Stonov, International Director |
| Website | www |
Union of Councils for Jews in the Former Soviet Union (UCSJ) is a non-governmental organization that reports on the human rights conditions in countries throughout Eastern Europe and Central Asia, exposing hate crimes and assisting communities in need. UCSJ uses grassroots-based monitoring and advocacy, as well as humanitarian aid, to protect the political and physical safety of Jewish people and other minorities in the region. UCSJ is based in Washington, D.C., and is linked to other organizations such as the Moscow Helsinki Group. It has offices in Russia and Ukraine and has a collegial relationship with human rights groups that were founded by the UCSJ in the countries of the former Soviet Union.
The UCSJ was formed in 1970 as part of the Movement to Free Soviet Jewry, a response to the oppression of Jews in the Soviet Union and other countries of the Soviet bloc.
Activities of the UCSJ include reporting on the human rights situation in countries of the former Soviet Union, assisting communities in need, providing support for asylum seekers and migrants, and exposing human rights violations and hate crimes, whether directed against Jews or other minorities in the region, such as Romani or Muslims. According to a UCSJ report in 2013 approximately 1.71 million Jews remained in the post-Soviet states at that time. The reports it produces on the situation in various countries are often presented to the US State Department.
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Wikipedia