Wondering Jews with Mijal and Noam Soviet Anti-Zionism and the Refuseniks with Izabella Tabarovsky
Feb 11, 2026
Izabella Tabarovsky, scholar of Soviet anti-Zionism and author of Be a Refusenik, draws on personal history and research. She recounts Soviet tactics that erased Jewish life, the Refusenik movement’s secret education and Hebrew revival, and striking parallels between Soviet anti-Zionism and modern campus activism. Short, vivid stories illuminate survival, identity, and strategies for resistance.
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Relearning Jewish Life After Emigration
- Izabella Tabarovsky recounts emigrating from the USSR in 1989 after living there for 19 years and relearning Jewish life in America.
- She describes starting from no Hebrew, little Jewish practice, and slowly building a thicker Jewish identity through study and community.
Feeling Alienated At Early Jewish Events
- Izabella describes attending a Reform young adult event and feeling alienated by prayers, God-talk, and cultural references like Rashi and summer camp.
- She explains finding solace first in Chabad high holiday services and later in a welcoming synagogue that taught her Jewish practice.
1967 Transformed Soviet Anti-Zionism
- Izabella explains Soviet anti-Zionism evolved from ideological refusal of nationalism into conspiratorial anti-Semitism under Stalin and intensified after 1967.
- The Six-Day War made Soviet leaders portray Zionism as a global threat, spreading anti-Zionist propaganda domestically and abroad.
