Confessions - Part 9, The Brezhnev Demonstration

V The Brezhnev Demonstration
One of the highlights of the pro-Soviet Jewry movement was the huge demonstration organized in Washington DC when Chairman Brezhnev of the USSR made his first visit to the USA in June, 1973. Although this was a national undertaking, organized by the NCSJ, I was head of the local organizing committee. The plan was to have a rally at the Congress, with a stage and speakers, and then a march down Constitution Avenue, turning at 16th Street to the White House and then circling the White House. The route is important for what happened later. By this time the Soviet Jewry movement had grown tremendously and a huge crowd was expected.
Through my contacts I heard that the JDL was planning to disrupt the demonstration. I had some meetings with them, and we came to a compromise. In exchange for us letting them march with their own banners, they would agree not to disrupt the demonstration or march. I gave this information to the JCC leadership and although they were unhappy, it was better than the alternatives. As the day drew nearer, the plans became more concrete. There were to be a group of academics in gowns and mortar boards leading the parade, each carrying the name of a Soviet Jewish refusenik scientist or academic who had been refused permission to emigrate. Since I was one of the main organizers, and an academic myself, I was to lead the parade.
I had marshals organized from a group that I was affiliated with called the Jewish Athletic League, which was basically a Jewish karate club. I had taken karate lessons with them for about 6 months until I hurt my leg; because of confusion some people thought that I was a member of the JDL, but that was never the case. I had the JAL organize the security at most of the large Jewish demonstrations in DC, and they gave us a measure of confidence. On one notable occasion a group of Nazis showed up from Virginia, sporting their swastikas, there was a fight and they were thoroughly beaten, as well as their cars being attacked (tires slashed) as they retreated. The police, most of whom were Black, did not do much to protect them.
On the day there was great excitement. The speeches were organized by the NCSJ, and several eminent Senators spoke. When the March was ready it was my turn, with my marshals to direct and lead the huge crowd of many thousands. Just as we were going down the steps on the west side of the Capitol, the JDL group suddenly appeared and pushed themselves to the front. They were carrying a man dressed in a striped prison garb inside a cage on their shoulders, and there were several hundred of them. I quickly told them that they could participate in the March but not at the front, as that would make it appear as if it was their March. Also, we had these eminent academics to lead the March. They threatened to stop the March unless I agreed to them leading it. There was some pushing and shoving, and I tried with others to hold them back until the academics got to the front. Eventually they agreed to accept second place in the March, since the academics were already out front.
I was incensed that the JDL would break their word and embarrass the whole Jewish community in front of live TV cameras by trying to disrupt the March. I thought of a way to trick them. As we walked down Constitution Avenue, I told the academics to continue and not turn at 16th Street, then I went back and told the other marshals to turn the March down 16th Street after the JDL group had passed it. With the crowd stretching all the way back to Congress it would take them a long time to realize what had happened and they would never get back to the front of the March. I stationed myself at the 16th Street intersection and waved the JDL group to continue following the academics. I had told the academics to walk about half a block then break up and individually cut across the grass of the ellipse back to the March.
Then I lead the JDL further down Constitution Avenue. By the time we came level with the Washington monument the JDL realized that they had been duped. I started to run, hoping they would follow me and went diagonally across the ellipse but in the opposite direction away from the March. A group of them did follow, predominantly youngsters, and they were shouting “get the guy in the gown!” There I was, running with my black cloak incongruously flowing out behind me, holding onto my mortar board. They were catching up to me, so I turned and faced them. I was prepared to fight, but I shouted at them “I’m not your enemy!” and they stopped and gradually backed away.
Meanwhile the March had progressed, and the JDL, after retracing their steps had a hard time getting back into the throng. I ran back to the head of the March, but it was too late to have the academics lead as a group since we had been dispersed. Nevertheless it was a great success, and even Isaac Franck of the JCC congratulated me on the March and what I had done to trick the JDL. Later that day I met William Perl of the JDL and we patched up our argument and he also congratulated me on the March. I thought that it was ironical to be congratulated by two such opposite leaders of the Jewish community on the same day. Overall the demonstration had a great impact and helped enormously to convince the Soviets that they faced serious opposition.

Conclusion:
Over the years I became disillusioned with the new executive leadership of the Jewish Community Council in Washington. In 1982 I had to deal with the consequences of the Lebanon War, and it was not easy, but we managed to put Israel’s valid case. Then times changed, radically. The Jews were released from the USSR, the Soviet Union collapsed, and Israel became relatively stronger as a result. I gradually became older and wiser and stopped being the “activist” I had been. So by the mid-80’s it was time to leave the Jewish scene in Washington to a new and younger generation and move on.