Jews, we couldn’t save Mandelstam. Let’s save Zhenya.
Evgenia Berkovich is a talented Jewish poet, director, and winner of the Golden Mask Award. Her plays focus on Jewish history, the Holocaust, and the fight against antisemitism.
She was sentenced to six years in a Russian prison for her play “Finist the Brave Falcon”, which warned young women about terrorist recruiters who lure them with false promises of love.
She was denounced by Roman Silantyev, a man with openly antisemitic views, who fabricated a pseudo-scientific “destructology” report that served as the basis for her conviction.
Zhenya has made an enormous contribution to Jewish culture:
We know that prisoner exchange negotiations are underway. Zhenya must be on that list. If we don’t stand up for our own, who will?
Zhenya is our hostage!
Speak up! Spread the word! We must save her!
#FreeBerkovich
Tell people about Zhenya Berkovich. Show her plays to your friends, and share her story on social media. Use the hashtag #FreeBerkovich / #СпастиБеркович. Write to local and national media, tag influential people. Wear your support. Download the logo for a t-shirt, a sticker, a poster. Show that Zhenya is our hostage, and we will not abandon her.
Watch and share her work. Zhenya is imprisoned for “Finist the Brave Falcon”, a play warning young women about the dangers of terrorist recruitment. Watch “Finist” and spread the word. Zhenya has staged plays on Jewish themes: “The Black Book of Esther”, “The Trial of Brodsky”, and “Antigone” – people should know and discuss them.
Remember that Zhenya is not only an artist, she is a mother. She is a foster mother to two girls from an orphanage. One of them is a child with special needs, the other is a girl who has waited her whole life for a mother and is now desperately waiting for her to come home.
Do you have an idea on how to help? Contact us!
Reach out to politicians and Jewish organizations. We are fighting to get Zhenya included on the hostage exchange list. This is possible. Write to your congressman, senator, Rabbi, AIPAC, and ADL. The more people know, the higher the chance. Download and send the prepared letter.
Be inspired by the history of resistance. In the 1970s and 80s, American Jews helped free Natan Sharansky from the Soviet Gulag. It worked because they did not stay silent. Zhenya Berkovich is our new fight. Her name must be known in the White House.
She is a Jewish artist, a poet, and she is in the Gulag, like Osip Mandelstam. We couldn’t save him. We must try save her.
“The Black Book of Esther” (supported by the Russian Jewish Congress): This play intertwines the Purim story with Holocaust testimonies, using the Purimshpil tradition to reflect on historical and contemporary antisemitism. Critics praised it as a poignant and innovative exploration of Jewish history.
“The Trial of Brodsky”: A dramatic portrayal of the Soviet persecution of the Jewish poet Joseph Brodsky, emphasizing the intersection of cultural suppression and antisemitism.
“Our Treasure”: A moving tale about a Jewish family raising children with special needs, highlighting compassion, resilience, and the sanctity of family life, central to Jewish values.
Russian Jewish Congress has publicly acknowledged Zhenya’s artistic contributions, describing her work as “an essential preservation of Jewish memory and identity.”
Leading Jewish critics have called her a “modern voice of Jewish resilience,” comparing her to Osip Mandelstam for her courage and creative legacy.
Through her plays, Zhenya has revived Jewish traditions such as Purimshpil, drawing attention to their relevance in confronting modern challenges like antisemitism and totalitarianism.
Her art has educated audiences about the Jewish experience, fostering understanding and solidarity across communities.
In the 1970s and 80s, Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky, a prominent Jewish refusenik, was imprisoned for advocating for Jewish emigration rights. American Jewish communities rallied behind him, organizing protests, media campaigns, and lobbying efforts. The combined pressure from global activists and international governments eventually led to his release in 1986.
Today, Sharansky is a symbol of the power of collective advocacy. Just as Sharansky’s name became synonymous with the fight for freedom, Zhenya Berkovich’s case must be elevated to global awareness. American Jewish organizations, such as AIPAC and the ADL, played a critical role in Sharansky’s release. These same institutions can be mobilized for Zhenya’s case.
Zhenya’s imprisonment echoes the Gulag’s treatment of Jewish artists like Osip Mandelstam, who perished for their art. Her situation represents a broader crackdown on freedom of expression in Russia, making international pressure necessary and urgent. If we freed Sharansky, we can succeed again. Advocacy campaigns, diplomatic engagement, and community solidarity were the keys then and are the keys now.
Zhenya’s story must be shared with policymakers, media, and the Jewish community to replicate the success of past movements.