Between 1973 and 1980, over 65,000 Soviet Jews, often referred to as "dropouts," immigrated to the United States. While they are often treated as a single demographic group, these Soviet Jews represented surprising diversity profiles across distinct waves of migration. Studying this population without considering their day-to-day experiences in the Soviet Union and the US

This talk examines the various depictions of Jerusalem through different poetic traditions and historical periods, exploring how poets from diverse backgrounds have captured the city’s spiritual significance and political symbolism. Focusing primarily on Mahmoud Darwish’s “In Jerusalem” (2005) and Yehuda Amichai’s “Jerusalem,” (1992), the talk examines how each poet, from different cultural and historical contexts,