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In this interview Carol Watkins discusses her job as the Boulder Action for Soviet Jewry (BASJ) Absorption Coordinator, organizing and overseeing the resettlement of Jewish families who immigrated from the Soviet Union to Boulder during the 1990s. She comments on her involvement with volunteers and New Americans, the issues that faced resettled families, the types of opportunities that BASJ workers and volunteers provided for New Americans, and the bonds that were forged between host families and the New Americans.

Joan Nagel, along with her husband, Bill, served as an "anchor" family (aka host family) through Boulder Action for Soviet Jewry for a family of Soviet Jewish emigres from Dushanbe who arrived in 1991. Joan describes her own family history relevant to this undertaking and relates stories regarding the family (mother, father, grandmother and four children), their life in Dushanbe and their experiences in America from the moment they stepped off the plane, all their possessions in hand, until today. (The Nagels are still very close wtih their family.) Nagel discusses the family's ability to adapt quickly to American culture and their industriousness in finding an array of work opportunities. Nagel also discusses the family's move to Aurora along with other Bukharan Jews (Jews originally from central Aisa) who were brought to the United States by BASJ and who formed Denver's now growing Bukharan Jewish community.

Anna Nemirovskaya and her family came from Uzbekistan to Boulder in 1993 as one of the families involved with the Boulder Action for Soviet Jewry (BASJ) effort. She recalls their life in the former Soviet Union and the factors that caused them to leave and come to America. She describes the adjustments to a new culture, new community, and new language; and how these were managed by their own efforts and the support of the members of BASJ. She talks about the new traditions that have evolved in the family, uniting Russian and American customs, her work with the Russian Heritage group, and what her children and grandchildren have achieved in these past 17 years. She also expresses the family's gratitude that they have found a new "motherland" here.

Inna Shtern, who is an emigre from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, talks about her and her family's transition to Boulder with the help of Boulder Action for Soviet Jewry. She speaks about her Jewish identity, how it changed with her relocation, and how it changed over time as she lived in Boulder. She also discusses raising her children in Boulder, and how their Jewish education differed from hers. She speaks about several different jobs, and tells occupational and other anecdotes that express differences between Uzbekistani and American culture.

Gal Beckerman is the author of the award-winning book, "When They Come for Us, We'll Be Gone," a history of the American Jewish movement to obtain the release of Soviet Jewish refuseniks from the 1960s to the 1980s. On March 14, 2011, he spoke about his book at the University of Colorado-Boulder in an event sponsored by the CU Jewish Studies Program and the Maria Rogers Oral History Program. In this recording of that talk he speaks about the process of researching and writing the book, the plight of the refuseniks, the cultural politics behind the involvement of American Jews in the situation, and Cold War politics that resulted in pressure on the Soviets to allow emigration. The discussion also touches on the efforts of Boulder Action for Soviet Jewry and the resettlement work done in Boulder with those who immigrated here.

In the summer of 1990 Donna Werner and her husband, Randy, were among the first volunteers with Boulder Action for Soviet Jewry (BASJ) to host a Russian immigrant family. The mission of BASJ was to provide human rights advocacy and resettlement for Soviet Jewish refugees, known as New Americans, who had faced antisemitism in Russia. Werner discusses BASJ's training program for volunteers, her efforts to develop relationships with family members, the breadth of cultural differences, and the often challenging process of helping integrate the family to life in the United States.

Dr. Bill Blanchet speaks about his association with Bill Shiovitz, Bill Cohen, and the Boulder Action for Soviet Jewry project. Two major topics are covered: Dr. Blanchet's experiences with patients who were Jewish emigres from the former Soviet Union and Russia, and his visit to St. Petersburg with Bill Cohen in the late 1990s. Dr. Blanchet's narrative details the nature of caring for his Russian patients, his experience with learning Russian, economic conditions in Russia after the breakup of the Soviet Union, comparisons of the Russian and American medical systems, and the nature of the emigration process for these Russian Jews.

Dr. Roben Datkhaev emigrated from Dushanbe, Tajikistan, to Boulder in 1992, along with his family. He describes growing up in the Jewish community in Dushanbe, his education and his many years as a surgeon and chief medical director of a hospital in the former Soviet Union. He explains his reasons for wanting to emigrate, what was involved in obtaining permission to leave, and the way that he worked with Bill Cohen and Boulder Action for Soviet Jewry to obtain permission for others to emigrate. He offers a detailed portrait of both the support of the Boulder Jewish community and the difficulties that he had, as a professional, being able to find work in his new country that used his skills. He also speaks of his father's life, philosophy, and accomplishments with great affection and respect, including his leadership of the Bukharian Jewish community in Denver. Finally, he compares Boulder and the former Soviet Union in terms of attitudes toward religion and education systems.

Mikhail Landman grew up in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, and emigrated to the United States in 1991. He describes his family's experiences during World War II, his childhood and education in the Soviet Union, the development of his Jewish identity, and his sense of needing to leave Tajikistan in order to provide his daughter with a secure future. He tells about the process of obtaining refugee status and permission to leave the Soviet Union, his arrival in Boulder, and the assistance given his family by Boulder Action for Soviet Jewry (BASJ) that aided them in adjusting to life in America. He became a citizen in 1996, and he relates his appreciation of the political freedoms of expression that are part of U.S. culture and how he and his friends always include a toast to the United States as part of all of their celebrations.