A Jewry Reborn tells of the Jewish renaissance that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union and the abolition of Communist-era policies aimed at eradicating Jewish life. It is related in a series of first-hand, real-time accounts of the author’s encounters with one of the world’s largest concentration of Jews at that time who, out of choice or necessity, remained in what became known as the Former Soviet Union (FSU), while many of their brethren emigrated. It is also a tale of the historic but little-known effort mounted by world Jewry to help the FSU’s Jews reconnect with their heritage and their people, while dealing with the aftermath of an empire’s collapse. The vignettes that make up the book are drawn from regular updates from the field written by the author during the 22 years he led the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee’s massive and sustained initiative of material relief and cultural renewal, first in the Soviet Union itself, then in its successor states. A Jewry Reborn offers unique insight not only into a pivotal moment in world history, but also into the durability of Jewish civilization, the power of Jewish solidarity, and the resilience of the Jewish spirit.
Born and raised in New York, Asher Ostrin's passion for, and commitment to, the Jewish people have been the driving force in his professional life, the centerpiece of which are his more than three decades of service with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC or the Joint). In 1986, Asher moved to Vienna, Austria to direct JDC's operations aiding tens of thousands of Jewish refugees fleeing Iran, the Soviet Union, and other Eastern Bloc countries. At the same time he began to work in Jewish communities on behalf of the JDC- first in Yugoslavia and later in Hungary amidst the turmoil that would result in the collapse of Communist systems in the region. With the fall of the Soviet Union, he was tapped to lead JDC's efforts to renew, reclaim and rebuild the Jewish communities of the Former Soviet Union, serving in that role for more than two transformational decades. Asher went on to lead a variety of efforts to support Jewish communities in need around the globe. Those are as varied as Helsinki and Djerba, Antalya and Bratislava, Mumbai and Caracas, and more. He was the JDC’S interim CEO during the initial period of the Covid pandemic, and oversaw JDC’s operations worldwide to address the devastation caused by the pandemic. Asher and his wife Ruth moved to Jerusalem 1992. They have three children and six grandchildren, all of whom live in Israel and, in contrast to their grandfather, speak unaccented Hebrew.
