Polly Zavadivker Presents A Nation of Refugees: Russia’s Jews in World War I

In this lecture, delivered on November 12, 2025, Dr. Polly Zavadivker presents her book A Nation of Refugees: Russia’s Jews in World War I. The work documents the grassroots efforts of Jewish civilians and activists to support communities repeatedly displaced during the war. It also examines how this mass displacement contributed to the establishment of international Jewish relief organizations, including the Joint (JDC), which later played pivotal roles in global Jewish political, social, and economic development. By exploring the history of Jewish humanitarianism in World War I, A Nation of Refugees offers the origin stories of key leaders and public institutions that went on to serve East European Jewry in the interwar years and during the Holocaust.

Polly Zavadivker is Associate Professor of History and Jewish Studies at the University of Delaware. Her book A Nation of Refugees was a 2024 National Jewish Book Award Finalist for the JDC-Herbert Katzki Award in the category of Writing Based on Archival Material.