Tears Over Russia

“This is the kind of book one won’t want to put down, even as it could be written in blood as well as tears.”
* George Washington University Magazine *
“A remarkably vivid account of life in the Old Country that reads at times like a novel—or a series of Sholem Aleichem stories. Aspects of Tears Over Russia have a mythic quality, with larger-than-life characters surmounting impossible circumstances. Riveting.” * The Forward *
“Overall, Tears Over Russia is illuminating, well researched, and thoroughly sourced. It will be a boon for genealogists of Jewish ancestry and is a good example of how family lore can be placed in a broader historical context.”



* Washington Independent Review of Books *
“While certainly an elegy to Jews dead, first by pogroms and later the Nazis, it is also a celebration of the essential work of librarians, archivists and genealogists. The bibliography alone makes this a valuable resource. This family history of Kyiv is especially potent in this season of Russian-Ukrainian strife, ironically with a Ukrainian Jew now at the helm…A timely and essential reading.” * Library Journal, starred review *
“An evocative and distressing account of her grandmother’s experiences during the wave of anti-Jewish pogroms that swept across Russia and Ukraine in the early 20th century. A vital personal record of Ukraine’s turbulent past.” * Publishers Weekly *
“Strug­gle and resilience take cen­ter stage in Lisa Brahin’s Tears Over Rus­sia, a metic­u­lous attempt to recon­struct not only a family’s roots in present-day Ukraine and their tra­vails on their way to Amer­i­ca, but also the intri­ca­cies of the world they left behind….At a time of a record refugee cri­sis in Ukraine and the prospect of fur­ther mass migra­tion, Brahin offers us an oppor­tu­ni­ty to reflect on the pos­si­bil­i­ties and lim­i­ta­tions of the Amer­i­can Dream, and the dreams our fore­fa­thers saw extin­guished in pur­suit of it.”

* Jewish Book Council *
“This meticulously researched book tells the story not only of the author’s family during the anti-Jewish pogroms, from 1917 until their escape to America in 1923, but also the brutalization of Jewish communities throughout Ukraine. [Tears Over Russia] gives the reader insight into the immigrant experience and the terrors that often force them to leave the land they love, losing everything, but gaining freedom.” * Historical Novel Society *
“Not only are the stories gripping, and the narrative history easy to read, but the historical timeline is right-on. There are appendices that provide historical detail, and the extensive footnoting provide is evidence of the careful scholarship that Brahin put into this book. May a careful look at this story be an inspiration for us to help those who are – right now – experiencing the same realities, and who – right now – are looking for safe havens somewhere in the world so that they can contribute their creativity, their energy, and their love to the rest of the world.”

* Englewood Reviews of Books *
“The author has done a service to her grandmother and society by recording the stories of Channa and other Stavishche residents…In Tears Over Russia, Brahin has ensured that the light will stay on.” * New York Journal of Books *

Lisa Brahin is an accomplished Jewish genealogist and researcher. In 2003, she helped rediscover the lost location of the original hand-written manuscript Megilat HaTevah (Scroll of the Slaughter), which she considers one of the most important documents ever recorded on the Russian pogroms. A graduate of George Washington University’s Columbian College, she is a two-town project coordinator for Jewishgen.org’s international Yizkor Book Project (Holocaust Memorial Book Project).

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