Petition to Free Zhenia Berkovich

Zhenia Berkovich, an award-winning Jewish playwright, poet, and director, has been sentenced to five years seven months in a Russian prison for her play Finist the Brave Falcon. This play warns young women about the dangers of weaponized Islamic terrorism and recruitment tactics. For this, Zhenia has been unjustly accused of “justifying terrorism.”

Her persecution was initiated by Roman Silantiev, a rabid antisemite who fabricated pseudo-scientific claims to justify her imprisonment. We know what happens when Jewish poets fall into the hands of authoritarian regimes—we saw it with Osip Mandelstam, who perished in the Gulag. We couldn’t save him. Let’s save her.

Zhenia’s Family Legacy: A Lineage of Writers and Survivors
Evgenia Berkovich was born in Leningrad in 1985 into a family of poet and writer Boris Berkovich and human rights activist and journalist Elena Efros. In one of her interviews, Zhenia said:
"My family comprises journalists, human rights activists, writers, teachers, and dissidents."

Her mother, Elena Efros, has been actively helping political prisoners in Russia for many years.

Her father, Boris (Ilya) Berkovich, is a poet and writer who emigrated to Israel in the early 1990s.

Her maternal grandmother, Nina Katerli, was a writer and human rights activist who wrote extensively about human rights and the experiences of political prisoners.

Her great-grandfather, Gavriil Lvovich Maizel, was a military journalist. His entire life was devoted to military service. Her father, Gavriil Lvovich, served as the head of the political department of Blücher's tank brigade. He was repressed and executed in 1938 under the charge of "loss of vigilance." He was rehabilitated in 1956.

Zhenia is a Mother
Zhenia is more than an artist—she is a foster mother to two teenage girls who had already suffered through multiple foster families and shelters. One of them is a child with special needs, and the other is on the verge of suicide. Girls need their mother back.

For years, Zhenia has used her platform to uplift others. She has worked with orphanages, assisted the elderly, and organized inclusive cultural festivals for children. She has been a voice of Jewish resilience, preserving memory and fighting antisemitism through her art.

Why We Must Act Now
Zhenia’s trial has shown there will be no justice for her in Russia—her sentence is only expected to grow, and the conditions of her imprisonment are becoming progressively harsher. For now, she is sentenced to five years and seven months in the GULAG.

It is in our hands as the American people to show how vital Zhenia is so that we can improve her chances of being included on the list of prisoners for exchange.

This initiative is organized by:
Olga Zhuravskaya, Founder of Grains of Good Foundation & member of MACA (Mothers Against College Antisemitism)

For inquiries, contact: info@freeberkovich.org

freeberkovich.org

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