Funk Family Upstander Speaker Series: Natan Sharansky

Natan Sharansky is speaking at the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum on Wednesday, October 14, as part of the Funk Family Upstander Speaker Series. If you've never come across his name, he's a human rights activist, a former Soviet dissident, and an Israeli statesman who spent nine years in the Soviet Gulag for advocating the right of Soviet Jews to immigrate to Israel. That stretch in the camps turned him into a global symbol of resistance to oppression, and he was finally released in 1986 after an international campaign.

After he moved to Israel, he spent years helping Russian Jews integrate, founding the Zionist Forum and the Yisrael B'Aliyah party. From there, he moved into government, serving in four Israeli cabinets as a minister and deputy prime minister. He's picked up a long list of honors along the way, including the Israel Prize, the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor. He also chaired the executive of The Jewish Agency for Israel and now chairs ISGAP, the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism & Policy. He's written four books, and he's widely regarded as one of the most influential voices for freedom, human rights, and the Jewish people.

The talk is on Wednesday, October 14, at 7 PM, with a reception starting at 6 PM if you want to get there early. It's at the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, 300 N Houston St, Dallas, TX 75202. Tickets are $10 per person, and free for members.