Alex Goldfarb collection, 1990-2006
Collection context
- Creator:
- Goldfarb, Alex
- Extent:
- 13.75 Linear Feet (11 record cartons)
- Language:
- English , Russian .
- Scope and content:
-
Alex Goldfarb Collection consists of correspondence, records, printed matters, and photos related to the Boris Berezovsky foundation. Just a brief descriprion of two programs reflected in these records: From 1998 to 2001 an epidemic of drug-resistant TB ravaged the Russian prison system. Goldfarb directed a program by the Public Health Research Institute (PHRI) in New York to combat TB in Russian prisons. The program was funded by a $13 million grant from George Soros. The Archive includes documents and correspondence between Goldfarb and PHRI Moscow office, officials of the Soros Foundation, the Russian Federal Prison Administration, Dr. Paul Farmer of Harvard Medical School and Jim Yong Kim of the World Bank, among others.
- Biographical / historical:
-
The first decade of the 21st century was the time of Russia's transformation from the quasi-democratic pro-Western regime of Boris Yeltsin to the autocratic, fiercely nationalistic rule of Vladimir Putin. These years saw the beginning of "new political emigration - the emergence of expatriate groups and individuals actively working against Putin and his policies. Their activities mostly focused on supporting civil society inside Russia and campaigning in the West against the Kremlin regime. One of the first groups of this kind was formed in London by Boris Berezovsky after he fled from Russia in 2000. The executive arm of the group was the New York based International Foundation for Civil Liberties (IFCL) headed by Alex Goldfarb. IFCL kept a representative office in Moscow which was closed by FSB in 2006 and all original documents were destroyed. Goldfarb's collection includes records and correspondence from 1990 to 2006 reflecting several major episodes and the involvement of many public personalities of the Russian policy making of that period. It also has copies of all records destroyed in Moscow by FSB. Alexander Goldfarb was born in Moscow in 1947. He graduated in biology from Moscow University in 1969. In the 1970s, he was involved in early dissident movement and was associated with the Nobel laureate Andrey Sakharov. He emigrated from the USSR in 1975 and taught at Columbia University in New York. Prior to heading IFCL, Goldfarb was a key associate of George Soros running his philanthropic projects in the former Soviet Union. For detailed bio, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Goldfarb_(biologist)
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Material is unprocessed. Please contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.
This collection is located onsite.
- Terms of access:
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Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish material from the collection must be requested from the Curator of the Bakhmeteff Archive, Rare Book and Manuscript Library (RBML). The RBML approves permission to publish that which it physically owns; the responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.
- Preferred citation:
-
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Alex Goldfarb Collection; Box and Folder; Bakhmeteff Archive, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.
- Location of this collection:
- Before you visit:
- Researchers interested in viewing materials in the RBML reading room must must book an appointment at least 7 days in advance. To make the most of your visit, be sure to request your desired materials before booking your appointment, as researchers are limited to 5 items per day.
- Contact:
- rbml@library.columbia.edu