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A Visit to Moscow – Lesson Based on the Graphic Novel
- Anat Zalmanson-Kuznetsov
- Oct 20, 2020
- 4 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
“He Didn’t Believe What They Said” – Searching for Truth in the Soviet Union
Based on the graphic novel: A Visit to Moscow by Anna Olswanger
Illustrated by: Yevgenia Nayberg
Recommended for: Middle and High School students (ages 12+)
Lesson Length: 45 minutes
🎯 Lesson Focus
To explore the courage of one man who refused to accept government propaganda — and saw the truth for himself.
📖 Background
In 1965, American Rabbi Rafael Grossman joined a delegation of nine Orthodox rabbis visiting the Soviet Union. At the time, the official Soviet message — spread through speeches, newspapers, and films — claimed that Jews enjoyed full equality and freedom of religion. Many in the West accepted this image as truth.
But Rabbi Grossman and the other rabbis had doubts. They sensed that reality might be very different from what the Soviet media presented. When Rabbi Grossman feigned illness one afternoon and secretly slipped away to look for a congregant’s long-lost brother, he discovered what was really happening.
His story is told in the short, 72-page graphic novel A Visit to Moscow by Anna Olswanger, with illustrations by Yevgenia Nayberg, an award-winning artist born in Kyiv.
Note for Teachers: This lesson includes guided reading from A Visit to Moscow.
Three sample pages are provided here with the author’s permission for educational use.
To teach the lesson as designed — including full artwork analysis, guided reading, and class discussion — teachers are encouraged to use the complete book. (Purchase links appear at the end of the lesson.)
🎥 Opening (5–7 minutes)
You may open the lesson by showing the short clip of Nikita Khrushchev’s 1959 visit to the United States.
The only publicly available version includes a Hebrew narrator speaking over Khrushchev’s English translator — but it still clearly conveys the message the Soviet Union wanted the world to hear: peace, equality, and harmony between all nationalities, including Jews.
Below is an English transcript of the segment (with notes indicating which parts were originally spoken in Hebrew or in English):
Transcript
Khrushchev’s translator (in English):“In our country Russians, Jews, Ukrainians, Turkmens, Uzbekians…”
Narrator (spoken in Hebrew, translated here):“Leaders of the Soviet Union throughout the years often declared that all nationalities in their country enjoyed freedom.”
Khrushchev’s translator (in English):“…does not exist in our country…”
Narrator (spoken in Hebrew, translated here):“During his visit to the United States, Khrushchev said: All peoples in our country, including the Jews, live in equality, freedom, and friendship. We are proud of the fact that there is no ‘nationalities problem’ in our country. All of them march together toward one shared goal.
Khrushchev’s translator (in English):“…that all the men and nationalities inhabiting the Soviet Union are together marching towards one common aim.”
Watch from 9:45-10:27 (42 seconds)
After the clip, say:
“This is how the Soviet Union wanted the world to see it — a modern, enlightened country where everyone was free. But not everyone believed that picture. A few years later, Rabbi Rafael Grossman and the rabbis in his group decided to check the truth for themselves.”
Then briefly explain:
“In 1965 Rabbi Grossman joined an official rabbinical delegation to the USSR. Relying only on an address on the back of a 10-year-old envelope, he embarked on a clandestine and dangerous mission to find the brother of a congregant. Ultimately, he discovered what the press and government didn’t want visitors to see.”
Connecting to the Lesson
This clip represents exactly what the Soviet Union wanted the world to believe: a harmonious country with full equality for all — including Jews.
But only a few years later, Rabbi Rafael Grossman and the rabbis in his delegation refused to take these claims at face value.They chose to see the truth for themselves.
This moment of not believing the official narrative is the foundation of the lesson — and the beginning of the story told in A Visit to Moscow.
📚 Guided Reading (15 minutes)
Read any 2–3 pages from A Visit to Moscow that describe Rabbi Grossman’s meeting with a Jewish family living in fear and secrecy. Encourage students to follow the story and notice the contrast between official propaganda and personal truth.
Discussion Questions
● What makes the rabbi realize that the reality is different from what he and the entire West was told?
● Why is the family afraid to reveal their Jewish identity?
● How does the rabbi react when he understands the truth?
● What can we learn from this moment about courage and moral clarity?
Below are sample illustrations from A Visit to Moscow:
Illustration © 2022 Yevgenia Nayberg
Illustration © 2022 Yevgenia Nayberg
Illustration © 2022 Yevgenia Nayberg
💬 Class Discussion (10 minutes)
Guide a conversation with students:
● Why do you think Rabbi Grossman felt compelled to risk expulsion and even violence to find the brother of his congregant and see things with his own eyes?
● What can we learn from his actions about propaganda and fake news today?
● How can we tell when information we see might be one-sided or false?
🕯️ Conclusion
“Sometimes the greatest courage is simply not believing what everyone says — but daring to find out the truth for yourself.”— C.S. Lewis
📎 Additional Resources
This lesson is based on the graphic novel A Visit to Moscow Written by Anna Olswanger Illustrated by Yevgenia Nayberg
Published by Turner Publishing and nominated for the 2023 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award for Best Adaptation from Another Medium.
Teachers are encouraged to read or purchase the book for classroom use:
Developed by: Anat Zalmanson-Kuznetsov (Used with permission from the author.)