Jeri Laber
Encyclopedia
Jeri Laber is one of the founders of Human Rights Watch
, the largest human rights organization in the United States. She is the author and/or editor of dozens of Human Rights Watch reports and more than 100 articles on human rights issues published in the New York Times, The New York Review of Books
and many other publications. Her memoir "The Courage of Strangers: Coming of Age with the Human Rights Movement" was published in 2002 by Public Affairs. She is co-author, with Barnett Rubin, of "A Nation is Dying: Afghanistan Under the Soviets," Northwestern University Press.
In the course of her human rights work, Ms. Laber made many fact-finding trips to the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Turkey and the Tribal Areas of Pakistan where she interviewed Afghan refugees. She offered friendship and moral support to dissidents in the former Communist countries, many of whom, after 1989, became the leaders of their newly democratic countries.
Ms. Laber was active in the early development of the human rights movement. She served as Executive Director of Helsinki Watch (which became Human Rights Watch) from 1978–1995 and then as Senior Adviser to Human Rights Watch until 2000. She was a founder of the International Helsinki Federation and was its Vice-Chair for many years. She serves as a consultant to the International Freedom to Publish Committee of the Association of American Publishers, a position she has held since 1977.
Early in her career, Ms. Laber worked as Foreign Editor of The Current Digest of the Soviet Press and then as Publications Director of the Institute for the Study of the USSR. As a free-lance writer during the 1970s, she co-authored, with Molly Finn, Cooking for Carefree Weekends, Simon & Schuster, 1975, and co-edited, with Marion Cunningham, The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, Knopf, 1979. In 1977, she reviewed restaurants for the Connecticut supplement to the New York Times.
of the Czech Republic
who presented her with his country's Medal of Merit. In 2002 she testified against President Slobodan Milosevic at his war crimes trial in The Hague. In 2003 she was named Alumna of the Year by the Harriman Institute of Columbia University
. The Association of American Publishers has named an award in her honor: The Jeri Laber International Freedom to Publish Award. Ms Laber is the recipient of a research and writing grant from the MacArthur Foundation
. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the New York City Council on Foreign Relations.
. She completed her undergraduate work at New York University
, majoring in English and Philosophy. She did her graduate work at Columbia University, working simultaneously in the Russian Institute and the Department of Slavic Languages. Her graduate thesis was on "The Post-War Conception of Socialist Realism."
. She has three married daughters, two married stepchildren and eleven grandchildren.
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
, the largest human rights organization in the United States. She is the author and/or editor of dozens of Human Rights Watch reports and more than 100 articles on human rights issues published in the New York Times, The New York Review of Books
The New York Review of Books
The New York Review of Books is a fortnightly magazine with articles on literature, culture and current affairs. Published in New York City, it takes as its point of departure that the discussion of important books is itself an indispensable literary activity...
and many other publications. Her memoir "The Courage of Strangers: Coming of Age with the Human Rights Movement" was published in 2002 by Public Affairs. She is co-author, with Barnett Rubin, of "A Nation is Dying: Afghanistan Under the Soviets," Northwestern University Press.
In the course of her human rights work, Ms. Laber made many fact-finding trips to the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Turkey and the Tribal Areas of Pakistan where she interviewed Afghan refugees. She offered friendship and moral support to dissidents in the former Communist countries, many of whom, after 1989, became the leaders of their newly democratic countries.
Ms. Laber was active in the early development of the human rights movement. She served as Executive Director of Helsinki Watch (which became Human Rights Watch) from 1978–1995 and then as Senior Adviser to Human Rights Watch until 2000. She was a founder of the International Helsinki Federation and was its Vice-Chair for many years. She serves as a consultant to the International Freedom to Publish Committee of the Association of American Publishers, a position she has held since 1977.
Early in her career, Ms. Laber worked as Foreign Editor of The Current Digest of the Soviet Press and then as Publications Director of the Institute for the Study of the USSR. As a free-lance writer during the 1970s, she co-authored, with Molly Finn, Cooking for Carefree Weekends, Simon & Schuster, 1975, and co-edited, with Marion Cunningham, The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, Knopf, 1979. In 1977, she reviewed restaurants for the Connecticut supplement to the New York Times.
Awards and honors
In 2000 Jeri Laber was honored by President Václav HavelVáclav Havel
Václav Havel is a Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and politician. He was the tenth and last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic . He has written over twenty plays and numerous non-fiction works, translated internationally...
of the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
who presented her with his country's Medal of Merit. In 2002 she testified against President Slobodan Milosevic at his war crimes trial in The Hague. In 2003 she was named Alumna of the Year by the Harriman Institute of Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. The Association of American Publishers has named an award in her honor: The Jeri Laber International Freedom to Publish Award. Ms Laber is the recipient of a research and writing grant from the MacArthur Foundation
MacArthur Foundation
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the United States. Based in Chicago but supporting non-profit organizations that work in 60 countries, MacArthur has awarded more than US$4 billion since its inception in 1978...
. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the New York City Council on Foreign Relations.
Education
Ms. Laber was educated in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She completed her undergraduate work at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, majoring in English and Philosophy. She did her graduate work at Columbia University, working simultaneously in the Russian Institute and the Department of Slavic Languages. Her graduate thesis was on "The Post-War Conception of Socialist Realism."
Personal
She was married to Austin Laber, an attorney, from 1954-1982. In 1994 she married Charles Kuskin, oboist and composer, and they divide their time between New York City and a farmhouse in Delaware County, New YorkDelaware County, New York
Delaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of 2010 the population was 47,980. The county seat is Delhi. It is named after the Delaware River, which was named in honor of Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, appointed governor of Virginia in 1609.-History:When counties...
. She has three married daughters, two married stepchildren and eleven grandchildren.