2023 Eisner Award Nominee for "Best Adaptation from Another Medium"

2022 Brightness Illustration Award Longlist

Powerful and moving, A Visit to Moscow is inspired by the true experience of an American rabbi who travels to the Soviet Union in the 1960s, a dangerous time of uncertainty and fear for Jews there.

"This beautiful, haunting story evokes the tragedy and triumph of Soviet Jewry in a way that few books have managed to do. Anna Olswanger helps readers understand the world from which contemporary Jewry emerged.”—Yossi Klein Halevi, New York Times bestselling author

"An American rabbi's visit to the Soviet Union gets adapted by Olswanger with evocative art by Nayberg into a compact but potent graphic narrative. This faith-affirming fablelike tale will make a ready gift book from older Jewish relatives to younger generations."—Publishers Weekly

"As Putin's Russia closes in again on the freedom of expression by its citizens, especially in the wake of its Ukrainian invasion, A Visit to Moscow becomes even more relevant."—Glenn Richter, founder of the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry

This briefly told story is compelling and will provoke curiosity about a topic that isn’t often told or taught. The artwork is beautifully rendered with lush colors and a fine mix of abstract and concrete to match the tone of the storytelling. This is a worthy read and hopefully will jump-start the discussion of Soviet Jews who lived behind what was known as the “iron curtain.”—School Library Journal "Good Comics for Kids"

"The text is poetic prose, which meshes well with the panels telling the story. The extraordinary artwork uses varying color palettes to differentiate between Russia and the rest of the world, to great effect."—Youth Services Book Reviews

“With starkly dramatic text and haunting images, author and illustrator convey the devastating oppression of Soviet Jewish life, and the commitment of one Jew to bring their horrifying reality into the light.”—Jewish Book Council

In 1965, an American rabbi travels to the Soviet Union to investigate reports of persecution of the Jewish community. Moscow welcomes him as a guest—but provides a strict schedule he and the rest of his group must follow.

One afternoon, the rabbi slips away. With an address in hand and almost no knowledge of the Russian language, he embarks on a secret journey that will change his life forever.

Inspired by the true experience of Rabbi Rafael Grossman, A Visit to Moscow captures the formidable perseverance and strength of the Jewish people during the "Let My People Go" movement, a modern exodus that is often overlooked.