30 | AUGUST 24 • 2023 

OUR COMMUNITY

O

ne hundred years ago, in 1923, 
the Russian Revolution came to 
a close. This was the revolution 
that led to the dissolution of the Russian 
Empire and formation of the Soviet 
Union. This drastic period of turmoil 
and shift in rule led those who had the 
opportunity and means to leave their 
former homeland. Many of those who 
left found their way to the United States, 
and many to Metro Detroit. 
While there is much to criticize about 
Russia, especially today, it is indisputable 
that that country is the birthplace of 
countless luminaries across fields from 
arts to sciences and beyond. In 1923, the 
shared culture, heritage and language 
of immigrants from Russia in Metro 
Detroit led to the formation of the 
Russian American Association of Detroit 
(RAAD). Immigrants from the former 
Russian Empire joined RAAD to find 

friends, enjoy Russian culture and to help 
each other adapt to the new homeland. 
Over the last 100 years, RAAD has 
been a source of friendships and mutual 
solidarity for countless immigrants from 
Russia and surrounding nations, such as 
Armenia, Azerbaijan and Ukraine. 
For its 50th anniversary in 1973, 
RAAD published a collection of 
photographs and stories celebrating the 
association’s first 50 years. H. Bibicoff 
wrote an opening essay reflecting on 
the history of RAAD. His father and 
grandfather were among the association’s 
founders. Reflecting on the years 
following World War II, he recalled that 
many founding RAAD members had 
passed away, yet the global turmoil fueled 
a new wave of immigrants to America 
and Metro Detroit.
“These people fled the tyranny of their 
homeland and came to America to find 

the fresh air of freedom. The sequence of 
events was very similar to what caused 
the Charter members to find their 
way to America and form the Russian 
Association of Detroit,
” he wrote. 
Since its founding, the main purpose 
of RAAD, in the words of Bibicoff, has 
been to create “a place where Russian or 
Russian-loving people could gather to 
share their cultural heritage in a way to 
make this pastime a pleasant one.
” 
Originally, the organization consisted 
almost exclusively of religious Russian 
Orthodox Christian families. Because of 
subsequent immigrations from the Soviet 
Union and former Soviet countries, a 
lot of Jews, Armenians, Ukrainians and 
other people who speak Russian have 
joined the club. 
Today, people who participate in 
RAAD festivities are from every corner 
of the former Soviet Union as well as 

Russian American Association of Detroit celebrates 100 years.
For Russians, With Love

STORY AND PHOTOS BY YEVGENIYA GAZMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Yury Voldman, 
Susanna Gnas and 
Zhenya Ostrovsky

