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factory, at th e o ffice , o r in the school
room. Who's poking in the mail?
On Saturday morning the streets
surrounding the only synagogue in
" Moscow are filled witb Jewish cit i–
zens seeking information they can
be lieve abou t what's go ing on in the
world, and the stree ts are also filled
with police trying to find out what
the Jews a re finding out. lns ide the
synagogue o ld men and women
pray. The younger ones stay out–
side. The few re ligious leaders are
referred to as " Red Rabbi s." They
and their assistants are looked upon
as the government's crea tures and
not to be trusted. "They a re chosen
by the governmen t and approved by
the government," say the Russia ns.
"A Soviet Jew knows what he is
running from when he decides lo
leave," explains Rabbi Dershowitz,
" but he a lso leaves the certainty of a
job and a pension o f 90% of his
sa la ry a t retirement age. He escapes
regimentation, and he sacrifices
security. T his is not a lways an easy
choice."
lmpact of the
Czechoslovakian lnvasion
Two world-sbaking military events
alfected the altitudes and actions of
Russians desperate fo r mo re liberty
for themselves and their fe llow
countrymen, according to Rabbi
Dershowi tz and Vladimir Ma tlin. A
new pride
in
Israel following the
stunning defeat the Arabs suffered
in the
1967
Six-Day War resulted in
a n upsurge of Zionism in the Soviet
Union. Ayea r later Sovie t armored
divisions occupied Czechoslovakia,
brutally crushing the Czech gove rn–
ment's attempts to create "commu–
nism with a human face ." Shock
gripped the liberals in Russia, ac–
cording to Ma tlin, and th ey rea lized
the ir own dreams of a freer Soviet
socie ty were dead.
Jews, seeing the fu ture looming as
oppressive as ever, stepped up thei1·
demands to be let out o f Russia, and
a capricio us gove rnment began
cracking down on all dissiden ts
agai n. Because o f Zionist activity,
the average Soviet Jew was s uspect
-no matter what he did or thought.
Jt was getting more difficult than
ever for you ng Jews to enter the
uni versi ties because the government
felt there was " no sense educating
14
Jews. T hey' ll only run off to Israe l
or America. ·· So wi th meas ures get–
ting more repressive, more Jews
sough t exit visas. As more exü visas
were sought and the government
los t face , still further re pressive
measures were enacted. The cycle
con tinues to thi s day.
The Emigration Process
When the Sovie ts give a family per–
miss ion to leave (sometimes after
delay ing for yea rs), the head tax
and fare to Vi enna is accumulated.
By the time th e farnily gets to
Yienna , th ey are genera lly without
fund s. The United Hebrew lrnmi–
gration Aid Society (HIAS), an o r–
ganization dedicated to relocating
refugees, assumes financia ! respon–
sibility. Later when the farnily is on
its feet again, they are expected to
pay back the rnoney extended. The
irnmigrants go on to Rome where
the processing and waiting can be
anywher e from a few weeks to rnany
rnonth s. Here coun se ling begins
about America, and bere too is
where a suspicious Soviet Jew, lied
to a ll his life about governrnen t offi–
cials, has to begin to learn to trust a
new set of officia ls.
"One thing they are likely to be–
lieve," says Dia ne Arnrnund , head
of the Sov iet div ision of Jewish
Farni ly Service in Los Angeles, "are
the fantasies about life in 'Holly–
wood ' irnparted toa Russian Jew by
an Italian counse lor !" The agency
has tried to solve th e problem by
sending on to Rorne new informa–
tion about the realities of life in Los
Ange les written by sta lf and fo rmer
Soviet Jews now living in ' Holly–
wood.'"
They arrive in Los Angeles and
America a little be tter prepared
now, but still ree li ng from the
traurna of delivering thernselves
from a regimented society into a
permiss ive culture, and then hav ing
to rely so completely on the Jewish
Federation Counci l for guidance,
and finally struggling to find the
road to independence. "They are by
na ture a demanding and aggressive
group," says Ms. Ammund. "They
had to be to get out of th e Soviet
Un ion. "
Now they a re beginning to o rga–
nize self-help cornrnittees. Those im–
patient wi th the Jewis h Federation
Council have crea ted the Society o f
Fo rrner Soviet Jews. They are work–
ing with Los Angeles busin essman
Si F rumkin . an organizer of the
So uthern California Council for So–
viet Jews, wh ich was res ponsi ble for
th e " Save Soviet Jewry" banners,
the candlelight ma rches. letters and
visits to Russia, and a genera lly ac–
tivist approach. Frurnki n is critica!
of the federation, saying that they
along with the Israe lí government
had opted for a
sha
(quiet) pol icy,
believing that publicity would bring
reprisals against Jews in the Soviet
Union.
Learning to Live Without Fear
Things are happening in the Jewish
re li gious cornrnunity also. Rabbi
Dershowitz, chairman, and the boa rd
of rabbis o f Los Angeles took forma l
action aimed at reaching out to the
refugees. A coordinated elfort a rnong
all synagogues will begin to offer
rnernbership to the irnm igran ts, en–
courage enrollrnent of their children
in the Hebrew schools, and involve
the Russ ians generally in the life of
the synagogue.
So, sorne of the po litical pawns
a re here - sla ves sold out of bond–
age. A few are gi nge rly feeling
a round the edges of f reedom, lea rn–
ing to rnake choices. Some like Mat–
lin ha ve jurnped ri ght in to the
middle of freedom. a ll brid ges
burned. The refugees a re still suspi–
cio u s. fearful. coping, making
fr iends, earning a few enemies. The
garne of po lí tica] rnaneuvering goes
on among the world 's leaders. Refu–
gees beco rn e face less s tatisti cs .
"We' ll give you 35,000 Jews . What' ll
you give us in return?" So much
trade for so rna ny Jews - a política!
reality.
Reality is also two women ta lking
to each other. One is a Russian im–
migrant ; the othcr is a n American.
A favor was needed, a nd a favo r
was done. The Russian lady. her
voice filled with emotion, sa id, " lf
only
1
had the English words to tell
my thanks. J have so rnany Russ ian
words
1
know to say."
"Say thern," said the American
la dy.
"1
will understand with rny
heart. "
"1
wish Sovie t government would
listen with heart." replied the refu–
gee lady.
o
The
PLAIN TRUTH December 1976