SHOFAR LET MY PEOPLE GO! B'nai B'rith Youth Organization A Soviet Jew Speaks ALEPH ZADIK ALEPH (AZA) B'NAI B'RITH GIRLS (BBG) Out For Freedom 17 MAY, 1973 Photos courtesy The Jewish Week 18017 was JEFFREY KERE COOK BRIDGE 18017COK0J Mark Yampolsky, a 25-year old recent immigrant from the Soviet Union to Israel, n a hunger strike on March 27 in front of the Soviet Embassy in Washington. His ose was to get the Soviet authorities to allow his wife's family to leave Russia. A lar hunger strike by the parents and sister of Mark's wife at the Central telephone on in Novosibirsk, Siberia, terminated when they became too ill to continue. k's wife Eleanora, began a hunger strike on the same day as her husband in front of Soviet Embassy in London. RD Dr. Isaac Poltinnikov, 53, Mark's father-in-law, is an outstanding ophthalmologist B9 retired two years ago. Since applying to emigrate to Israel last summer, he has had bension suspended. In addition, the family has been subjected to ceaseless ordeals abuses, including imprisonment of the wife and daughter (Eleanora's sister). The risonment was terminated when Mrs. Poltinnikov suffered a heart attack while il. The harassment, loss of pension, and arbitrary imprisonment are common meas- used by the Soviet government to terrorize Jews who have applied to emigrate 1 Russia and to intimidate others from applying. On March 30, The Shofar interviewed Mark in front of the Soviet Embassy. Th ng have you been fasting! I was given the possibility to get my invitation from Is- Mark: This is the fourth day now. rael-it was sent from Israel-only after I became active; The Shofar: Could you tell me why you're fasting in front only after I started speaking over the phone to the United of the Soviet Embassy! States, to England, to Germany and so on; only after I Mark: My wife's parents and sister are kept in Russia. For started meeting people there; and my parents gave me per- a very long time they applied for exit visas my sister-in- mission only after I was imprisoned and they noticed law applied in January last year and my parents-in-law agents of KGB that were following me all the time, and applied in June last year. They're not given permission; so on. So they decided that it was better to have their son they were given already seven refusals, and they have no in Israel than in jail. means to existence. They were striking in Russia for six The Shofar: When did you know that you wanted to days; my mother-in-law almost died on this hunger strike. leave the Soviet Union and go to Israel! Now they stopped, because to go on would mean to die. Mark: You see, for me it was since I was twelve, or some- probably to get money, but you know that it's three The Shofar: How did you get out of the Soviet Union? thing like this when I was twelve our neighbors left months and you'll get out. You can borrow money from Mark: Two and a half years of struggle before I left, and for Israel, but I thought that it was necessary to have close people who are going to Israel and then give it back in then it was very easy. And then I took tickets to Vienna relatives in Israel to be given the possibility to apply. Israel. But if you have no permission, nothing helps. and from Vienna by El Al to Israel. When I learned about possibility to get invitation even if The Shofar: How does the Soviet Union decide to whom The Shofar: What kind of a struggle was it? Did you have you don't have relatives there, I started immediately. they will give permission! troubles! The Shofar: What is life like for a Jew living in the Soviet Mark: Usually, the more educated you are, the more dif- Mark: I couldn't even apply for a visa for a long time be- Union! ficult to get permission; and the younger you are, the cause I couldn't get all the documents. First, Soviet mail Mark: It's different for Jews who apply to go for exit visas, more difficult to get permission. You see they select Jews: for a year and half stopped all the invitations from Israel and for Jews who don't apply. valuable Jews they keep, and not valuable may go. But that were sent to me. Then for nine months my parents The Shofar: For those who don't apply for exit visas, can even those whom they keep, they don't use. These people didn't want to give me permission to leave they were they live as Jews in the Soviet Union! don't work. They keep them to frighten other people of afraid of giving such a permission-the didn't want to Mark: First of all, there is almost no possibility for Jewish the same level. To make them not to apply. approve my wish to go to Israel which is considered as life. For example, Kiev-there are 200,000 Jews in Kiev. anti-Soviet. To get all these things I had to become active. There is one little synagogue; there is no rabbi; almost (Contd. on Page 2) nobody in synagogue speaks Hebrew young people are not allowed to enter the synagogue. I was imprisoned the first time for trying to enter the synagogue. You cannot study Hebrew because you cannot find Hebrew books. Not a single Hebrew book was printed since 1921 in Rus- sia in Soviet Union. This is Jewish life. And Jews have difficulty if they want to enter the University. They can- not enter University in Kiev. In provincial Russian towns they can, but only if they know ten times as much as Rus- sians who want to enter the same University. And then they have difficulties when they want to find good job, and SO on. The Shofar: What is life like once you make it known that you want to leave the Soviet Union and go to Israel! Mark: Those who apply for going to Israel lose their job almost everybody. Very often they are given refusals. This means that officials don't allow them to go to Israel and they are kept for many years without jobs; they are arrested and persecuted all the time. If they are not given permissions, they have to become active to change it. Because if you sit quiet and don't do anything, nothing will change. So they have to become active and there is constant danger of imprisonment in being active. So life for those who apply is not very good. Some of them get permissions easily. One more thing-people speak all the Americans speak about money-about the exit tax, which is not the main problem of Jews who want to leave. Much more important problem is permission. Money doesn't guarantee anything if you don't have permission. And if you have permission it might take three months