Refuseniks and activists

On Tuesday Nov 2, I was privileged to attend a special commemoration held in the Knesset Auditorium entitled "Conference of Refuseniks and Activists from Around the World who Fought for their Freedom." It was organized by the Chair of the Knesset Committee on Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs, Lia Shemtov MK, who herself was a refusenik and who immigrated to Israel, and is now a successful politician. The Conference was under the sponsorship of the Speaker of the Knesset Ruby Rivlin, who officially opened the Conference with a short speech. This was followed by talks by Lia Shemtov and Minister of Tourism Stas Misezhnikov and Minister of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Yuli Edelstein, both of whom were also refuseniks and who are now Ministers of the Israeli Government. There was also a videotaped greeting from Chairman of the Jewish Agency Natan Scharansky.

The main theme of the meeting was to bring together former refuseniks and the activists who worked on their behalf, mainly from the US and Britain, and to give the former refuseniks, now successful Israelis, the opportunity to thank the activists for their work on their behalf. About one third of the audience was visiting former activists from abroad, who were then going on a special tour of Israel. But, I was impressed at the large proportion of the former activists who themselves had joined the refuseniks and also made aliyah to Israel. I always felt, when I was working for the release of the Soviet Jews, mainly to go to Israel, that it was hypocritical for me to not also join them, and apparently many others felt the same.

One of the most touching talks was given by former US Ambassador to Israel Richard Schifter, who now 89 years old, shared some reminiscences of his time working with Pres. Ronald Reagan as Assistant Secretary of State. When Johnson met with Gorbachev in the White House at that time there had been major demonstrations around the world supporting Soviet Jewry. Schifter told how Reagan would not begin talks on the substantive agenda issues until Gorbachev has given him an undertaking to resolve this problem, Within two months the doors were open for Jewish emigration from the former USSR. Several speakers commented on how the human rights aspect of the fight for the Soviet Jews not only helped to breach that totalitarian state, but also helped found the subsequent emphasis on human rights in foreign affairs.

All the activists were given a certificate thanking us for our efforts. This piece of paper doesn't mean much, but the emotional bond that developed between us and the fate of the Soviet Jews themselves was a major factor in our activism. We felt that after the lack of action of the American Jewish community before and during the Holocaust, this time we were not going to be found wanting. Let history judge.