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From: yuz@uoregon.UUCP (yuz)
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: Re: Soviet Jews
Message-ID: <160100001@uoregon.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 28-Jan-86 19:19:00 EST
Article-I.D.: uoregon.160100001
Posted: Tue Jan 28 19:19:00 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 6-Feb-86 21:59:52 EST
References: <488@decwrl.UUCP>
Organization: Univ of Oregon - Eugene, OR
Lines: 43
Nf-ID: #R:decwrl:-48800:uoregon:160100001:000:2257
Nf-From: uoregon!yuz    Jan 28 16:19:00 1986

/***** uoregon:net.religion.j / decwrl!liss /  1:12 pm  Jan 16, 1986*/

    	The other night I happened to catch about forty minutes or so 
        of a one hour show on Soviet Jews. I have often heard about 
        what goes on in the Soviet Union but it didn't hit home until 
        I had a chance to see for myself.
    
    	The Rabbi of the Moscow Synagogue said that there was no 
        anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union. He went on to say "If 
        anyone painted a swastika on someone's door they would be 
        punished severely." This may be true but the report went on to 
        show many of the subtle forms of anti-Semitism such as job 
        discrimination.
    
    	What really surprised me is that there is an anti-Zionism 
        committee made up almost entirely of Jews! There was an 
        interview with a Jewish government official (I forget his 
        title). He was standing in front of  bookcases packed with 
        "...4000 copies of the Babylonian Talmud. An outdated book 
        that nobody reads any more." I was really pissed at this guy 
        because he had the nerve to ware the same yarlmika (sp?) that 
        I do (blue velour with a gold design). I have often heard it 
        said that the worst anti-Semite is a Jewish anti-Semite.
    
    	On the brighter side there was a Yiddish singer who sang about 
        "nachas". I especially liked a lengthy interview with a group 
        of Jews who were known as "Refusenicks". I have never heard of 
        these people before but I find their outlook very refreshing. 
        They were interviewed while holding a Seder (in secret of 
        course). They spoke openly with the reporters about what it 
        was like to be a Jew in the Soviet Union and of their hopes to 
        emigrate to Israel some day.
    
    	Can anyone out there tell me more about the refusenicks? Also, 
        is there anyone out there who can give a first hand account of 
        what it is like to be a Jew in the Soviet Union?

				Fred
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Frederick R. Liss        UUCP ...decvax!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-gramps!liss
Digital Equipment Corp.	 ARPA	 liss%gramps.DEC@decwrl.ARPA
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