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Refusenik Lessons for Today

JL;DR SUMMARY The term "refusenik" refers to Soviet Jews whose emigration requests were denied, highlighting a tenacious fight against Soviet oppression. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish IdentitySoviet UnionJewish ActivismNatan SharanskyRefusenikSoviet JewsJewish EmigrationDissidentsSoviet OppressionSelf Liberation

Places mentioned

Moscow, Moscow Province, Russian Federation
"It was virtually impossible to live in a large Soviet city like Moscow, Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Kyiv, Kharkiv, Minsk, or Novosibirsk without becoming aware of the refusenik problem."
St. Petersburg, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation
"It was virtually impossible to live in a large Soviet city like Moscow, Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Kyiv, Kharkiv, Minsk, or Novosibirsk without becoming aware of the refusenik problem."
Kyiv, Ukraine
"It was virtually impossible to live in a large Soviet city like Moscow, Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Kyiv, Kharkiv, Minsk, or Novosibirsk without becoming aware of the refusenik problem."
Kharkiv, Kharkivshchyna, Ukraine
"It was virtually impossible to live in a large Soviet city like Moscow, Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Kyiv, Kharkiv, Minsk, or Novosibirsk without becoming aware of the refusenik problem."
Minsk, Belarus
"It was virtually impossible to live in a large Soviet city like Moscow, Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Kyiv, Kharkiv, Minsk, or Novosibirsk without becoming aware of the refusenik problem."
Novosibirsk, Russian Federation
"It was virtually impossible to live in a large Soviet city like Moscow, Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Kyiv, Kharkiv, Minsk, or Novosibirsk without becoming aware of the refusenik problem."
Tatarstan, Russian Federation
"The one who did not find himself abroad, the exalted human-rights activist Anatoly Marchenko, died in 1986 at the prison hospital in Tatarstan."
Moscow Province, Russian Federation
"We lived in a large Moscow apartment building in an area known for its research and military facilities."
Germany
"He asked for a favor: Would I locate a relative of his, a former displaced person, who had been living somewhere in Germany or Austria since 1945?"
Austria
"He asked for a favor: Would I locate a relative of his, a former displaced person, who had been living somewhere in Germany or Austria since 1945?"
Cleveland, Ohio, United States
"Those people played a crucial role on the streets of Cleveland, Boston, Washington, and Montreal."
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
"Those people played a crucial role on the streets of Cleveland, Boston, Washington, and Montreal."
Washington, Washington DC, United States
"Those people played a crucial role on the streets of Cleveland, Boston, Washington, and Montreal."
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
"Those people played a crucial role on the streets of Cleveland, Boston, Washington, and Montreal."
Tucson, Arizona, United States
"And then the doorbell of our Moscow apartment would ring, and it would be a Jewish family from Tucson or Newton."
Newton, Massachusetts, United States
"And then the doorbell of our Moscow apartment would ring, and it would be a Jewish family from Tucson or Newton."

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Retrieved 2025-05-14 05:31:08 UTC
Curated 2025-05-14 08:33:57 UTC