Quote:
Originally Posted by Locke
Very cool. Not to make you feel too old or anything but my Grandfather had a similar story. Did the USSR allow you to leave because you were Jewish or, like my Grandfather, when you use the term 'emigrate' was it more like 'escape?'
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Yeah, they let us leave as long as we were going to Israel. However, my parents didn't want to because they didn't want my sister and I to have to join the army in Israel. I come from a proud, noble line of cowards. So my parents declared for Israel but ended up in Canada.
While the USSR was, more or less, willing to allow Jews to leave they certainly didn't make it a pleasant experience. After my parents applied they had to wait about 1 year (I think) for permission. During that time they were fired from their jobs, their friends and family were harassed, they had fliers posted with their pictures calling them traitors, they were followed constantly and they were essentially evicted from their apartment and moved into slum while they waited. And this was before they were given permission to leave.
So, I wouldn't call it an escape so much. They weren't crawling through barb-wire and dodging bullets. But it wasn't a simple plane ride either. It was probably a little easier to get out in the 70's than when your grandfather did it.