About 50 former Prisoners of Zion and aliyah activists gathered at the Heritage Ministry in Jerusalem on October 5 to discuss plans for a center documenting Soviet Jews’ struggle to preserve their identity and immigrate to Israel.
Heritage Ministry Director-General Itay Grank presented the ministry’s vision for the center, which would preserve personal testimonies and introduce younger generations to the history of Soviet Jewry and its contribution to Israeli society.
Former Prisoners of Zion Yosef Mendelevich, Simon Shnirman and Alex Silnitsky addressed the gathering, recounting their experiences and their involvement in the movement for the right to make aliyah, or immigrate to Israel.
Participants discussed how the center should be developed, which aspects of the struggle it should document and how to make that history accessible to the public. Preserving the accounts of those who took part was a central theme of the meeting.
Soviet authorities restricted Jewish religious and cultural life
For decades, Soviet authorities restricted Jewish religious and cultural life and prevented many Jews from leaving the country. Those denied permission to emigrate became known as refuseniks. Activists who challenged the restrictions faced harassment and imprisonment, while continuing to organize Jewish activities and campaign for emigration rights.
The center would tell that history through the experiences of former prisoners, refuseniks and aliyah activists, alongside the broader story of Jewish life under Soviet rule.
The government approved the establishment of a Soviet Jewry heritage center in May 2024, with an allocation of NIS 27 million. That decision provided for an educational and cultural center devoted to the preservation of Jewish heritage, Zionist activity and the struggle to immigrate to Israel.