Israel Funds Center on Soviet Jewry’s Fight for Aliyah

About 50 former Prisoners of Zion and aliyah activists met at the Heritage Ministry in Jerusalem on October 5 to discuss a center documenting Soviet Jews’ struggle to preserve their identity and immigrate to Israel. The year of the meeting wasn’t specified. The government approved the center in May 2024 and allocated NIS 27 million.

Preserving the Record

Heritage Ministry Director-General Itay Grank outlined the ministry’s vision: a center preserving personal testimony and introducing younger generations to Soviet Jewry’s history and its contribution to Israeli society. Participants discussed how to develop the center, which parts of the struggle it should document and how to make its history accessible to the public.

First-person accounts took center stage. Former Prisoners of Zion Yosef Mendelevich, Simon Shnirman and Alex Silnitsky spoke to participants, recalling their experiences and work in the movement for the right to make aliyah, or immigrate to Israel. The proposed center would place their accounts within the wider history of Jewish life under Soviet rule.

The project would document the experiences of former prisoners, refuseniks and aliyah activists. Refuseniks were Jews denied permission to emigrate. Their efforts to leave the Soviet Union formed part of a broader campaign for emigration rights, while activists also organized Jewish activities despite restrictions.

Restrictions Under Soviet Rule

For decades, Soviet authorities restricted Jewish religious and cultural life and prevented many Jews from leaving the country. Activists who challenged those restrictions faced harassment and imprisonment. Still, they continued organizing Jewish activities and campaigning for the right to emigrate.

The proposed center ties together these experiences: restrictions on religious and cultural life, refusals of permission to leave and activism to secure emigration rights. Participants considered which parts of that history the center should document and how the accounts should reach the public. The project also aims to present Soviet Jewry’s contribution to Israeli society.

Government Funding and Next Steps

In May 2024, the government approved an educational and cultural center to preserve Jewish heritage, Zionist activity and the history of the struggle to immigrate to Israel. It allocated NIS 27 million to the project. According to the stated timeline, two years have elapsed since approval.

The October 5 gathering focused on plans for the center, not an announcement of its opening. Participants discussed how to develop it and present the history. The meeting’s year wasn’t stated, so the available information can’t establish how much time has passed since it took place.

The proposed institution would preserve testimony from people who experienced imprisonment, restrictions and campaigns for emigration, alongside the wider history of Soviet Jewry. The ministry says its educational purpose is to make that history accessible to younger generations and preserve accounts of the struggle for Jewish identity and aliyah.