Yosef Mendelevitch
Yosef Mendelevitch (or Mendelovitch) (b. 1947 in Riga), was a well-known Jewish refusenik, also known as a "Prisoner of Zion" and now a Religious Zionist rabbi[1][2] in the former Soviet Union who gained fame for his adherence to Zionism and public attempts to emigrate to Israel at a time when it was considered to be against the law in the USSR. He was one of the participants of the Dymshits-Kuznetsov hijacking affair. As punishment, he was imprisoned for eleven years. In 1981 he was released and immigrated to Israel.
He served in the Gulag with famous Jewish dissident Natan Sharansky>[3] (amongst others). In Sharansky's memoir Fear No Evil he describes innovative ways Mendelevitch used to communicate with Sharansky (via toilet bowls and radiators).
Mendelevitch had always exhibited leadership qualities, early on in Israel he headed an organization called Soviet Jewry Information Center[4] and has managed to attract followers to his causes.[5]. This has been attested to by his fellow refuseniks, such as Natan Sharansky: "In May 1988 he [Sharansky] founded the Zionist Forum, in preparation for the future waves of Aliyah from the Soviet Union, and based its activity on the database formed by former Refusenik Yosef Mendelevitch."[6]
He was known as a "Prisoner of Zion". Since moving to Israel he adopted Orthodox Judaism and has become a rabbi affiliated with the Religious Zionist movement.
Mendelevitch has been a political activist from his days in the former USSR, when he moved to Israel and as globetrotting speaker on behalf of various causes, sich as lobbying for the release of convicted spy Jonathan Pollard in the USA.[7][8]
In his autobiography, written in Hebrew, מבצע חתונה אסיר ציון he describes his struggle as a "Prisoner of Zion."[9].
Mendelevitch has become a popular speaker in various Jewish communities. There have been many articles, books[10] and documentaries about his life.[11].[12]
Sources
- Fear No Evil: The Classic Memoir of One Man's Triumph over a Police State, Public Affairs: 1998. ISBN 1-891620-02-9.
- מבצע חתונה אסיר ציון
References
- ↑ Prisoner of Zion (audio lecture by subject as guest lecturer). The Genesis Center, 29. Januar 2010.
- ↑ The Jewish Agency’s 21st-Century Challenge, by Natan Sharansky (July 9th, 2009). Our Jerusalem.com, 29. Januar 2010.
- ↑ The Jewish Agency’s 21st-Century Challenge, by Natan Sharansky (July 9th, 2009). Our Jerusalem.com, 29. Januar 2010.
- ↑ Israeli Silence on Soviet Emigration Law Decried, by Dan Fisher (December 04, 1986). LA Times.com, 29. Januar 2010.
- ↑ Documentary Pulls Back Iron Curtain, by Alexander Zaitchik (May 16, 2008). Forward.com
- ↑ Political Biography: Natan (Anatoly) Sharansky (Shcharansky) (2009). Knesset.gov.il, 29. Januar 2010.
- ↑ Mr. Olmert, Don't Come Back Without Pollard, by Yosef Mendelevitch, 05/19/06. Israel National News, 29. Januar 2010.
- ↑ Ex-Refuseniks and Others Slam Supreme Court for Pollard Ruling, by Hillel Fendel (01/17/06). Israel National News, 29. Januar 2010.
- ↑ Lighten Up; By Rabbi Elazar Muskin (March 8, 2001). Jewish journal.com, 29. Januar 2010.
- ↑ A second exodus: the American movement to free Soviet Jews, by Murray Friedman, Albert D. Chernin. Google books.com, 29. Januar 2010.
- ↑ Film Review: Refusenik: Reviewed by Fern Sidman, (from the August 2008 Edition of the Jewish Magazine. Jewish Mag.com, 29. Januar 2010.
- ↑ Documentary Pulls Back Iron Curtain, by Alexander Zaitchik (May 16, 2008). Forward.com