Three well-known Moscow Jews have appealed to colleagues in the West for “professional solidarity” at a time when “all other avenues have been exhausted.” Mikhail Suslov, an award winning cinematographer, Felix Kandel-Kamov, an award winning screen writer, and Evgeni Baraz, a well-known journalist have all applied for exit visas, but they have been refused permission to emigrate from the Soviet Union. They announced that they would begin a hunger strike today in conjunction with the San Francisco Film Festival which runs through Oct. 27. The strike began today.
News of the dramatic hunger strike came in a telephone conversation with Si Frumkin, chairman of the Southern California Council for Soviet Jews. Frumkin and Zev Yaroslavsky, executive director of the SCCSJ, met with the three Moscow Jews last April during a brief trip to the Soviet Union. In an appeal to theatrical and journalistic professionals, Suslov, Kama and Baraz declared: “Support us. Express your solidarity with us….We need your help. We wait for your help. If not you, then who? And if not now, when?”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
