Underground Guide Tells Soviet Jews How to Deal with Catch Emigration ‘rules’

Soviet Jews must overcome a virtual crazy-quilt of Catch-22 regulations and dozens of other discouragingly menacing obstacles if they hope to succeed in leaving their homeland for Israel. This is made clear today in a guide written anonymously by a Jew who remains in the Soviet Union and published by the International Council of B’nai B’rith.

Formally titled “How to Emigrate to Israel From the USSR,” it has also been published and distributed as a samizdat (underground) document by Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

The extremely informative guide leads would-be-emigrants step by step over and around the pitfalls and traps that make up the “official” Soviet procedure for emigration. Probably the worst of all pitfalls is not even an “official” procedure; it is that applicants are vulnerable to the whims of even the lowliest — and frequently jealous and anti-Semitic — clerk.

And because pitfalls and traps are everywhere, the author exhorts would-be emigrants to remain optimistic and cheerful; he even heads the final subchapter “Don’t Lose Heart!”

A TASTE OF WHAT TO EXPECT

From the outset, the guide gives the would-be emigrant a taste of what to expect.

“Emigration is one of the most closed areas of life in the USSR, ” the author writes. “As far as the mass media are concerned, it does not exist at all. Even in special publications, reference books and bulletins, you will find no information on emigration. There is nowhere and nobody from whom you will be able to get even the slightest piece of information on the essential aspects of this question.”

What is that? The answer, the author notes, is that the Kremlin refuses to comprehend that anyone would want to leave “the workers’ paradise.” Thus, there is no legislation pertaining to emigration and directives which control it are kept secret.

By providing concrete advice on how to emigrate, the guide attempts to resolve the problem of government secrecy on the issue. “It is meant for those who have already taken the decision to emigrate to Israel from the USSR” and not as a stimulus for agitation, the author states.

THE MOST SERIOUS DECISION

Would-be emigrants are cautioned that a decision to leave the Soviet Union “is the most serious one in your whole life.” The act of applying to leave also has a high price, one that includes loss of job, loss of friends and social isolation.

Emigration is considered by the government as not only extremely undesirable but also deeply political. Hence, the guide warns that would-be emigrants will be dealt with by the KGB, that they will be constantly and closely watched and will have to follow the strict letter of the law “for things which the authorities generally turn a blind eye.”

Moreover, “there is no way (the applicant) can obtain protection or help from the powers that be” no matter how high the would-be emigrant’s position is at the time of application. “Any official in the USSR knows that an attempt to help or defend someone who is emigrating is a gross political blunder which will never be forgiven and will entail the loss of his official position.”

Nevertheless, the author urges applicants to demand substantiation for any refusal in the application process. And “if you are accused of committing an antisocial act, treason or betrayal, protest; go as far as bringing a court case, ” he says, suggesting letters of complaint and appeal to officials on all levels, to newspapers, heads of state “and anybody else who seems suitable.”

WARNS AGAINST TACTICAL ERROR

The applicant is advised again and again against thinking he can accomplish his mission quietly. “However logical and psychologically justified this kind of behavior might appear to be, when fighting for an exit permit, it is a tactical error,” the author states. It plays into the hands of the authorities “who will feel you have done nothing to deserve a reward and that giving you a reward would serve no purpose.”

The KGB, he adds, is likely to view it as “a sign of indecision; passivity or even fear and will use it as a basis for working out their attitude to you.”

For those who may not be aware of economic and social conditions in Israel, the guide tells what emigrants can expect, including the possibility of further strife between Israel and its Arab neighbors and the requirement for military service.

WARNS AGAINST DECEPTION

The guide admonishes those who wish to emigrate anywhere but Israel to refrain from seeking an Israeli visa. Such deception, he says, harms the entire emigration movement in the Soviet Union and “plays into the hands of those who seek to hamper it.” It will serve as “more proof” to Soviet authorities that “the nationalistic motives for emigrating to Israel are merely a cover for fleeing the country.”

In the face of all these disheartening words, the author appeals to applicants not to lose heart. “Do not break off the fight for a permit even for a minute,” he declares. “It is just as dangerous to yield to illusions and persuasion.

“Whatever you undertake or intend undertaking, you must do it openly and without hesitation, fully conscious that you are in the right. Resolution and consistence will help bring you success. Keep on fighting and you will win through.”