Where did the term refusenik come from?

The term refusenik is derived from the “refusal” handed down to a prospective emigrant from the Soviet authorities.

What happens if you dont serve in the IDF?

A smaller number of them have also signed a public letter in which they state their intent to refuse any service in the army. Such a behaviour has usually resulted in repeated jail sentences of several weeks.

Can Israelis refuse to join the IDF?

The Israeli High Court of Justice ruled in 2002 that refusal to serve was legal on the grounds of unqualified pacifism, but “selective refusal” which accepted some duties and not others was illegal. The court said that allowing selective refusal would “weaken the ties that bind us as a nation”.

Why are white Russians called?

Red, White and You More specifically, it meant those who fought against the Soviet Red Army in the Russian Civil War (1918 to 1921). This usage derived from the royalist opponents of the French Revolution, known as the “Whites” because they adopted the white flag of the French Bourbon dynasty.

Did Churchill support the White Russians?

Churchill did powerfully support aiding the White Russians. He was also mindful how far the Allies could go. He also favored a firm decision. When he realized they would not go far enough, he urged disengagement.

What was the situation like for the refuseniks?

The refuseniks’ plight was horrendous. As soon as they applied to leave Russia, they were fired from their jobs; because the government is the only employer in Communist societies, it became impossible for them to find other work. Many Jews throughout the world sent the refuseniks money, a hefty percentage of which the government confiscated.

Who was the most patient refusenik in history?

One refusenik, Benjamin Bogomolny, actually entered the Guinness Book of World Records as “most patient”—he waited twenty and a half years to get permission to leave Russia (1966-1986—from the time he was twenty till he was forty). The refuseniks’ plight was horrendous.

Who was the leader of the refusenik movement?

A leading proponent and spokesman for the refusenik rights during the mid-1970s was Natan Sharansky. Sharansky’s involvement with the Moscow Helsinki Group helped to establish the struggle for emigration rights within the greater context of the human rights movement in the USSR.

Did the Soviet Union repress refusenik scientists under the new leadership?

“Soviet repression of refusenik scientists unabated. The arrest of chemist Yuri Tarnopolsky points up the continuing plight of refusenik scientists in the Soviet Union under its new leadership”. Chemical & Engineering News. 61 (20): 45–47. 15 May 1983. doi: 10.1021/cen-v061n020.p045. Galina Nizhnikov, Against the Kremlin Wall.