56 Friday, in 2, 1511
ME DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
To Dance:' Valery Panov's Awakening as a Jew in Russia
Valery and Galina Panov
were in the limelight when,
as dissidents, they declared
their identifications with
the Jews of Russia who were
asking for visas to go to Is-
rael.
They finally acquired the
coveted documents after
paying the exorbinant fees
required for emigration.
They also were in the Un-
ited States for concerts, hav-
ing gained an international
reputation as dancers.
Valery tells his moving
story in a fascinatingly re-
corded account of his ex-
periences. In "To Dance"
(Alfred N. Knopf), which he
had written with George
Feifer, he relates his reac-
tions as a Jew, the associa-
tion with other dissidents,
his commitment to Jewry.
His wife is not Jewish.
There were the efforts by
• family to Induce her not
to make the sacrifice of
being subjected to the
discriminations imposed
on Jews. She remained
loyaL Valery relates the
incidents leading to the
conflicts and to confron-
tations, even with Jews
who would, as synagogue
officials, subject them-
selves to punishment by
the Russian authorities.
The family name origi-
nally was Shulman and
Panov tells about his
grandfather who was reli-
gious and had aspirations to
go to Palestine. Valery
alone apparently pursued
such a loyalty to his family
origin.
'- There is much about Val-
ery's upbringing that is of
unusual interest. Espe-
cially moving, however, is
the account he gives of boy-
hood.
It's in his confessional as
a half-Jew, his regret that
he had changed his name,
the atmosphere in which he
lived, that the reader will
fmd important revelations
about Jews in Russia.
Panov writes:
lics, the authorities hoped
that releasing a few Jews
would divert resentment
from Russian domination.
"Scapegoats were
needed to explain the de-
feat of the 'progressive'
Arab forces, and I was af-
raid that mass meetings
called to condemn
'bloodthirsty Zionist
enemies of peace' might
lead to pogroms. Then I
saw that professional
propagandists were pro-
nouncing 'Zionist
militarist? and 'Israeli
aggressors' with a secret
admiration. The miracle
of stingy, feeble, cringing
Jews risking their lives to
defend their country —
and then winning! —
exhilarated them against
their will.
"Only those with invi-
tations from close rela-
tives could go. As a half
Jew I was entirely unaf-
fected. Yet those first
applicants were a lasting
inspiration. They had to
take action, even know-
ing what awaited them. It
was another lesson about
what the 'meek cowards'
could do, and more rea-
son to be grateful for Is-
rael's existence.
"Suddenly I could associ-
ate. Just because Jews were
defending themselves in-
stead of cowering, I recog-
nized my relationship to the
beatings they had suffered
so long. The tremendous
emotional uplift gave me a
sunny new land in which to
set some of my fantasies.
"In the surge of Jewish
morale a few Vilnius
youngsters declared, simply
but incredibly, that they
wanted to be themselves in
their true homeland. Vil-
nius was involved because
people there still had much
more contact with relatives
abroad than was normal in
the Soviet Union. The boys
were sent to labor camps,
where they remained long
after the principle of emig-
ration to Israel had been es-
tablished. They were jailed
to stop the movement. In-
stead, it grew. Demonstra-
tions and hunger strikes
showed the new determina-
tion not to submit. Eventu-
ally a trickle of Vilnius
Jews was given exit visas.
Faced with great potential
unrest in the Baltic repub-
THE PANOVS
"Finally, I realized that
the real liberation was not
from Soviet bondage, but
from self-deception. My
years of protesting that I
had nothing in common
with Jewishness had been
shown up for what they
were. For whatever my pap-
ers said and whatever I be-
lieved about myself, I had
always been reacted to as a
Jew.
"Any Armenian, Lithua-
nian, Kirghizian who actu-
ally tried to live by the slo-
gans about the happy Soviet
family of nations was slap-
ped into place. He could
convince himself, but no one
else, that he was sincere. He
could explain why 'petty
nationalism' really was an
evil disease of capitalism
and why socialism promised
eternal fraternal love. But
his Russian overseers in the
Party and the police would
care most about the shape of
his nose and the tint of his
skin.
dim when I realized how de-
"Jews had the least eply divided they were. One
chance to escape the slime. major split was between the
Surely not work or willing- Jewish cause itself --that
ness to pay the dues of as- is, the striving to emigrate
similation could remove it. — and what was known as
Maltsev told me that all my the democratic movement,
disliked characteristics composed of Jews and non-
were linked to my being a Jews. This handful of brave
'cosmopolitan Jew.' My souls was fighting for re-
interest in Western ballet form, mostly by protesting
was proof of this. If ever I the persecution of people
wanted to read a non-Soviet who had spoken up against
magazine to make up my state crimes.
mind about anything, this "The captains of emig-
was because 'Panov has ration, by contrast, cared
Jewish blood.'
nothing for Soviet de-
"Even my fondness for velopments except as
dancing the 'little man' they affected Jews get-
damned me. 'Of course, he Ling out. Several former
likes those underdog roles; 'democrats' who had
I overheard. 'They're typi- edged toward emigration
cally Jewish.' after losing hope for their
"I had demeaned my- doomed country were
among the fiercest be-
self in my senseless pre-
lievers that it was not the
tending to be a 'Soviet'
business of a Jew to con-
person. Most of all, I re-
gretted changing my cern himself with any —
futile — struggle for Rus-
name. This clumsy dodge
sia's betterment.
had only given people
"As a further complica-
something extra to scorn.
tion, some of the most prom-
'He's one, but he took a
inent 'democrats' were
Russian name. You know
the kind.' Party and per- Jews. And the government
silenced
some of these by
sonnel officials — that is,
the KGB — were least making them involuntary
emigres
to
Israel. Not all
fooled since their first
democrats approved of
question was always
people leaving Russia. Not
about a person's 'origins.'
Now that a feat of arms even all religious Jews did.
"Whatever our religious
by Jews threatened with
actual extinction had and political beliefs, Mos-
given me the courage, I cow's synagogue was our
common meeting place. It
saw my life as a series of
was a center and a base, a-
maskings."
place where we could absorb
The Communists' back- some of the tradition we
ing of anti-Israel terrorists were struggling to join. For
as those at the Munich those like me who had
Olympics was protested as avoided it all their lives, it
part of a Jewish affirmation proved that the Jews were a
in defiance of official Rus- community of fate, not of
sian discriminations. Andre origin. But many congrega-
Sakharov was among the tion elders wanted to throw
protesters and he alone was us out as 'stupid, rebel
not molested. troublemakers.'
Panov, was distressed by
"Soviet rule actually
the attitude of Moscow's allowed them to cower to-
Jewish leaders. He relates: gether in fear and to pray
"My awe of Moscow's with a handful of prayer
Jewish leaders started to books that hadn't been
burned. They aspired to no-
thing more.
"'Stop coming to our
synagogue,' they kept
sputtering. 'You crazy
young people; you've
never understood it. You
don't care if you destroy
it.' Except for worshiping
a Jewish God, they were
just like all other Soviet
slaves who were grateful
to the Party for not kil-
ling them. 'Our life is fine
here; who could want to
leave?
"The emigration spokes-
men all saw this ingrown
terror as the most compel-
ling reason to leave, but
they differed sharply over
policies. Some insisted it
was our duty to go to Israel
and would tolerate no word
of criticism against it.
Others said Russian Jews
had had enough hardships
and were entitled to settle
anywhere in order to live at
last.
"Struggles for authority
and for personal advantage
divided these real issues
among a welter of an-
tagonistic splinter groups.
Everyone wanted to be a
leader and broke away as
soon as he could find a
single follower. At urgent
meetings to discuss a new
arrest there were as many
platforms as people in the
room. It was as if each per-
son were preparing himself
for a leading role in the
Knesset the minute he ar-
rived in Jerusalem."
On all other matters re-
lating to his career as a
dancer which already
was being hindered by
the KGB, and on issues
affecting life in Russia,
Panov's story is equally
effective.
In the annals of the Re-
fuseniks, the Panov book,
"To Dance," is one of the
most moving accounts of a
dissident and a Jew in Rus-
sia.
Chaim Herzog's Defensive Role for Israel at UN Recorded in Who Stands Accused?'
Chaim Herzog, Israel's
ambassador to the United
Nations, was confronted by
a score of challenges from
his nation's antagonists.
The documentary record of
his replies, the speeches he
delivered, his interpreta-
tions of Israel's role as a
member of the interna-
tional body and as an entity
among the nations of the
world provided definitions
of every aspect of Israel's
status as a sovereign state.
Herzog's declarations in
support of the Israeli posi-
tion in the UN and on the
world scene are presented
in the compilation of his
speeches and in the UN de-
bates in "Who Stands Ac-
cused? Israel Answers Its
Critics" (Random House).
the UN debates provide the
This is a veritable anthol- data needed by Israel's
ogy on Israel as a free and friends and protectors in the
democratic state. In search
battle for justice for the em-
for facts in all efforts to pro- battled nation in the Middle
tect Israel, the Herzog vol- East.
ume contains the data
Whatever is confusing
needed to refute the detrac-
about the UN Resolution
tors.
242, the many other actions
Ambassador Herzog's in the world organization
impassioned repudiation and the controversies that
of the Arabs' equating affected Israel are com-
Zionism with racism is mented on in Herzog's
among the very effective statements.
statements reproduced
He emerges as fearless in
in this volume.
Whatever subject the Is- dealing with the anti-Israel
bloc
and the Arabs, and the
rael ambassador dealt with
— the PLO, terrorism, the Soviet anti-Jewish attitude
settlements dispute — all as well.
were tackled firmly and the Ambassador Herzog,
facts relating to Israel in the whose father, Isaac
conflict with the Arabs and Halevi Herzog was Chief
Rabbi of Ireland before
being named Chief Rabbi
of Israel, emigrated from
Ireland to Israel as a boy
and was educated at the
universities of London
and Cambridge.
He served in World War II
in the British Army, and in
various command and staff
posts in the Israel Defense
Force, concluding his serv-
ice with the rank of major
general. His appointments
included two periods as di-
rector of Israeli military in-
telligence, and he served as
the first military governor
of the West Bank in 1967.
The significance of the
Herzog anthological record
of declarations in defense of
Israel is emphasized in
these quotations from his
UN speeches, recorded in
"Who Stands Accused?":
Arab Refugees: "The
Arabs have deliberately
kept the problem of the ref-
ugees alive for 30 years in
order to use it as a political
weapon in the struggle
against Israel. The Arab
world today disposes of an
•three hours from Jerusalem
and just nine hours from
Baghdad."
AMBASSADOR HERZOG
unprecedented glut of as-
sets and resources which
are employed for such pur-
poses as the purchase of
arms instead of the benefit
of their kin — the Palestine
Arab refugees."
Israel and the Task of
Economic Cooperation:
"Let us look ahead to the
year 2000 . . . The Middle
East Common Market, with
its headquarters possibly in
Beirut, would comprise a
regional water and irriga-
tion authority, a desert de-
velopment authority, an oil
authority, a tourist de-
velopment authority . .
On an international high-
way Cairo would be a mere
Israel and the United
Nations: "The writing is al-
ready on the wall, and the
warning signs are unmis-
takable. The capabilities
and the international char-
acter of the world organiza-
tion are being downgraded
and replaced by the narrow
national and political ves-
ted interests far removed
from the lofty concepts
which animated the found-
ers of the United Nations."
Racism, Human Rights
and Double Standards:
"Sometimes, as I listen to
the tirade of accusations
against Israel at the United
Nations, I cannot help but
look at the vast Assembly of
nations gathered there and
compute in my mind the
sum total of misery that
most of them represent . .
These nations regularly
practice every crime they
attribute to Israel, and viol-
ate every human and
natural law in the conduct
of their own affairs "