PROFILE
MISSION. Possible
As a summer intern in Washington,
Karen Altman was able to help
her Soviet Jewish brethren,
even just a little
LISA JACKNOW ELLIAS
Special to The Jewish News
efore her summer in
Washington, D.C., Karen
Altman had never given
the issue of the Soviet
Jews much thought. It
was just something she came across
in the newspaper once in a while.
But in six weeks as an intern for
the Union of Councils for Soviet
Jewry, Altman learned about the
names, faces and histories of
refuseniks. She also came home with
a better understanding of what it is
like to be Jewish in the Soviet Union.
"I really didn't know about the
refuseniks," Altman said. "I knew
Jews in Russia were persecuted, but
you don't usually hear stories about
kids being beaten up because they're
Jews; people being thrown in jail for
no reason; or someone hunger strik-
ing for months. It's a different world
there. Nothing has to be fair, especial-
ly if you're Jewish. As an American,
it's hard for me to understand these
things."
The 20-year-old daughter of Dr.
Jules and Suzanne Altman of Bloom-
field Hills, Altman ended up working
as an unpaid intern for the union
simply by chance. After taking the
Law School Admissions Test (LSAT),
she expected to work in Sen. Carl
Levin's Detroit office. However, when
a friend suggested that Altman ac-
company her to Washington, D.C. for
the summer, Altman changed her
plans. The Jewish Information Ser-
vice in Detroit gave her a list of places
to contact, and she began to call
Jewish organizations, asking if any
needed a summer intern.
"It sounds like a cliche, but my
parents really did raise us with a
strong Jewish identity:' explained
Altman, who attended Hillel Day
School and was involved in Jewisili
youth groups as a high school student.
"Since I wasn't going to be paid as an
intern, I wanted to gain experience
and feel like I was doing something
really worthwhile."
Karen Altman gathers material for a newsletter about Soviet Jews.
The Union of Councils for Soviet
Jewry was delighted to put the
University of Michigan student to
work, according to Dana Berger, office
administrator for the union.
The union is an international
human rights organization which
strives to get Jews out of Russia,
while making life less oppressive for
those who remain. It is the umbrella
organization and main information
center for 41 member councils
throughout the United States, in-
Glenn Triest
cluding Detroit. The union contacts
members of Congress on behalf of
refuseniks; releases information
about cases to the public; and lets peo-
ple know what refuseniks need and
what individuals can do to help.
Altman was involved in all
aspects of the organization's work.
She helped gather material for a
newsletter published by the union.
She did clerical tasks and worked on
plans for the union's annual meeting
in September.
Once, she was sent to the Soviet
Consulate to pick up the forms need-
ed by a Soviet Jew who had im-
migrated to the United States and
wanted to obtain her family's release
— a visit that made Altman "a little
nervous."
Her assignments also included
contacting members of Congress to
get their assistance on behalf of in-
dividual Soviet Jews. As a part of this,
Altman was able to read the files of
many refuseniks. It was this aspect of
the job that Altman found the most
interesting.
"I had a lot of freedom to read ar-
ticles and look through the files:'
Altman said. "I learned the most
reading about the families, about the
real people — their names, how many
kids they have, what their jobs are. It
helped me identify with them a little
bit."
Altman was involved in the case
of Lev Albert, a Jew from Kiev who,
with his family, has been repeatedly
denied an exit visa on the basis of
"state secrets." He built swimming
pools while serving in the Russian
Army, according to Pat Speller, the
researcher with the union. There has
been a large amount of activism on
Albert's behalf, with input from a
number of members of Congress.
Albert's mother is in Israel, and
if the family is not released before
Albert's son is drafted into the Soviet
Army, they will have no chance to
emigrate. Albert ended a 47-day
hunger strike when the Soviet
government promised to reconsider
his case. No decision has yet been
reached.
It was this recent review of
Albert's case that prompted union
leaders to put Altman to work calling
members of Congress and getting out
the word about Albert's plight.
"We were pushed for time, and
had to get as many signatures on the
telegram to Russia as we could;'
Altman explained. "We called Con-
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
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