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"Serving the Community for 38 Years"
THIS SPACE CONTRIBUTED BY THE PUBLISHER
Jerusalem (JTA) — Former
refusenik Natan Sharansky
firmly believes that the
aliyah of a half-million im-
migrants from the former
Soviet Union since 1989 con-
stituted an unprecedented
historic challenge — one the
Israeli government failed to
meet.
Charging that Israel
allowed the unique oppor-
tunities presented by the
mass migration of Soviet
Jewry to slip away, Mr.
Sharansky stated that an-
other million Jews in the
former Soviet Union might
make aliyah if they got the
encouragement they need.
But the Israeli govern-
ment has not understood the
significance of events, he
said, and has instead
adopted a "business as
usual" approach rather than
offering a comprehensive vi-
sion for the absorption of the
olim.
Mr. Sharansky made the
comments during an inter-
view with the Jewish Tele-
graphic Agency at the Zion-
ist Forum, an advocacy
organization he heads for
immigrants from the former
Soviet Union.
He cited the current polit-
ical and economic instability
in the former Soviet Union
as presenting Israel with a
"window of opportunity" of
historic proportions for ab-
sorbing more Russian immi-
grants.
But the instability is not in
itself sufficient cause to lead
to more waves of immigra-
tion from the former Soviet
Union, he said.
"After all," Mr. Sharansky
noted wryly, Jews "know
how to survive. Even if today
is worse than yesterday,
(they) can imagine it could
be worse tomorrow.
"While at the same (time)
that we keep having the
desire and the dream of 'next
year in Jerusalem,' we feel
that life is full if it is a life
among other people in the
Diaspora. We feel very com-
fortable (there)," he said.
Thus, in spite of all the in-
stability, the Jews of the
former Soviet Union need
some kind of incentive to
come to Israel, Mr. Sharan-
sky said.
Because of the reports pro-
spective emigrants get from
their families or friends al-
ready in Israel, "each day
they're comparing why they
Natan Sharansky:
Leveled charges.
should leave and why they
should stay," he said.
"That's why, in this
unstable situation, when the
arguments for and against
(emigrating) have almost the
same weight, one little
argument from here (Israel),
one more encouragement
from here, can change every-
thing," said Mr. Sharansky.
He noted that potential
immigrants' biggest fears
and uncertainties, based on
the information they get, are
whether they will be able to
work in their professions
and whether their children
will integrate happily into
the Israeli school system.
For Mr. Sharansky, the
core problem is the Israeli
government's concept of ab-
sorption, although he does
not blame Absorption Min-
ister Yair Tsaban.
The activist said Mr.
Tsaban has little power to
fight Finance Minister
Avraham Shohat and Prime
Minister Yitzhak Rabin,
who have maintained that
successful absorption of the
olim will occur as a natural
byproduct of a healthy
Israeli economy.
"That's what's good for a
normal country," and would
be appropriate for the ab-
sorption of 30,000 to 40,000
immigrants annually in
Israel, according to Mr.
Sharansky.
But "it's not good for a
unique historical situation
when (there was a) 10 per-
cent increase in population
in the space of three years,"
he said. "And it's not good
for a Zionist state which has
the aim of encouraging peo-
ple to come as quickly as
possible."
And it certainly will not