Context of Time Period and Jewish Activist Groups

Who was in control of the USSR and what polices were implemented during the 1980s-1990s?

During the Cold War, the Soviet Union elected Mikhail Gorbachev to power in 1985. Gorbachev then enacted two new policies: glasnost and perestroika. Glasnot, meaning openness and more fundamental rights and perestroika, new political, economic policies. Glasnost was supposed to provide more freedom for all groups, such as more freedom to religion and more freedom to travel. However, some groups were targeted such as the Soviet Jews.

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Gorbachev was in power from 1985-1991. He was not expecting the Soviet Union to fall apart. Instead, he was trying to mend the broken communist system by changing the system. Past communist leaders had only tried to enforce it, but Gorbachev knew he had to change the policies. He also tried to cooperate with the U.S. president at the time Ronald Reagan and later signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) in 1987 which led to the dismantling of nuclear weapons on both sides. 

What was at risk for appyling for visas?

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A mother and son are united again after nine years of being apart. This story is similar to many others as it was very difficult for familes to all get visas at the same time.

Those that applied to visas but were denied were treated as exiles, as they lost their careers, their houses, and their dignity. Many felt hopeless with their situation, as there was no easy way out. They had to risk their careers and any respect they did have from the Soviet government or they had to stay put, dealing with anti-Semitism in their local communities. Many that did apply had to wait a long time before even hearing back. For instance, some families waited up to 6 years before hearing back. Many Soviet Jews were seperated from family members and many struggled to reunite with their family.

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This satirical cartoon demonstrates the long process Soviet Jews had to deal with in order to try to get their visas. Many waited several years and still got denied entry.

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This cartoon compares several countries to the Soviet Union based on the number of visas handed out. The Soviet Union is on the way right and it is not surprising that little to no visas were handed out. Although this isn't to scale, many individuals felt as if the Soviet Union weren't handing out any visas at all.

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This cartoon is making fun of the long process to grant Soviet Jews and other individuals visas. 

Context of Time Period and Jewish Activist Groups