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. 

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.