Many of us have read, over the past few years, of the plight of Soviet Jews and of the difficulty most have in obtaining visas to emigrate, but few of us are able to do anything to make their lives more bearable. Neighborhood residents, Betty Klinefelter and her daughter Ruth Schoen, took some positive action during a recent tour of the U.S.S.R. Their experiences illustrate in vivid terms the problems of Jews in Russia, especially those who wish to emigrate. Those to whom the Soviet Government has refused to grant visas have been dubbed “Refuseniks”.
Betty and Ruth visited one such man, Vladimir Slepak, and his family.
The suggestion to visit the Slepaks came from friends of Betty and Ruth, Mary Lee Wright and Ritha Willet, who had been introduced to Slepak by a member of their tour group while traveling in the U.S.S.R. Betty and Ruth brought with them gifts which would be useful to the family —as “black market” barter—a digital watch and calculators, which could be worth $500 in such exchange. To avoid problems with Soviet customs, Ruth wore the watch, and each carried a calculator in her purse. They also brought blue jeans, panty hose, candy and chewing gum—all valuable items. A pack of chewing gum can bring as much as $7.
Finding–the Slepaks’ apartment at 15 Gorky St. was the major difficulty of the visit. After getting directions, from a policeman, with the aid of a Russian phrase book and hand jestures, they found 15 Gorky St. The front of the building was all shops; entry, they found, to the apartments was in the back—all ten entrances.
After trying several doors, the two women ascertained that the Slepaks lived in the 5th building, on the 8th floor. All the information was obtained without either woman being able to speak Russian. After finally locating the apartment, they found the Slepaks not at home. (For complex security reasons, Russian Jews often prefer not to stay home, they often visit with friends in one another’s homes.)
The next day they returned to meet the family, taking with them the gifts they had brought from home. Because Slepak has been deprived of his job, it is hoped the income derived from the gifts will sustain them for awhile.
The apartment,
Betty said, is sparsely furnished, and their meals by our standards would also seem sparse: Boiled potatoes, rice, and two kinds of bread. “It is no wonder, with all that starch, that the Russians tend to be heavy,” she observed.
There were no serious communication problems, beacuse Slepak and his son, Leonard, speak English, and Mrs. Slepak is just beginning to learn English.
Although he wishes to correspond with the two women, he explained that communication must be subtle. He explained the use of code phrases to disguise controversial comments in letters.
Despite his current difficulties with the Soviet Government, he hopes eventually to emigrate to Israel. He also expressed a desire to see the United States. Betty said it was a very satisfying experience and will return for another visit if she has the chance. Next time though, she would like to see some of the attractions in Moscow that she missed this trip.
Originally published in The Paper, February 1977.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Archival transcription note: Printed hand jestures and beacuse retained for review.
Original source: SD_Times1977_02.pdf, printed page(s) 1, 8; PDF page(s) 1, 8.
