As a former Soviet citizen and
Soviet Jew, I experienced a huge
discrimination in the USSR. All Soviet citizens had passports with a record of nationality in them. Some people had Russian nationality, some Ukranian nationality, and some, like me, had a Jewish record on the first page. We needed to show a passport when applying for jobs, getting housing, or entering University.
discrimination in the USSR. All Soviet citizens had passports with a record of nationality in them. Some people had Russian nationality, some Ukranian nationality, and some, like me, had a Jewish record on the first page. We needed to show a passport when applying for jobs, getting housing, or entering University.
And when you had a Jewish record it was like being a registered sex
offender in the US today.
Jews were pariahs in the USSR. You
should not tell anybody you were a Jew. Some Russian people would beat you.
Silently, the Soviet government supported this. When I was a child, some
neighbors knew we were Jews, so they sent their kids to fight with me. I was
beaten many times, just because of the Jewish Scarlett Letter.
The Soviet
Police were responsible for maintaining the passport system, and
putting the Scarlett Jewish ID there. This looks just like the situation for sex offenders in many states today. When their neighbors learn a sex offender family has moved next door, the sex offenders and their families are hassled, possibly their houses attacked, and some sex offenders have even been killed.
putting the Scarlett Jewish ID there. This looks just like the situation for sex offenders in many states today. When their neighbors learn a sex offender family has moved next door, the sex offenders and their families are hassled, possibly their houses attacked, and some sex offenders have even been killed.
After graduating from high school I
was going to Leningrad University. A University worker asked for my passport.
He made a note about nationality, and told me there are too many
Jews here. As a result I got an F on my first test, and could not enter University. I was an A+ student in high school. When I tried to go to a technical college, they again noted my Jewish record.
As a result I got C's and B's on tests, but they allowed me in. I was
all A student in college.
Jews here. As a result I got an F on my first test, and could not enter University. I was an A+ student in high school. When I tried to go to a technical college, they again noted my Jewish record.
As a result I got C's and B's on tests, but they allowed me in. I was
all A student in college.
Jewish people were not allowed to go for PhD, so
after graduation I was going to try to work in a Military Industry plant. When
I came to Human Resources, the first thing they asked me was, 'Are you a Jew?'
And then they did not want to give me a job, but finally had to give me the
worst position. Each time I was looking for job, HR asked for a passport, and
looked for the Jewish record.
This is very similar to the
employment situation for sex offenders
in the USA. Human Resources will look for a sex offender record, and then you will not be hired, or you will be kicked out if you already have been hired.
in the USA. Human Resources will look for a sex offender record, and then you will not be hired, or you will be kicked out if you already have been hired.
What was the difference between Jewish pariah status in USSR and US sex
offender pariah status?
In 1996 I thought I had enough in
the former USSR. I had relatives in the US, and sent them an application for
entering the US. The US embassy invited my family for an interview in Moscow. I
explained to
them all the discrimination I had experienced. I remembered that one of the US officers interviewing me asked me if I could practice my religion. My answer was: 'Synagogue¨ here is a very bad, illegal word, so what are you talking about?'
them all the discrimination I had experienced. I remembered that one of the US officers interviewing me asked me if I could practice my religion. My answer was: 'Synagogue¨ here is a very bad, illegal word, so what are you talking about?'
I got refugee status based on human
rights´ violations in the former USSR. My family moved to the US. But in the US
I did not escape the Scarlet Letter, I got another one! I was branded ¨sex
offender.¨ There are many articles about how this happened to me.
As you can see from this article,
the situation for Jews in the USSR was exactly the same as the situation for
sex offenders in the year 2008 in the USA!
All governments in all ages need
enemies! They try to create a class of pariahs to blame for everything, and
divert people attention from the real problems.
I should clarify some terms. Some
people told me that Jews were hated for what they were, and "sex
offenders" are hated for what they did. This is not true. Here is article
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion
You can read
'The libels that the Jews used blood of Christian children for the Feast of Passover, poisoned the wells and spread the plague were pretexts for the wholesale destruction of Jewish communities throughout Europe. Tales were circulated among the masses of secret rabbinical conferences whose aim was to subjugate and exterminate the Christians, and motifs like these are found in early antisemitic literature.'
'The libels that the Jews used blood of Christian children for the Feast of Passover, poisoned the wells and spread the plague were pretexts for the wholesale destruction of Jewish communities throughout Europe. Tales were circulated among the masses of secret rabbinical conferences whose aim was to subjugate and exterminate the Christians, and motifs like these are found in early antisemitic literature.'
Jews were accused with the same
thing as Modern America Sex Offenders - harming kids.
What ordinary US citizen can think when he hear these 2 terrible words: Sex Offender.
He may only think about child murder, as our press and TV report every day.
In fact most American Sex Offenders never did such terrible crimes, and I think are a victims of social order to create a group similar with Jews to blame, because there are no more group to do such thing in US.
I consider my situation in the
democratic USA much worse and even more dangerous than my situation had been in
the former USSR. More dangerous, because, although I suffered discrimination,
the Soviet government never used their Criminal Justice system as an instrument
of repression against me.
3 comments:
I am a registrant and agree with your blog regarding the Discrimination of Soviet Jews and hysteria around Sex Offenders in USA. For years I have compared this to others as well, yet there are Jews that see no comparison, but one in particular..If you still maintain this site would you reply with a email for contact? Thank you.
Estrinyefim@gmail.com
Estrinyefim@gmail.com
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