Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!

Prisoners of Zion. 1951, page 2.




Meir Lebner

Born in 1901 in Lithuania, he was an activist in “Beitar” up to 1940. In 1951 he was arrested for Zionist activities and imprisoned in a labour camp till 1954. He continued to fight for his right to go to Israel after his release and in 1972 he succeeded fulfilling his dream. He died in 1983.





Chama Levin

Born in 1913 in Minsk, Bielorussia, he was arrested in 1951, charged with Zionist activity which included the organization of the escape of Jews from the Soviet Union, and was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment which he served in special labour camps. Released in 1954, he got to Israel in 1973. He died in 1987.





Eliyahu Liberman

Born in 1907 in Evpatoria, Russia, he was arrested in 1951, charged with nationalist Zionist activities and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. Released in 1956 he succeeded in getting to Israel in 1973. He died in 1987.





Chaim Muzikant

Born in 1926 in Uman, Ukraine, during his service in the army was engaged in Zionist propaganda among soldiers who were fellow-Jews, trying to persuade them to escape from the Soviet Union to Israel. He was arrested in 1951 and sentenced by a military tribunal to 25 years imprisonment and 5 years of disfranchisement. He served his sentence in a Karaganda labor camp. Released in 1955 he didn’t succeed in reaching Israel until 1990.





Yitzhak Roitman

Born in 1908 in Brodini, Serbia, he was among founders of “Beitar” in the town of Khotin in Besarabia. From 1929 and until the beginning of the, he was secretary of a “Beitar” branch. After the war he moved to Riga where he was engaged in underground Zionist activity. He was arrested in 1951, charged with Zionist activity and sentenced by OSO (Special extrajudicial tribunal) to 10 years imprisonment which he served in the Lubianka and Butyrka prisons in Moscow and in a labour camp in Inta. Released in 1955, he struggled till 1976 to get to Israel. He died in 1994.





Yehoshua Roziansky

Born in 1896 in Slonim, Poland, he was a member of “Poalei Zion” from his youth and up to 1922. Arrested in 1926 for helping a woman escape from a Soviet prison, and also for distributing Zionist materials from Palestine, he was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment. In 1951 he was arrested for the second time for distributing materials from Israel. He was released in 1960 and went to Israel in 1974. He died in 1991.





Roma Shapira

Born in 1930 in Zobrovitze, Ukraine, he studied with a group of students at Zhitomir University who distributed literature and information about Israel. He was arrested in 1951 and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, which he served in a Monlag labor camp. He was released in 1956 but got to Israel only in 1974.





Yosef Sobol

Born in 1926 in Vilno, Lithuania, his youthful confrontations with the anti-Semitism which existed in the Soviet Union, made him turn to Zionism. He took an active part in the struggle led by his friends advocating Zionism, and tried to organize Zionist groups among his friends in the army during his service. He was arrested in 1951, charged with Zionist and anti-Soviet activities and sentenced by a military tribunal to 25 years imprisonment and 5 years of disfranchisement. He served his sentence in a prison in Leningrad and in camps in the Urals He was released in 1956 and went to Israel in 1959.





Chaia Sukharenko

She was born in 1923 in Nevel, Soviet Union, to a Zionist family. During the war, when her family lived in Alma-Ata, their home served as a meeting place for Jewish Zionist groups. In 1946 she returned to Lvov and was engaged in the organization of Soviet Jews in their attempts to get visas for Israel.. Arrested in 1951 and sentenced to 8 years imprisonment, she served her sentence in the Taishet camp. Released in 1956, she had to wait till 1972 before getting to Israel.





Shalom Tzarkis

Born in 1904 in Brochany, Besarabia, he was a member of the local “Unity” party from 1922 to 1940. After the Soviet occupation, he was forbidden to work any longer as a lawyer and in 1941 he was exiled to Siberia. In 1951 he was arrested and sentenced to 10 years hard labor. He was released in 1955 but was held in exile up to 1956. After his release he continued to fight for his right to go to Israel, finally succeeding in 1971. He died in 1986.





Bela Vernik

Born in 1933 in Kishinev, she was active in the Zionist underground youth movement called“Noar Sakem ha-Tkhia”. She worked for escaping from the Soviet Union, distributed Zionist literature and organized meetings of movement supporters. She was arrested in 1951, charged with writing the song “Motherland” and sentenced to 2 years imprisonment. She served her sentence in Kargopol camp near Arkhangelsk. Released in 1953, she was unable to reach Israel until 1972.





David Yafit

Born in 1913 in Riga, Latvia, he was a youthful activist of “Beitar” and the “Hisdadrut ha-Zionit”. In 1933-34 he was a commander of a “Beitar” cell in Riga and, up to Soviet occupation, was deputy commander of “Beitar” in Latvia. From 1946 he began fighting for the freedom of Soviet Jews to leave the Soviet Union but was arrested in 1951, charged with concealing his “Beitar” allegiance and sentenced by OSO (Special extrajudicial tribunal) to 10 years imprisonment which he served in the Vorkuta camps. He was released in 1954 and got to Israel in 1971.





Moshe Zarkh

Born in 1909 in Smolensk, Russia, to an assimilated family. After the creation of Israel he began to take an interest in Jewry and started studying Jewish history. Arrested in 1951, he was charged with disseminating Zionist propaganda and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. Released in the end of 1954, he was forced to struggle hard finally to go to Israel in 1966.





Yona Zaslaver

Born in 1932 in Chernovtzy, Besarabia, he was an active member of the“Gordonia” movement. Arrested in 1951, he was charged with Zionist activities and sentenced to 2 years imprisonment, which he served in one of the special camps. He was released in 1953 but it took him another 20 years to get to Israel in 1973. He died in 1982.



<== Page 1

To the page "Prisoners of Zion"