The signature of the Soviet Government to that act. however. offers little inspiration to Isaak Shkolnik and the many other refusniks in the Soviet Union. For Mr. Shkolnik. his simple wish to emigrate to Israel has brought upon him 8 years of hardship and injustice. and has served as a harsh reminder to other Soviets of how far away those paper promises are from their everyday lives. Isaak Shkolnik. a semiskilled laborer from Vinnitsa. requested an affidavit from a relative in Israel. which was intercepted by the authorities. He was arrested on July 5. 1972. on charges of spying for Britain and antiSoviet agitation. to be held before other Jews of Vinnitsa as an example of the price paid for wanting to emigrate. A 6 a.m. search of his home unearthed such "incriminating materials" as a radio tuned to a "hostile" station. the business card of a British engineer who had once worked in the Vinnitsa chemical plant. and five American dollars. British outcry forced Soviet officials to change the charge to spying for Israel. although no shadow of evidence existed.
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emigrate