In 1938. Alexanders grandfather was executed during the Stalin purges. his grandmother was exiled to Siberia. In 1973. the family applied for exit visas and were refused. supposedly because of Yevgenys secret classification as a mechanical engineer. although his job was entirely routine. In 1976. Alexander reluctantly applied for a visa alone. he wished to join his fiance in Israel. However. Soviet officials denied him a visa at that time on the ridiculous grounds that "The USSR does not split families". To complicate matters further. Alexander is subject to the draft for the Soviet military. Should he be inducted. he would probably have to wait at least 5 years after his 2 years of active service until his visa application would even be considered again. In 1978. I expressed my fervent hope that another vigil would not go by with the Yakirs still in the Soviet Union.
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visas visa