It is the third year since she was sent to Krivosheino in Siberia. to start a 4year sentence for "malicious hooliganism"-the peculiar phrase in Soviet doubletalk that is reserved for those who speak out for freedom and truth. Ida Nudels crime was an unspeakable offense in the Soviet Union: She was born a Jew. She compounded her felony by living her life with pridepride in her Jewish faith. pride in her worth as an individual. and pride in the nation of Israel. the homeland to which she hoped to emigrate. Pride. faith. and a sense of individual worththey seem to be dangerous traits in the Soviet Union. because they all lead to a common goal. the freedom of the spirit. In the Soviet Union the spirit is seen as an agent of treason. and freedom is a crime against the state. Ida Nudel realized that. All she wanted was to leave. In 1971. she applied for an exit visa. to emigrate to Israel. The Soviet Government refused her request. on the grounds that as an economist she was too valuable. and knew too much. to leave. That is why Ida Nudel began her crimes against the state.
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emigrate visa