Judith Lerner left behind her husband. Prof. Alexander Lerner. the internationally eminent Soviet cyberneticist who. for the last decade. has been refused permission to emigrate from the Soviet Union. Professor Lerner. formerly vice president of the International Federation of Cybernetics. was the first highlevel scientist from Moscow to apply for a visa. As a result of his attemots to leave the Soviet Union and live in Israel. Professor Lerner and his family have been totally cut off from Soviet society and from the normal existence they had known previously. Professor Lerners son Vladimir lost his job as a systems analyst. and his daughter was forced to terminate her studies as a mathematician. Professor Lerner himself was dismissed from all his scholarly and academic positions. lost his resoected stature in the scientific community. and was. thus. denied the opportunity to continue making his contribution to the world scientific community. His emigration application has been continually rejected by Soviet authorities on the specious reasoning that he possessed "state secrets." although it would be hard to imagine what secrets would still remain secret 10 years later. Professor Lerners personal life has been ridden with tragedy. His wifes parents and his own two little daughters. aged three and four. were killed by the Nazis during World War II.
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emigrate emigration visa