USSR

A Soviet spy and an Israeli patriot

The death of Soviet secret agent Marcus Klingberg is a reminder that even the most fiercely ideological spies can have a deep compassion for the societies they live in. Marcus Klingberg, “the most damaging spy in Israel’s history,” according to Israel’s security services, passed away earlier this week at the age of 97. Klingberg was…

By Haggai Matar December 3, 2015

Rabbi Michael Rivkin. (photo: Marina Malikian)

‘I was force-fed six times — in a Soviet prison’

As Israel contemplates force-feeding Palestinian hunger striker Muhammad Allan, a rabbi and human rights activist recalls how he was force-fed six times while imprisoned by the Soviet regime. The pain and humiliation remain with him until today. By Rabbi Michael Rivkin I was force-fed twice in two different periods of my life. The first time…

By +972 Magazine August 11, 2015

An elderly Russian immigrant in Israel (Screenshot Social TV)

WATCH: In Israel, the ruble’s collapse hits hard for elderly Russian Jews

Today’s generation of older immigrants from the former Soviet Union worked their whole lives — 30 years in Russia and 20 years in Israel. Up until six months ago, their pensions from Russia helped them stay above water. Since the sharp decline of the Russian ruble, however, many of them are now forced to survive…

By Social TV January 3, 2015

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A sign marks the entrance to Birobidjan. (Photo by Yakov Rabkin)

A land without a people?: A visit to Russia’s Jewish autonomous region

A visit to Birobidzhan, where Jewish autonomy hasn’t exactly worked out — and yet, the sign for Lenin Street is still written in Yiddish and public monuments commemorate Sholem Aleichem. By Yakov Rabkin Last summer, after three months of teaching in Japan, I decided to return home to Montreal via Birobidzhan, in Russia’s Far East. The Jewish Autonomous…

By +972 Magazine December 15, 2014