Natan Sharansky is one of the most famous former Soviet refusniks, an Israeli politician, author, and human rights activist.
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In 1977 he was arrested for his Zionist activities and sent to prison for nine years, half of which he spent in solitary confinement. Several months ago he shared five tips with the Israeli public on how to cope with the lockdown.ย
"At the beginning of the coronavirus, I said that we shouldn't build plans when circumstances are beyond our control,"ย Sharansky said. "It's not helpful to think that in a few weeks we will all be vacationing. When I was a prisoner in Moscow, all the signs showed that I would be released, but I didn't let them affect me because I didn't want to be disappointed. Only when I was officially notified of my release, on the plane, then I believed it.
"During challenging times we recognize human strength and come to understand the importance and value of family and community. Even after coronavirus, we need to continue to cultivate these values, and we can't forget everything we learned during this period.
"The virus has reminded us how small our nation is, how we depend on one another. There are things that humanity can only overcome if it sticks together. And part of this unity is the connection between individual and universal identities."
Q: In your new book,ย Never Alone,ย which you co-wrote with historian Gil Troy, you mention that this connection was one of the things that helped you during solitary confinement.ย
"Let me tell you a story: Nelson Mandela was released exactly three years after me, and we met after his release. I had by then published a diary in which I wrote about my time in prison and the interrogations, and Mandela had time to read the things I wrote while he was still in prison, and he wanted to meet."
"When we met, he told me that my situation was much harder than his. I asked him how that was possible, since he spent 27 years in prison, while I only spent nine. He explained that his prison time was easier, because his people were with him, whereas I was alone.ย
"I have to say, I was very much offended. I asked Mandela what he meant, as I knew my people were fighting for me. Mandela said he had read my diary and insisted that everything was in my head.ย
"During my imprisonment, I only saw my family twice, but I didn't feel alone at all. I told him that at the end of the day, the world that I built up in my mind was similar to the real world. People don't understand how the conditions of the gulag are completely different to what they are familiar with. But the Jewish people's solidarity is stronger than any gulag."
Q: Is the Jewish people's solidarity stronger than the coronavirus? How has the pandemic affected aliyah, for example?
"There is no doubt that many more aliyah applications were received this year. The question of whether to make aliyah or not has become more real for many people, because the coronavirus reminds us of the importance of family and home - and Israel symbolizes the Jewish home.
"Despite the rise in the aliyah applications, the process itself is slower now than usual, because of the need to quarantine, for example. There haven't been more immigrants yet, it is only the number of applications that has increased. When the coronavirus restrictions are lifted, we expect a much more significant spike in aliyah."
Q: How many applications are we talking about?
"I don't know the numbers exactly, but I can say that there were countries from which aliyah applications doubled, if not more.ย
"The US aliyah pattern has been the same for decades, with about 3,500-4,000 people coming to Israel each year. In 2020, more than 10,000 Americans applied to make aliyah.ย
"This longing for Israel stems, among other things, from the fact that we seem to have it much better than other countries in the world. We are among the first ones to vaccinate the population. In many ways, Israel provides a trustworthy home."
Q: How has the coronavirus affected anti-Semitism?
"A shock as global as the coronavirus can surely provoke anti-Semitism. From the outbreak of the pandemic, people have accused Jews for inflicting the coronavirus on the world to make money on the stock market, that Israel had prepared its economy for the crisis, because it knew about it in advance. Caricatures circulated online. Anti-Semitism is based on emotions, not logic.
"Jews and Israel are being attacked from all directions. We see extreme left-wing anti-Semitism on [American university] campuses which aims to promote BDS, and accuses Israel of war crimes and apartheid policies.ย
"Anti-Semitism can also be seen on the Right, with its violent and murderous attacks against Jews in synagoguges and in their communities, and accusations against Jews, for example that they bring foreign workers to America and so steal jobs from American citizens.ย
"We see anti-Semitism increased in radical Islam too, with many incidents happening in Europe. The height of it was Iran's declaration and wish to reach "a world without Israel."
Q: Your book also makes some positive observations.ย ย
"In the book Gil and I bring examples from hundreds of American campuses we've visited. As chair of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, I help professors deal with anti-Semitism, and since the outbreak of the coronavirus Gil and I even started giving lectures in several languages.
"During one of those campus visits I was accompanied by actor Michael Douglas when I gave a lecture on Jewish identity. There was an anti-Israel demonstration right outside. Demonstrators accused Israel of being an apartheid state.ย
"I tried to speak to one of the demonstrators, I told her how I was friends with Nelson Mandela, that I was even an international observer in the South African elections.ย
"I wanted to tell her about South Africa, so that we could understand together whether Israeli was an apartheid state. She began screaming out loud: "We didn't come here to talk to you, we came here to demand a boycott of Israel.
"This is a narrow oppressor vs. oppressed understanding, according to which Israel is a colonialist nation, the Palestinians are always right and there is nothing further to discuss.ย ย
"We send entire divisions to these campuses to repair this damage, and help the Jews understand that there's nothing for them to be embarrassed about, that they can be proud of Israel.
"We should remember that in the West, especially in America, anti-Semitism begins with the Jews but it doesn't end with them, as Elie Wiesel said. Similarly, what begins with the demonization of Israel, does not end with Israel.ย
"We can see today that those who compare Zionism to colonialism also tend to turn US history into one of racism. For them, not only were the Founding Fathers part of a racist enterprise, but so were Lincoln and Martin Luther King.ย
"I expect that in the next few years there will be a major struggle in the US not necessarily between the Right and the Left, but between liberals who believe in human rights and freedom, and progressives who believe in the oppressor vs. oppressed ideology. For the latter, Israel is the oppressor and is therefore automatically guilty. "
Q: The recent peace agreements also have an affect on anti-Semitism.ย
"Bahrain has recently signed an agreement with the US to combat anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism and delegitimization of Israel. It makes it clear that the Arab world can no longer boycott us, despite all those calling on countries to do so. Nobody can boycott Israel if the major economic hubs of the Arab world cooperates with us.
"Of course, another development that works in our favor is the breaking of the paradigm that the Palestinian cause must first be resolved before any negotiations with Israel. But now that Muslim countries are signing peace agreements with us, this narrative has gone down the drain.ย
"Anti-Semitism hasn't been an integral part of Muslim culture for thousands of years. I feel that there's enormous new energy in the Muslim world that will help us weaken and even eliminate anti-Semitism and the BDS movement in the West."
Q: How do you connect with Jewish communities around the world to help them with the various challenges they face during the pandemic?ย
"Just a few months ago I had no idea what Zoom was. But since the outbreak of the virus, I use Zoom to speak with Jewish Agency emissaries, and from them I hear what is happening in Jewish communities worldwide. I've spoken to representatives of Jews in Australia, even Alaska.ย
"But in truth, nothing can replace face-to-face interaction. In these conversations, people asked me for advice on how to deal with quarantines, they wanted me to speak on the weekly Torah portion. I also spoke with a Ukrainian leader, because I am involved in the Babi Yar Holocaust Memorial Center.ย We have to make sure governments do not silence our Zionist activities in their countries."
Q: Effi Eitam is going to be the new chairman of Yad Vashem. Some say this appointment stems from political reasons.ย
"I knew Effi from back when I still worked in the government. He was a first-rate commander. He used to make impressive analyses of the withdrawal from Lebanon. He is an intellectual. He has a special personality and as an officer he had special power.ย
"However, and I am not saying this in bad faith, the Holocaust is not a military battle. It's not like in the battlefield, where you can command your soldiers to follow you. A dialogue is needed here, and focus on human rights. These are at the top of the agenda. When I saw others criticizing him, I thought he should answer firmly and immediately.ย
"If he doesn't have a clear stance on the issue of human rights, as the rights of Arabs and Palestinians are no less important than the rights of Jews, it will be very difficult for him to operate in this world. If he does not speak the language of Holocaust scholars, it won't be do any good to Yad Vashem or to him."ย
Q: You were recently awarded the Genesis Prize for your advocacy for human rights and democracy.ย
"I was among those who discussed the idea of setting up this award, about a decade ago. I witnessed how this idea has transformed into a prestigious award. Receiving the Genesis Prize gave me the opportunity to not only raise funds for significant projects, but also donate to worthy causes."
Q: To which worthy cause do you plan to donate the $1 million award?
"I wanted to donate to places and organizations that link human rights and Jewish identity. But then the pandemic broke out and I thought of donating to virus-related studies. But billions of dollars are already being invested in it, maybe even tens of billions, so what difference does an extra million make?
"So I looked for organizations that would benefit tremendously even from a small contribution, $50,000 for example. I also donated [some of] the prize money to organizations that work with the disadvantaged, for example Aleh Negev works with disabled children; Enosh , The Israeli Mental Health Association; and Migdal Ohr that works with children and teenagers from underprivileged and dysfunctional homes across Israel. We also donated to the Startup Nation Central and to Jewish communities in Belarus."
Q: How do you see Israel today, 35 years after you made aliyah?
"I came to Israel under dramatic circumstances. In the morning I was in the KGB hell and at the end of the day I came to Israel, to heaven, to the Western Wall. I felt like I was in heaven, and I was afraid to wake up and find myself back in the dungeon. When you are in heaven, you cannot go higher, you can only descrend from there. So I have been descending for 35 years, but I am still in heaven.ย
"In terms of a free Jewish life, Israel is indeed heaven. Look at the demonstrations on Balfour: on the one hand, it is very irritating, but one the other hand, that is what makes our society special โ people can vent their frustrations and demonstrate in front of the prime minister's house."
Q: Given the current political situation Israel doesn't seem like heaven.
"I have always been in favor of a united government. I spoke with [Prime Minister-desigtane Benny] Ganz and [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu about this. Unfortunately, the government no longer works as one united instutiton. The coronavirus brought the people together, but not the government. But despite everything, our country is strong, and there's a lot to be optimistic about, because we have Judaism, and we have the Jews. And therefore, like it says in my book, we are "never alone."
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