During the Cold War, Soviet Jews were suspected of being traitors. The Communist leadership closed Jewish organisations and declared Zionism an ideological enemy. As a result of the state-sponsored persecution, anti-Semitism grew: many Soviet Jews suffered hardships, ranging from not being allowed to enlist in universities to being sent to the gulag. For the three critical decades, between 1959 and 1989, Australian Jews and their community leaders were deeply involved in the international campaign to enable Soviet Jews to leave the Soviet Union. Australian politicians (including Bob Hawke, Garfield Barwick, Malcolm Fraser and William Wentworth), joined human rights activists and opinion leaders in the campaign. Australia played a role above and beyond what might be expected from a middle-ranking nation with limited international influence. But the lead actor was Isi Leibler. His involvement and leadership with the refuseniks and Soviet Jews, merit this full account from an Australian Jewish perspective - and the campaign eventually led to the emigration of over a million Jews to Israel.
Sam Lipski, following an extensive journalistic career in Australia and internationally, has been The Pratt Foundation's CEO since 1998. Among his varied media roles he was Foreign Editor, The Bulletin; Foundation Producer for the ABC's This Day Tonight and Executive Producer Four Corners; Washington Correspondent for The Australian and the Jerusalem Post; Australian correspondent for the Washington Post; and a columnist for The Age, the Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian and the Sydney Daily Telegraph. He also served as the Foreign Affairs and Media commentator on the Channel Nine Network's Sunday and Today programs. Sam was the Australian Jewish News editor-chief 1987-98, and in 1989 he was the Jerusalem Report's founding publisher.
Suzanne D. Rutland MA (Hons) PhD, Dip Ed, OAM, is Professor of the Department of Hebrew, Biblical & Jewish Studies at the University of Sydney and the main lecturer in the program of Jewish Civilization, Thought and Cultures. She founded, and continues to participate in, the Hebrew and Jewish Studies teacher education program in the Faculty of Education at the University of Sydney. She has published widely on Australian Jewish history, edits the Sydney edition of the AJHS Journal, and writes on issues relating to the Shoah and Israel. In January 2008 she received the Medal of the Order of Australia for services to Higher Jewish Education and interfaith dialogue.
