Edelstein speaking at the Russian Federation Council
Photo: Knesset
Knesset speaker takes tour of his life as prisoner of Zion
During visit to Moscow, Yuli Edelstein visits his site of arrest on false charges, the courthouse where he was sentences, the Moscow Choral Synagogue where he met with other Zionist activists and finally the infamous Butyrka prison where he was incarcerated.
After addressing the Russian Federation Council, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein returned to his Moscow jail cell on Wednesday as part of a tour of his life as a prisoner of Zion in the Soviet Union.
That chapter of Edelstein's life began shortly before Shabbat, on Friday, August 24, 1984, when government agents knocked on the door of the young Hebrew teacher and aliyah activist's apartment and demanded to search the premises.
This led to false charges of drug possession, a perfunctory criminal trial and a sentence of three years' imprisonment. Edelstein was eventually released in May 1987 and in July of that year his dream came true when he made aliyah to Israel.
Edelstein visits prison where he was incarcerated (Photo: Aleksandr BiBik)
Edelstein started his tour at the Moscow Choral Synagogue, where he used to meet with other Zionist activists, among them many who, like him, were denied permission to emigrate by the Soviet authorities.
He later visited the north Moscow apartment in which he lived with his late wife Tanya, where a search by Soviet authorities led to his arrest, and then the courthouse where he was sentenced.
The highlight of the tour was at the infamous Butyrka prison in northern Moscow, where Edelstein was held for three months, before being sent to a gulag in Siberia to do hard labor.
"As soon as the gate closes behind you, you realize you're on different planet," Edelstein said after being greeted by the deputy head of Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service. "You enter a big cell with dozens of inmates, carrying a thin mattress with one hand and several belongings with the other."
Edelstein, center, with Yosef Mendelevich, left, and Natan Sharansky, right, all three of whom were forbidden from making aliyah (Photo: David Rubinger)
Edelstein also visited cell number 138, where he was imprisoned. He pointed to where his bed was, and recounted how he was able to hide his Siddur (prayer book) and how he was put in solitary confinement after going on a hunger strike.
During his tour of the prison, Edelstein noticed a refrigerator and an electric kettle, noting that during his imprisonment he could only dream of such luxuries.
At the end of his visit, the Knesset speaker received a book about the prison.
