Ida Nudel
Ida Nudel | |
---|---|
Russian SFSR, Soviet Union | |
Died | 14 September 2021 Rehovot, Israel | (aged 90)
Nationality | Israeli |
Citizenship | Israeli |
Education | Economic |
Occupation | Economist |
Organization | "Mother to mother" אם-לאם |
Known for | Refusenik and an Israeli activist |
Relatives | Elena Ilana Fridman (sister), Lev Arie Fridman (brother-in-law), Yacov Fridman (nephew) |
Ida Yakovlevna Nudel (Hebrew: אידה נודל; Russian: Ида Яковлевна Нудель) (27 April 1931 – 14 September 2021) was a Soviet-born Israeli refusenik and activist. She was known as the "Guardian Angel" for her efforts to help the "Prisoners of Zion" in the Soviet Union.[1]
Early life
Nudel was born in 1931 in
Efforts to support Refuseniks
In the summer of 1972, she organized a hunger strike at the central office of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union to protest the arrest of refusenik Vladimir Markman. After four days, the police ended the strike by blocking their entry.[3] She started a campaign for keeping contact with prisoners of Zion who called her "Mama" and "The angel of mercy".[4] She spread word about items the prisoners needed and were permitted to possess, and requested them from visitors from all over the world. These included vitamins, warm underwear and chocolate, as well as pens, cigarettes, and three-dimensional postcards, that could be exchanged with the guards for small favors.[5]
She soon lost her job. In June 1978, she placed a banner in her apartment in
Activist groups were organized in the United States and Israel, calling attention to her plight and pushing for her release. In the US, the group Women for Ida Nudel (WIN) appealed to elected women officials to press for her release, and was run by the Long Island based activist for Soviet Jewry Lynn Singer.
She was released on 20 March 1982, having been warned not to associate with any refuseniks or foreigners. After almost a year in constant movement as she wasn't allowed back to her flat in Moscow nor gain permit to live in any other place, she was permitted to live for five years in Bender, Moldova.[6]
From 1973, her sister Elena Fridman fought to bring her to Israel, contacting world leaders for help. In April 1984,
Immigration to Israel
Nudel arrived in Israel on 15 October 1987. She was greeted at the
Nudel settled in Karmei Yosef, an agricultural community in the Judean foothills.[9] She later wrote an autobiography, A Hand in the Darkness, which was translated into English by Stefani Hoffman in 1990.[10] The movie Mosca Addio (Farewell Moscow) by Mauro Bolognini, starring Liv Ullmann, was a dramatized version of her ordeal.[11][12] In 1991, she established "Mother to Mother", a nonprofit organization funded by donations from abroad, seeking to take the children of Russian immigrants off the streets and into after-school activities.[13]
Later life
Nudel testified in the Jerusalem District Court in 2001 for
Nudel died on 14 September 2021 at the age of 90.[11][19] She was interred at Yarkon Cemetery in Tel Aviv.[18]
References
- ^ a b Slater & Slater (2006), p. 192
- ^ Segal (1996), pp. 67–68
- ^ Segal (1996), p. 69
- ^ a b Slater & Slater (2006), pp. 192–193
- ^ Segal (1996), p. 72
- ^ a b c Slater & Slater (2006), p. 193
- ^ Chmielewski, Dawn C. "Stephen M. Rivers dies at 55; Hollywood publicist and political activist", Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2010. Accessed 10 June 2010.
- ^ a b Friedman, Thomas L. (16 October 1987). "Soviet Emigre Starts Life as an Israeli". New York Times. Retrieved 6 September 2008.
- ^ Steinberg, Jessica (5 May 2016). "A Home in Israel, With Eastern Influences". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
- ISBN 9780446514453.
- ^ a b c Roberts, Sam (16 September 2021). "Ida Nudel, 'Angel' to Soviet Jews Seeking to Flee, Dies at 90". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
- ^ "Farewell Moscow". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
- ^ Deutch, Gloria. "Former Soviet refusenik Ida Nudel: Where is she and what is she doing?". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 6 September 2008.
- ^ "Sharansky Brings in Ida Nudel in His Libel Case Against Nudelman". Haaretz. 26 November 2001.
- ^ Rosner, Tal (4 June 2005). "Collaborators get surprise help". Ynetnews. Retrieved 6 September 2008.
- ^ Marciano, Ilan (10 August 2005). "70,000 protest pullout at Western Wall". Ynetnews. Retrieved 6 September 2008.
- ^ Zino, Aviram (26 June 2007). "Former prisoner of Zion against Palestinian visitation rights". Ynetnews. Retrieved 6 September 2008.
- ^ a b Linde, Steve (14 September 2021). "'Guardian Angel' Ida Nudel dies at 90". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
- Times of Israel. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
Further reading
- Segal, Sheila F. (1 September 1996). Women of Valor: Stories of Great Jewish Women Who Helped Shape the Twentieth Century. Behrman House. ISBN 0-87441-612-4.
- Slater, Elinor; Robert Slater (1 June 2006). Great Jewish Women (revised & updated ed.). Jonathan David Publishers. pp. 368. ISBN 0-8246-0370-2.