From Slavery to Freedom

Documentary. 84 min.
In Russian and Hebrew with English subtitles.

Synopsis:
No single person symbolizes Refuseniks, Soviet Jews who fought against anti-Semitism and for their freedom, more than Natan Sharansky. From Slavery to Freedom portrays the young life of this human rights activist/author/politician/Jewish Agency leader/Israeli Prize Laureate and recipient of the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1977, Sharansky, already famous, was arrested on charges of spying for the U.S., treason and anti-Soviet agitation and ended up spending nine years, mostly in solitary confinement, in a Soviet prison before ultimately winning the struggle and paving the way for all Soviet Jews. (Over one million made Aliyah, and their education and skills dramatically changed the face of Israeli society, especially in the fields of medicine, engineering and music.) The film crew, which gained permission from Moscow to film in sensitive locations, was accompanied by Sharansky as they delved into era where there was an overwhelming sense of fear and insecurity in the face of the system.

Director:  Arkady Kogan