When there is nothing to write about they write about everything, especially in our provincial Jewish newspapers. They sometimes publish insignificant materials about people who, on a big account, have done nothing for the Jewry. Be them only Jews! But this shouldn't be so!

Jews have always been rather different. Even in the Soviet times there were Jews who consciously went to prison for their refusal to renounce Torah, and there also were Jews who sent them there for same "crime". You may say this is not true. No, there were quite a few of them.

And how did our famous Jews, such as general Dragunsky, actors Raikin, Bistritskaya and others of a lower rank, helped heroes-dissidents of 1970s who demanded the right to leave for Israel?

Let's recall March 1971. If I' am not mistaken, these, so to say, "heroes of the Soviet Jewry" were exclaiming on the stage of Kollonny hall of House of Unions facing TV-cameras:

- Anti-Semitism in the USSR? What do you mean, there is no trace of it at all!.

They propounded this at the time when visa and registration departments were snowed under with applications of hundreds of Jews willing to depart, when higher educational institutions made them answerable for their desire to live in Israel.

Yes, these eminent Jews did then a bad turn to their people, which postponed the actualization of our right to a free emigration for a good ten of years!

Though nobody rejects his or her outstanding merits at war and in art. Nobody knows today whether they lost their hearts in front of TV-cameras then or acted consciously for the sake of personal welfare and career.

Well, let's leave them alone. But at present we are offered to read reminiscences of the Jews who under fictitious names fought in Korea participating in an unjust aggressive war unleashed by the Soviet Union. They shot down American planes among which pilots there also were Jews. Did they think about it then?

Now, we are offered to reveal sympathy for them despite the fact they received their awards and next higher ranks for heroic deeds with delay due to line five. How should we treat a tank crewmember who fought against his brothers-Israelis in Sinai? Where is he now, this our tribesman? Should we also sympathize with him? I have also read about a captain of 1st rank who received a good pension after retirement and became a leader of the Jewish community in one seaside town.

What should we applaud? Wouldn't he have sunk Jewish ships near Israel's shores 30 years ago? Yes, we, Jews, are very different and original: a thousand year-old separation makes itself felt. How should we treat those Jews who today condemn in public the right of unhappy Israel to self-defense? And they do condemn even standing in a queue to receive a food parcel from "Joint"... When shall we, at last, get rid of our cursed "minus"?