Born in 1947 in the Soviet Union, he served in the Red Army from 1966 to 1969 and, on his release, joined the Zionist movement in Kiev, studied Hebrew and Jewish history. He published and distributed illegal materials in Hebrew. In 1972 he applied for an exit visa to go to Israel. This led to his being persecuted by the authorities; he was arrested several times, and his apartment was searched frequently. He took part in demonstrations in support of prisoners of Zion and for free Jewish emigration to Israel. Arrested in Kiev in 1973, he was charged with Zionist activities and sentenced to 3.5 years imprisonment in the Gulag. Released in 1977 he left for Israel in the same year.
