1980_02 The Daily Collegian February 1980

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Olga Serova explains to Yevgeny Kozhevnikov about being followed by KGB men
and other problems of refuseniks.
Refuseniks
continued from page 6
job.' But you cannot be afraid to lose
something-andyou are always afraid to
lose your job," she said:
"Jews are afraid twice. First of all be¬
cause you are J ew, second just afraid."
And for Jewish children it is especial¬
ly hard in Russia, Olga said.
"For children it is very hard, for child¬
ren must go to school. Y°u must always
remind them that you mustn'tsay what I
tell you at home," she explained.
Olga and Yevgeny's son is eight.
When the family was first refused per¬
mission to emigrate, Anton was only
five. Just six months before Anton was
supposed to start school, the family sud¬
denly received the word that they could
leave Russia.
. Olga said that Senator Edward
Kennedy helped them get permission to
leave. About a year ago, Kennedy
visited Moscow and had a list of 18 fami¬
lies he thought should be allowed to
leave Russia. Kennedy personally gave
that list to Soviet leader Leonid
Brezhnev.
The hardest part of adapting to being
out of Russia ft the commercial aspect of
their profession, Olga said.
"In Russia your work belonged to the
state, you are paid a salary. Here you
have to work for your own-it is good but
you have to know how. And we are learn¬
ing this business little by little."
They prefer to be on the road, Olga
said, adding that they have always liked
to travel, ever since their early days with
the Moscow Circus.
Sometimes the grind of traveling can
become too much, however, she said.
She explained that they had just re-
Photo by John Biek
turned from a whirlwind tour of Europe.
There had been performances virtually
everyday; there had been too many peo¬
ple to remember; there had been radio
and television programs. When the cou¬
ple finally got back to their "home" in
Berkeley, she said she was beat, that she
just could not continue.
A week later, though, the energetic lit-
. tie dark-haired actress was ready to go,
her performing batteries charged back
up.
"Some people must have their cigar¬
ettes; acting is our drug; it is our life. We
need it like some people need cigar¬
ettes," Olga said, jf
Olga said that since they have^eft
Russia, people have asked them whether
they would perform with other compa¬
nies or with other people. She quickly
added that she and Yevgeny are not just
husband and wife, they are a team, a
team too close to break up. A team that
has been through too much together to
tamper with.
'When I work with my husband I can
fight, but I won't get angry with another
partner. If I miss a line or make a mis¬
take Yevgeny can improvise, can cover
up for me. That is very important," Olga
stressed, referring to the unspoken com¬
munication between she and her
husband.
She also said that kind of communica¬
tion between actors is very important,
because when you are up on the stage
everybody is a critic.
"If they don't like you, they just go
'Nahhh' and (Olga gave a quick shrug of
the shoulders and a look of displeasure
flashed across her pretty face),"- she
said.
"I don't know of any other profession
except musicians, actors or composers
who are open to as much criticism. We
open up our soul to people. A few like'
Your Class Ring...
.K   A Timeless Symbol.
The one- symbol of your achievements that
you will Wear throughout the rest of your
career. Your Josten's representative will be
on campus Feb. 13 and 14 from 10 a.m. to
4 p.m.
IVIVEL BOOKSTORE
(In The H^r| Of TK;:fi.mn.,J ^
The Refuseniks-dedication
to pain, hum
by Doug Bunnell
Fourteen years ago, 20-year-old
Ben Bogomplny applied with his
family .for permission to lead the
Soviet Union. They Were refused.
Bogomolny is still waiting for'
that permission. -Jews who apply
for this permission and are refused
are called refuseniks in Russia.
Bogorr.^lny and his family ap¬
plied again in 1968. They, were
turned down again and soon after '
Bogomolny was expelled from the
Building Engineering Institute and .
drafted into the army: Bogomol-
ny 's parents and three sisters then
suddenly received permission to.
leave Russia, and they now live in
Israel.
Olga Serova and Yevgeny
Kozhevnikov are good friends of.
Bogomolny. They consider them¬
selves lucky because they and their
son Anton only had to wait three
years as refuseniks. '-
It is estimated that there are
some 2,000 refuseniks in the Soviet
Union and, according to Serova, a
great many other Jews are afraid
to admit they are Jews, much less
apply for permission to leave for
fear of what will happen to them.
Bogomolny has been denied per¬
mission to leave by the KGB 14
times because he may have
learned some "military secrets"
during his~two-year stint digging
ditches in the army. A a result he
has been a retusenik longer than
any other Jew in Russia.
Serova and Kozhevnikov dedica¬
ted their performance, "The
Refuseniks,' in Fresno last Satur¬
day to Bogomolny.
. The worst part about being a re-
fusenik, i Serova'said, was not
knowing why you cannot leave.
She said that you learn to live with
the constan* humiliation, - the
- hounding by KCB agents. You
learn to live without a job, without,
being able to work in your profes¬
sion. The pain comes from not-
knowing why some can go and
otherscan't.
As. i Serova I and Kozhevnikov
were just about to board the jet at.
the Moscow International Airport .
last yeaf, the couple promised Bo-
iy that they would not forget
Him, that they would do whatever
they could to get him out of Russia,
to reunite him with his family In
Israel.
And they are trying. After their
performance Saturday petitions re¬
questing Bogomolny be permitted
to leave Russia were circulated in
the lobby.
Serova also said that if there is
any hope that Bogomolny be re¬
leased, something must be done
before the summer Olympics.
"I don't think the situation is go¬
ing to get better for the refuseniks
after the Olympics," she said wist¬
fully.
you, most are indifferent-so you have to
be good," Olga said.
But Olga and Yevgeny are also adept
at reaching out and slicing open the
souls of the people in their audience.
"English and American Jews come to
visit us in Moscow," Yevgeny "told the
audience, hunching over,and nervously
looking over his shoulder as if a KCB
agent were following him. He straight¬
ened up and quickly strumming his
guitar he and Olga broke into a refrain of
"Oh, Suzanna."
The large crowd dissolved into laugh¬
ter, probably as much at itself as at
Yevgeny and Olga.
The hour-long performance, which
had been punctuated with roars of laugh¬
ter, ended with a quiet plea by Olga for
the suddenly solemn audience not to for¬
get the refuseniks that are still suffering
in Russia. Write letters, pick up the liter¬
ature in the lobby of the hall, she asked.
Just do not forget.
And softly, she added: "Be free, you
free people."
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