refusenik

Refusenik (Russian: отказник, romanized: otkaznik, from отказ (otkaz) 'refusal'; alternatively spelled refusnik) was an unofficial term for individuals—typically, but not exclusively, Soviet Jews—who were denied permission to emigrate, primarily to Israel, by the authorities of the Soviet Union and other countries of the Soviet Bloc. The term refusenik is derived from the "refusal" handed down to a prospective emigrant from the Soviet authorities. Under Joseph Stalin's regime, the Soviet Union adopted an isolationist policy that, in part, blocked emigration to non-Communist or non-allied countries for nearly all citizens. In addition to the Jews, broader categories included: Other ethnicities, such as Volga Germans attempting to leave for Germany, Armenians wanting to join their diaspo...