Natan Sharansky, hero of a graphic novel

Once upon a time, the Jews of the Soviet Union were living under a government at least as oppressive as the Pharaon of Egypt during the Pesach story.

For the very young readers, Natan Sharansky and his fight against the enormous power of the Soviet Union may not mean too much. After all, who does remember the Soviet Union if never lived there or in its vicinity? However, in another reality, this conglomerate of nations, cultures and languages kept Jews captive either by refusing them the right to a passport and to their trip to Israel - or out of the country - or simply imprisoning those who reclaimed their identity.

Sharansky was born in the same year with the state of Israel - 1948 - in the nowadays Ukraine. A passionate chess player, he enroled in the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology - one of the few accepting Jews in the Soviet Union. Belonging to a very secular family, as many other Jews from all over the world, he became inspired by the victory of Israel during the 6-Day War. He reclaimed his identity, by being interested to learn Hebrew and eventually become closer to religious practice. As he was employed by the Institute for Oil and Gas in Moscow, his visa was denied due to his familiarity with ´state secrets´. His wife, Avital, that he married one day before she left for Israel, was waiting for him and soon she will become his voice and supporter. Arrested in March 1977 and brought to Lefortovo KGB Prison he will spent over 400 days touring the Soviet prisons. His liberation was requested at public gatherings all over the world and was finally decided following the 1986 meeting between Gorbatchev and his American counterpart, Ronald Reagan.

In the context of the lockdown stories, Sharansky - now living in Israel and since then holding various official positions, including as the top head of Jewish Agency for Israel - shared how he was able to survive solitary confinment while imagining various chess moves. This helped him to keep his brain sharp. 

The graphic novel featuring all those stories long forgotten, Natan Sharansky. Freedom Fighter for Soviet Jews is the team work of Blake Hoena (text) and Daniele Dickmann (illustrations). The text is dense and includes a lot of useful information. I was not very impressed by the illustrations but it´s a matter of personal taste and expectations. Overall, it is an useful book, aimed to remind about a very dramatic episode in the history of contemporary Jewry. Hopefully, there will be more such works that will keep the memory alive, for a variety of readership.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review