aten by
everyone: by "kablans" -
     Israeli sub-contractors,  who  employed  that  "Russian"  only for  the
heaviest work, then by police,
     whose  brutality  nowadays  everyone speaks  about (even the members of
Israeli Knesset). Gunin
     even  tried  to find  "truth"  (protection)  in  a police  station. But
uselessly since the composer, after
     writing one of his articles was already once "invited" for "discussion"
by police. After that discussion
     his lips were swelled, and the doctor diagnosed a brain concussion...

     Israel is a free country.  It is possible (theoretically) to leave her.
You must only bring two dozen
     permits (visas for exit): from the  army, from Immigration bank "Ydud",
from building bank and other
     organizations, which can give out these papers, or can not to give out;
at last, from police, which
     does not give any documents to plaintiffs, whatever you do...

     One  day Ana ran  to a few embassies,  with  the vain hope to take  her
husband and small girls out
     from Israel immediately.

     But  only  the support of  Amnesty International  to Gunins made  their
departure from Israel
     possible...

     And here they are in blessed Canada.

     2. And here something even more awful was found out, - the composer and
musician Lev GUNIN
     not  only  "escaped"  with his family  from  a  very free  country,  he
furthermore has an independent and
     obstinate personality. And even here he has not changed...


     He  was exasperated  and  demoralized  by  how  unlawfully the trial of
Gunins' case in the refugee
     court  was managed. I have listened  to all cassettes  with  records of
refugee hearings. Each of
     them lasted from four to five hours.
     During that huge amount of time  Canadian judges spoke out only three -
four phrases, transferring
     the whole initiative to an  immigration  offficer whose name is  Judith
Malka. With passion and anger
     Malka (her Jewish family name means  "queen") repeated all "proofs"  of
Israeli government about
     "fugitives and traitors" (Exactly by that name former Prime Minister of
Israel Mr. Shamir, ardent
     Zionist called all Jews, who did not desire to live in Israel).

     But the composer Gunin is not a Zionist, though he  has nothing against
Zionism.
     He merely wants that his wife not be  called  "Russian prostitute", and
not be beaten up.

     He does  not understand in  general,  why an  immigration officer whose
name is Judith Malka, cries
     hysterically: how could this Gunin call  himself and his  family, which
were not allowed to get out of
     Israel, "Russian slaves"?!. Slaves driven to the Middle East.

     Certainly, it was absolutely necessary for  a tired out person  to quit
Israel immediately. But not
     alone!  It was necessary  to grasp from humanitarian reasons  the prime
minister Netanyahu, whom
     the  iron  Madeline from USA State  Department  puns to  one  side, the
opponents of the peace
     agreements  Sharon  with  Shamir  -  in  an  opposite,  and  the  right
psychopaths threaten to shoot him
     immediately as lzhak  Rabin, if he will listen to the Americans. That's
who is a true "prisoner of Zion"!
     He's only not beaten by police yet as Lev Gunin was.

     Oh, the exhausted, tormented composer  was not up  to these thoughts in
the court. He
     multiplied, and  multiplied the  facts of  inter-ethnical hostility and
the brutality of Israeli police, what is
     today not  only  denounced by  the Israeli press publications, but even
discussed by the deputies of
     Knesset...

     Listening  to the  tapes, I  expected  that  Lev Gunin  would soon lead
Immigration's Malka to a heart
     attack. Finally,  as  the  matter  of fact, she  really broke  up, and,
almost loosing her conscience, has
     cried  out, that Gunin has  submitted the request for the status of the
refugee just for having an
     opportunity to discredit and slander the state of Israel!

     Naturally, after that cry  Gunin  and his family were not recognized as
refugees.
     It was told about the reasons of that refusal directly, in the official
document.

     I "...  There  are not enough  proofs  that  "Russian"  origins,  mixed
marriages are
     persecuted  because of  nationality,  religion, [...] or  because  they
express antifascist views".



     2 ''... Because  the state of Israel  has brought "Russians" on her own
expense, they in general have
     no rights to ask for the status of the refugees in Canada...."
     And etc...



     In Montreal, in the Rene Levesque Street, 200,  where there the Council
on refugee cases
     (Immigration and Refugee Board), is situated, there  is the archive for
documents that officially
     confirm inter-ethnic hostility in  Israel, attacks on children from CIS
countries, and systematic rapes
     of the women from Russia.
     Also are carefully kept UN documents, which testify about the same. The
same has been
     published nowadays by various newspapers of the World.

     But  why the judges had to look to the truth into eyes? Eyes will ache!
The Jewish Congress of
     Canada does not want to hear that in  their beloved Israel somebody was
deadly beaten,
     somebody  was pogromed and persecuted... From ages the Erets Israel for
them - their "pink
     dream", their "birthday of  heart". How could it happen that inside the
"pink dream" anybody is
     beaten? But if even really beaten, probably, he must be beaten!..

     Thousands  of  Russian, Byelorussian and Ukrainian  Jews, running  from
Israel, are rejected, with
     an  active assistance of the Jewish Congress, from Canada, thousands of
families are broken,
     children become orphans, many are  lost. But  the idea that the members
of the Jewish Congress of
     Canada are accessories to a historical crime against the Jews of CIS, -
this idea has not yet struck
     them...

     Dear PRIME MINISTER, Mister Jean CHRETIEN!

     I wrote five documentary novels and stories about Israel, including the
trilogy "Branch of
     Palestine",  translated  in all European languages.  In  my  life I saw
enough of such noisy Judith
     Malkas,  hired or voluntary Israeli  super-patriots, so  enough that it
would be enough for ten lives.

     I  am  convinced,  that you  have judges  with the  sense of  humor and
understanding, who would not
     allow to transform the Canadian court into a battlefield for intolerant
towards dissidents and broken
     apart Israeli society.

     But now the speech goes not only about re-consideration of this obvious
case, but simply about
     the rescue of the  Gunin family.  I  talked  to these people, saw their
eyes.
     Lev Gunin and his wife Alla are exhausted,  nervous people, they are on
the verge of suicide. Four
     years  they are carefully pushed towards this edge. The  persecution of
intelligentsia does not
     cease...


     Young talented professionals are extremely important to Canada. Please,
give Lev Gunin, a
     talented composer  and musician,  an  opportunity to work quietly  - in
glory to his family and this
     remarkable country - Canada

     Grigory SVIRSKY

     12/26/1998


TORONTO






     From Family Gunin, Montreal, November, 1998

     Dear Friends!

     Please,  try  to treat  this letter as an unusual appeal,  not  just  a
desperate cry for help and justice.

     In October 1998, the Federal Court of  Canada issued a  second decision
in family GUNIN's appeal. (The 1-st one was positive). That tragic
     decision resumed our refugee claim, which took 4 years of our lives.

     Let us make a brief description of events, which took place before that
sad date.
     The head of the family, Lev GUNIN,  as all members of the  family,  was
born in Bobruisk, Belarus, ex-USSR. Senseless, ridiculous
     coincidences in 1971-72 turned  him, a secondary school student,  young
composer, and advance piano player, into a person, persecuted by
     Soviet authorities. They tried to prevent him from entering collegial -
university studies; however, his persistence and a lucky miracle broke
     that  wishes   circle,  and  he  received  first  collegial,  and  then
university degrees in music. In spite of that, L. GUNIN could not build a
     successful composer's  carrier  because  of persecutions.  In the  same
time, he played a specific role in ex-USSR, Belarus, and other
     countries' cultural  life. He's the author of novels, stories,  poetry,
contemporary and electronic music, works in history, essays, musicology,
     music history, philosophy, etc. His articles were published in a number
of newspapers all over the world.

     In 1979-1986, Lev became an object  of wide humiliations. He was beaten
by somebody, who has links with militia (police) and KGB. The
     authorities stood up  in  defense of the  attackers. They persecuted L.
GUNIN even more for bringing the attacker to trial. In another incident
     he and  his brother - they were hunted  by two well-coordinated groups:
mobsters, and a gang of youngsters. "Hunters" were also leaded by
     militia (police). Later brothers GUNIN were interrogated by police /KGB
men. Lev's brother Vitaly became a victim of secret medical
     manipulations.

     L.  Gunin   has   multiple  links  with  the   cultural  elite,  famous
personalities  and  dissidents  in  Moscow,  St.  -  Peterburg  (Leningrad),
Vilnius,
     Warsaw,  and  Belarus.   He  also  has  connections  with  the  Western
journalists in Moscow, and with representatives of the governments of the
     Western countries.

     1980-s.  Because of persecutions L. GUNIN's  decided to participate  in
the dissident movement. There are the main directions of his
     dissident activities:
     1. Participation  in  Human  Rights  movement and links with  the  most
famous human rights activists.
     2. Membership in underground literacy circles.
     3. Defense of the Old City of Bobruisk from revelation and demolition.
     4. Journalism and editorial functions for underground magazines.
     5. Cooperation with forbidden (or unwelcomed) in  ex-USSR NTS (People's
Labor Union) and the National Front of Belarus.
     6. Participation in the Jewish national movement.
     7.   Creation    of   ideologically   independent   and   stylistically
controversial music, prose, poetry,  philosophy,  and historical, political,
and other
     works.

     1985-1989. A conflict  erupted between leading by L.  GUNIN group - and
the powerful institution of Israeli emissaries to USSR, and
     controlled by them Jewish  political Mafia.  (Their goals - devastation
of the local Jewish cultural life, confiscation of huge aid from the
     Western  Jewish  communities, and concentration  of  the  propaganda of
immigration to Israel - L. Gunin was fighting). He also confronted
     three important personalities  -  Kebich, Alimbachkov, and  Lukashenko.
All of them became top political figures later: first one short before,
     and the two others - after his departure from USSR (The 1-st one became
the Prime Minister of Belarus, 2-nd - major of Bobruisk, and the
     3-rd is the present dictator of Belarus).
     .
     His attempts to emigrate to USA or Germany - to save his brother's life
- failed. All attempts to obtain an Israeli visa for permanent
     residency have been failed, too. (By then practically  everybody  could
easily get such a visa). Israelis did not want to allow him and his
     brother to immigrate to Israel.

     1991. After his  brother's  death,  Lev  started to cancel all steps of
immigrating to Israel. He did not want to go there by then. Soon he
     received  an order from  KGB  to leave his  native  country for Israel.
Soviet authorities sent us (family Gunin) all previously suspended visas.
     We could  not  say "no" to  KGB, but  planned to  escape from Warsaw to
Germany. At the Central railway station in Warsaw, in presence of
     L.Gunin's Polish  friends, Israelis captured  us, and took us to Israel
by force. In Israel, Mossad (Shabbak) officers verbally accused Lev in an
     attempt to sabotage the whole operation of  bringing the Soviet Jews to
Israel. Mossad approached him several times.

     In Israel we faced next persecutions:
     1) Israeli citizenship was thrust on us
     2) Alla,  Lev's wife,  was  abused,  attacked,  beaten,  assaulted, and
systematically discriminated against
     3) Elisabeth, his mother, was abused, attacked, and assaulted
     4) Children became victims of systematic humiliations and mockery
     5) Lev himself was  deprived in  his rights. Israeli authorities denied
him:
     a) valid diploma equivalent
     b) professional courses
     c) rights to enter other courses or university
     d) full and valid employment authorization
     e) registration with the State labor exchange
     f) tax exemption as all fresh immigrants were receiving
     g) welfare when he was unemployed
     h) proper and equal medical service
     i) legal, and police defense
     j) reduction of municipal taxes
     k) authorization of departure, which is required in Israel to leave the
country
     l) etc.

     He  was  beaten,  abused,  discriminated  against.  Israeli state radio
called him an enemy. One of the leading Israeli newspapers suggested
     that his works  (essays, articles, etc.) must be destroyed.  Innumerous
and systematic draft board's orders to appear affected his normal life
     and his (his family) financial situation.

     During his life  in  Israel  L. Gunin  published a number of articles &
books in Israel, Lithuania, Poland, Moscow, and Germany, criticizing Israeli
     government  for  human  rights violations  and  fascist  tendencies  in
Israel.

     1994-1996. With  an  indirect  Amnesty  International's involvement  we
could come to Canada, and claimed a refugee status. To support our
     claim we presented next types of documentary proof:
     A. Legal documents
     B. Documents, issued by Israeli government
     C. Documents, issued by all kinds of Israeli institutions
     D. Affidavits
     E. Letters
     F. Post receipts
     G. Medical documents
     H. Newspapers
     I.  Researches  made  by  International  committees  and  human  rights
organizations
     J.  Proof  that  in  Israel  we  turned  to  innumerous  organizations,
institutions, police, court, and lawyers for protection
     K. Our lawyer's documents
     L. Etc.

     Practically  each  statement,  described  in  our  refugee  claim,  was
supported by the documentary proof. Only the list of documents' description
     consisted of six pages.

     1994-1997.  In  her  translations,  our  lawyer's  secretary/translator
distorted all documents in our refugee claim. One of our two lawyers
     submitted  several messages to IRB in protest of some outraged  events.
He claimed that the IRB members took advantage of the distorted
     translations,  using  them as  a tool  against  us.  IRB  members  used
offensive, illegal methods against Lev. They interrogated only him. No
     questions  were  given  to  other  family  members.  IRB  commissioners
demonstrated their opinion that Lev GUNIN must be punished for his
     ideological (political) views. Two members of  IRB, immigration judges,
gave the whole initiative to the third member, an immigration officer, a
     Jew  and  -  probably  - Israeli, who  only  spoke.  During our refugee
hearings she manifested an outraged malicious hatred towards us, and
     maintained close  contacts with the  Israeli embassy in writing, in our
case. IRB members maintained the atmosphere of hostility and
     arbitrary attitude towards us.

     Denying our refugee claim, the IRB members not just acted unfair. Their
negative decision was not just a refusal to recognize us as
     refugees, but a declaration-manifest,  which rejected the  basic  human
rights in principle. In form of declaration, they denied in principle rights
     to have an independent opinion,  practice or  not to practice religion,
be protected by the state. IRB members claimed that if government
     paid for  immigrants' transportation, immigrants became the property of
that government (a kind of commodity). IRB members also claimed
     that police'  and  other  institutions' refusal to  give protection was
justified if  people had an alternative political /ideological opinion (even
if that
     opinion  was not expressed to  police). They claimed  that we alienated
Israelis by keeping controversial opinions, and refusing to change our
     views. And so on...

     The IRB's  negative  decision  became not just a matter of our personal
fate, but also a matter of human rights in general.

     1998. In her speech  in the Federal Court, Mrs. Murphy,  the Minister's
of Immigration representative, confirmed the IRB members' negative
     attitude  towards human  rights, and also  widened personal accusations
against Lev Gunin, turning the question of our refugee status into
     the question of his "inadmissible" (by whom?) ideological views. As IRB
did before, Mrs. Murphy refused even to mention Alla Gunin,
     Elisabeth Epstein (Gunin), and the children.

     The Federal Judge,  Mr. Dube,  just copied Mrs.  Murphy's  and  the IRB
statements, refusing to evaluate arguments of the TWO sides. He
     claimed that - because in their refusal to recognize us as refugees IRB
members used the formula "no minimal credibility", - such cases are
     automatically denied by the Federal Court. In reality, his decision was
made in contradiction to another Federal Court judge's decision in our
     case, and also contradicted  the IRB's final (conclusive) decision.  In
that decision IRB agreed that some persecutions against us (they
     called them  "difficulties")  could  take  place because we  abused the
Israelis by refusing to obey their demands to change our views. Mr.
     Dube  also revealed  his partiality by distorting some important events
and attacking our lawyer in personal. A person, whose name was also
     Dube, was involved into negotiations between  the immigration  officer,
Mrs. Malka, and the General Consul of Israel, in our case. We could
     not find that person among the IRB  headquarters' staff, or among other
immigration divisions. All faxes were submitted to Israeli consulate
     from  Mrs. Malka, without  mentioning any other name  (s). However, the
responses from the consulate were submitted to Mr. Dube. We feel
     that this mysterious Mr. Dube has something what to do with the Federal
Judge Mr. Dube.

     IRB and Mrs. Murphy's accusations  against  us were such, which are the
prerogative of the criminal court. They accused us so sharp as if
     we were killers or terrorists. In reality we are innocent people, never
accused in defamation, or fraud. In the same time, the way they acted
     might be easily considered as a criminal offence.
     We are appealing not just because of incredible  injustice, but because
the removal back to Israel means DEATH for us. If nobody in the
     whole world could prevent it, it would mean that if people are deprived
and innocent they might be kidnapped and taken to another country
     by force.  It  would mean that  demonstrative humiliations  over  human
rights, such as the IRB members and Mrs. Murphy expressed, are
     tolerated.  There  are  rumors  among  UN  staff   that  the  Universal
Declaration of Human Rights might be changed soon to fit to the brutal and
     ultra-religious