Six Students Spend Break With Soviets

Six women from the Harvard-Radcliffe Hillel visited the Soviet Union during spring break to aid religious dissidents in major Soviet cities, smuggling in religious articles and food for Soviet Jews unable to leave the country.

The group visited Soviet Refuseniks, or citizens who have been denied permission to leave the country, as well as peace activists during the 9-day stay, said Dunster House resident Andrea Fastenberg '86.

The Harvard group also visited the families of prisoners of conscience, who are imprisoned in the Soviet Union "because of their desire for freedom of religion," said Shoshana M. Robinson '86. Fastenberg said the group smuggled in kosher food, Hebrew books, and religious articles for the prisoners of conscience.

The group had to write the names and addresses of the families to visit in code and memorized them in order to avoid being refused entry into the country, said Joy Sobeck '86. The group, divided into three pairs, visited about 30 families in all, she said.

The travelers said they were closely watched during their visit by the Soviet authorities. "We were all thoroughly searched and singled out in customs," Robinson said.

"The customs stared at [an ad for magazines] I had in my Coop bag for 10 minutes thinking it was propaganda," Fastenberg said.

All six said they are certain they found electronic bugs in their hotel rooms that looked "like big golf balls." They said they believe they were followed by the KGB during part of their stay.

Sponsored by the Waltham-based Action For Soviet Jewry, the six women journeyed to Moscow for two days, Riga for two and one-half days, and Leningrad for four days.

"The trip had a sobering effect," Robinson said. "[It showed us] there's a real world out there where human rights are being violated."

The students went because they were interested in human rights issues. They said the trip heightened their dedication to helping oppressed people. "We are so lucky to live here. This gives us an obligation to work for people who are suffering," Fastenberg said.

"It [the trip] took the abstract human rights issue and brought it to a personal level, and tied it to faces, names, and people we will never forget," Sheridan said.