Selected text
In 1948 Israel was officially acknowledged [19]. My father was no Zionist [20], but he was as happy as a child would be. We also felt happy and proud acquiring our own country. The fact that the Soviet Union supported Israel was some reconciliation for making Estonia one of the Soviet Republics. The relationships between the Soviet Union and Israel were quite friendly at the start. Golda Meir [21], the Prime Minister of Israel visited Moscow, and this event was widely covered in the mass media.
We followed what was happening in Israel. We are Jews, aren't we? And every nation sympathizes with its own people. We were proud of the successes of Israel. Who wouldn't be proud? Then the attitude of the USSR toward Israel changed dramatically. The Soviet press kept calling Israel an aggressor. We listened to news from Israel on the Finnish and other Western radios. We were worried about the Six-Day War [22], the Judgment Day War [23]. And we were proud, when the little country of Israel won the victory over its offenders.
We followed what was happening in Israel. We are Jews, aren't we? And every nation sympathizes with its own people. We were proud of the successes of Israel. Who wouldn't be proud? Then the attitude of the USSR toward Israel changed dramatically. The Soviet press kept calling Israel an aggressor. We listened to news from Israel on the Finnish and other Western radios. We were worried about the Six-Day War [22], the Judgment Day War [23]. And we were proud, when the little country of Israel won the victory over its offenders.
Period
Year
1948
Location
Talinn
Estonia
Interview
Bluma Lepiku