When Aryeh Levin leaves his posting as Israeli ambassador on Wednesday, he will not dwell on his four-year, historic tenure in Moscow.
"I never look back", Levin said in an interview. "What is gone is gone. It was a tremendous experience with many ups and downs".
That is an understatement.
The 62-year-old Iranian-born Israeli guided diplomatic relations between the two states during four critical years, overseeing the reinstatement of Israel's embassy here and the largest wave of immigration of Soviet Jews to Israel.
Levin arrived in Moscow in 1988 without diplomatic status. The Soviet Union had severed official ties with Israel in 1967 over the Arab-Israeli war, and it took until Oct. 18, 1991, before the Jewish state was permitted to raise its blue-and-white flag over the embassy building on Bolshaya Ordynka, even though it had paid $2 million in rent during the 21-year period of frozen relations.
"They wanted us to come as field mice" Levin said. "At first, they didn't even let us have an office. We were here as enemies of the people. Even when NATO and America stopped being enemies, we still were".
During that period, Levin and five Israeli colleagues worked out of the Dutch Embassy, where they processed visas and lobbied the Soviet government for recognition.
Progress came in September 1990, when Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze informed his Israeli counterpart, David Levy, that the Israeli mission's status would be raised to consulate general.
"My mouth was left open", he said.
"It was incomprehensible that they let us set up as a consulate general but did not grant us full diplomatic ties".
Levin's sentiments toward the former Soviet Union are tinged with bitterness, despite his extraordinary accomplishments here.
In his strongest verbal punch at the former superpower, Levin said that the bigotry of Politburo members prevented Israel from being officially recognized at least twice. He singled out Yegor Ligachov, who served as Communist Party ideology chief under Mikhail Gorbachev.
"I know for a fact it was anti-Semitism that stopped it", the ambassador said. "My contacts with the inner circle told me that in March 1991, Gorbachev was on the verge of renewing relations, but Ligachov and his crowd stopped it. Papers were submitted with a preliminary decision at least two other times".
World politics also played a role in keeping Israel at arm's length within the former Soviet Union. Levin said that the Soviets had to tiptoe around Israeli desires, to appease the Arab world.
"There was a blind fear of the Arab countries", he said. "After all, they spent so much money here".
Levin said it was a sharp blow when the Soviets granted the Palestinians their own embassy in February 1990, a year and a half ahead of the Israelis. The former Soviet Union aligned itself politically with the Arab world during the late 1980s and into the 1990s, through arms sales and favorable votes at the United Nations.
But pressure from the West combined with Gorbachev's desire to gain a hand in the Middle East peace process helped the plight of "refuseniks", Soviet Jews denied the right to emigrate to Israel, Levin said. Direct flights from Moscow to Israel did not begin until affer the fall of the Soviet Union, but more than 440, 000 Jews were allowed to pack their bags for a new home from 1989 to 1991.
Though Levin met with Politburo members such as Alexander Yakovlev during the Gorbachev era, it was not until the former Soviet leader was stripped of power that he received Levin. Since then the two have met about six times.
"I have thought about the man quite a bit", Levin said. "I could feel animosity, but I don't. I am still confused a little and don't know the reasons for some of his actions".
On the eve of his departure, what does the ambassador regard as his strongest achievement?
"I am proudest of sticking it out", he said. "The thing that hurt me most was not the stonewalling and arrogance, but the fact that I lived apart from my family and that I had to do it here on a shoestring operation because the Soviets would not allow logistic support".
"I never look back", Levin said in an interview. "What is gone is gone. It was a tremendous experience with many ups and downs".
That is an understatement.
The 62-year-old Iranian-born Israeli guided diplomatic relations between the two states during four critical years, overseeing the reinstatement of Israel's embassy here and the largest wave of immigration of Soviet Jews to Israel.
Levin arrived in Moscow in 1988 without diplomatic status. The Soviet Union had severed official ties with Israel in 1967 over the Arab-Israeli war, and it took until Oct. 18, 1991, before the Jewish state was permitted to raise its blue-and-white flag over the embassy building on Bolshaya Ordynka, even though it had paid $2 million in rent during the 21-year period of frozen relations.
"They wanted us to come as field mice" Levin said. "At first, they didn't even let us have an office. We were here as enemies of the people. Even when NATO and America stopped being enemies, we still were".
During that period, Levin and five Israeli colleagues worked out of the Dutch Embassy, where they processed visas and lobbied the Soviet government for recognition.
Progress came in September 1990, when Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze informed his Israeli counterpart, David Levy, that the Israeli mission's status would be raised to consulate general.
"My mouth was left open", he said.
"It was incomprehensible that they let us set up as a consulate general but did not grant us full diplomatic ties".
Levin's sentiments toward the former Soviet Union are tinged with bitterness, despite his extraordinary accomplishments here.
In his strongest verbal punch at the former superpower, Levin said that the bigotry of Politburo members prevented Israel from being officially recognized at least twice. He singled out Yegor Ligachov, who served as Communist Party ideology chief under Mikhail Gorbachev.
"I know for a fact it was anti-Semitism that stopped it", the ambassador said. "My contacts with the inner circle told me that in March 1991, Gorbachev was on the verge of renewing relations, but Ligachov and his crowd stopped it. Papers were submitted with a preliminary decision at least two other times".
World politics also played a role in keeping Israel at arm's length within the former Soviet Union. Levin said that the Soviets had to tiptoe around Israeli desires, to appease the Arab world.
"There was a blind fear of the Arab countries", he said. "After all, they spent so much money here".
Levin said it was a sharp blow when the Soviets granted the Palestinians their own embassy in February 1990, a year and a half ahead of the Israelis. The former Soviet Union aligned itself politically with the Arab world during the late 1980s and into the 1990s, through arms sales and favorable votes at the United Nations.
But pressure from the West combined with Gorbachev's desire to gain a hand in the Middle East peace process helped the plight of "refuseniks", Soviet Jews denied the right to emigrate to Israel, Levin said. Direct flights from Moscow to Israel did not begin until affer the fall of the Soviet Union, but more than 440, 000 Jews were allowed to pack their bags for a new home from 1989 to 1991.
Though Levin met with Politburo members such as Alexander Yakovlev during the Gorbachev era, it was not until the former Soviet leader was stripped of power that he received Levin. Since then the two have met about six times.
"I have thought about the man quite a bit", Levin said. "I could feel animosity, but I don't. I am still confused a little and don't know the reasons for some of his actions".
On the eve of his departure, what does the ambassador regard as his strongest achievement?
"I am proudest of sticking it out", he said. "The thing that hurt me most was not the stonewalling and arrogance, but the fact that I lived apart from my family and that I had to do it here on a shoestring operation because the Soviets would not allow logistic support".
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.
Remind me later.
×
Remind me next month
Thank you! Your reminder is set.
We will send you one reminder email a month from now. For details on the personal data we collect and how it is used, please see our Privacy Policy.