Emil Draitser

edraitse@hunter.cuny.edu
Articles by Emil Draitser

Excerpt from Emil Draitser’s “In the Jaws of the Crocodile: A Soviet Memoir,” Part IV

On the eve of my emigration, I was convinced I should say farewell to my writing life once and for all. I was sure that leaving the country where my native tongue was spoken meant I would never take to my pen again.

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Excerpt from Emil Draitser’s “In the Jaws of the Crocodile: A Soviet Memoir,” Part III

What else do I have in my briefcase?

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Excerpt from Emil Draitser’s “In the Jaws of the Crocodile: A Soviet Memoir,” Part II

Because Soviet life has made me accustomed to standing in lines of any length, I gird myself with patience and ask the usual question, “Who’s last in line?”

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Excerpt from Emil Draitser’s “In the Jaws of the Crocodile: A Soviet Memoir,” Part I

“So, young man,” the KGB major says, stretching his hand toward my briefcase, “let’s see what you’ve tried to smuggle into the embassy of a foreign power.”

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Winter Reading Series: Emil Draitser’s “Farewell, Mama Odessa,” Part IV

So, Boris, when you are finally here, you must meet Si and Zev. We should do whatever we can to express our gratitude for all they have done—and are still doing!—on our behalf.

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Winter Reading Series: Emil Draitser’s “Farewell, Mama Odessa,” Part III

The more I learn about Si, the more he keeps amazing me…

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Winter Reading Series: Emil Draitser’s “Farewell, Mama Odessa,” Part II

When the Bolshoi Ballet came to town, Si and Zev printed their own playbills and, at the theater entrance, handed them to the theatergoers. Below the ballet cast of “Sleeping Beauty,” they put a note. It called the public not to ignore the fact that the country capable of producing such an enchanting spectacle was also capable of treating its Jews as second-rate citizens. The police duly arrested the pair.

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Winter Reading Series: Emil Draitser’s “Farewell, Mama Odessa,” Part I

I couldn’t believe total strangers on the other side of the globe not only thought of us but also fought for our freedom.

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