October 23, 2023

Escaping the Draft – in Israel


Escaping the Draft – in Israel
Israeli APCs near the border with Gaza. Sparkle, Twitter.

Russian citizens living in Israel have requested the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Tel-Aviv to evacuate them to Russia, so that they can avoid being drafted by the Israeli military. However, Russia is also at war and is recruiting its male citizens.

After Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a state of war. Israel drafted a record 300,000 reservists for an impending ground offensive on the Gaza Strip. Many Russian-Israeli dual citizens were among the recruits.

Over a million people from the former Soviet Union reside in Israel, and over 37,000 Russian citizens arrived at Ben-Gurion airport after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Among the emigres were men avoiding the draft.

The Russian government has introduced an electronic draft notification that can reach citizens abroad who are registered with the military. Refusing to enlist can lead to severe consequences, including the inability to register or sell properties and prohibition from driving a vehicle inside Russia. Citizens summoned to the army who return to Russia are banned from leaving the country again. Consequences for refusing enlistment can include imprisonment.

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This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

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Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

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Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.

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Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

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