The EAJC mourns the passing of Boris Kochubievsky

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Boris Kochubievsky (Baruch Ashi), one of the earliest Prisoners of Zion, a prominent figure in the Jewish national movement in the Soviet Union, and a man of extraordinary courage and dedication to his people.

Boris Kochubievsky belonged to the generation of Soviet Jews who, during an era of state-sponsored antisemitism and political repression, resolutely asserted their national dignity and their right to live in their historic homeland.

Working as an engineer in Kyiv, he had the courage in 1967 to publicly speak out against the official anti-Israel campaign. In 1968, at Babi Yar, he openly commemorated the Jewish victims of the Holocaust—a memory that the Soviet authorities sought to consign to oblivion.

In November 1968, Boris Kochubievsky addressed an open letter to Leonid Brezhnev, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, demanding his right to emigrate to Israel. His statement, “I am a Jew and I want to live in a Jewish state,” gave voice to the aspirations of hundreds of thousands of Soviet Jews who were denied the freedom to determine their own destiny.

For his civic stance and unwavering convictions, he paid with his freedom. Arrested in December 1968, Kochubievsky was sentenced in May 1969 to three years' imprisonment. His plight resonated widely across the international community, becoming a symbol of the struggle for the right of Soviet Jews to make Aliyah.

Following his release in 1971, he realized his aspiration and immigrated to Israel, where he assumed the name Baruch Ashi.

The life of Boris Kochubievsky will forever remain integral to the history of the Jewish national revival and the struggle for the freedom of Soviet Jewry. His personal bravery, resilience, and commitment to defending his people’s right to historical memory, national dignity, and their own state serve as an enduring moral example for future generations.

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress extends its profound and sincere condolences to Boris Kochubievsky’s family, loved ones, and all who cherish his memory.

May the memory of Boris Kochubievsky (Baruch Ashi) forever be preserved in the history of the Jewish people.

Baruch Dayan HaEmet