On March 30, I had a very special event in Washington, DC, hosted by Gerry Sikorski at the law firm of Holland & Knight. Gerry was a U.S. Representative representing Minnesota’s 6th congressional district from 1983 and 1993. He became very active in Inna’s case, and in Jan. 1986, wrote a letter to Mikhail Gorbachev that was co-signed by 45 members of the House of Representatives. He also attended a press conference with me, Sen. Gary Hart, and several others, in D.C. in April 1986, at which we demanded the Soviet government immediately release Inna and Naum. It meant so much to me to reconnect with Gerry because his work for Inna was very effective in keeping pressure on the Soviet government and in keeping Inna’s case visible.

The event was co-sponsored by Human Rights First, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, and the National Conference on Soviet Jewry. Needless to say, I was and am very grateful for the interest and support of each of these organizations. The dedication in my book to “. . . all those who fought for their freedom,” was definitely meant to include people like Gerry–American politicians who did so much to keep the issue of Soviet Jewry prominent–and organizations who fought year after year after year until finally the gates that had been closed to Jewish emigration from the Soviet Union opened.

Me and Gerry Sikorski, March 30, 2011.

And here is a photo of me and Gerry from March 1987: