Baruch Asher (Boris Kochubievsky), one of the first Prisoners of Zion and a pioneer of the struggle to free Soviet Jews, has passed away at the age of 90. He was laid to rest at Yarkon Cemetery.
Kochubievsky was born in Kyiv in 1936. His father was murdered in the Babi Yar massacre in September 1941, when the Nazis killed 33,771 Jews in just two days. In 1968, during a memorial ceremony at the massacre site, he protested the Soviet authorities’ refusal to acknowledge the Jewish identity of the victims.
Later that year, he sent an open letter to Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, declaring: “I am a Jew. I want to live in Israel." Because of his Zionist activities, he was arrested by the KGB and sentenced to three years in a labor camp.
His arrest sparked international protests. His picture appeared on posters and pins across the United States, and he became one of the earliest symbols of the struggle for Soviet Jewry.
Alex Rif, founder and CEO of the Million Lobby organization, spoke about Kochubievsky’s legacy, describing him as “the first face of the struggle to free Soviet Jews." She emphasized his contribution to paving the way for approximately one million Jews and their family members to immigrate to Israel from the former Soviet Union.
In 1972, he immigrated to Israel and adopted the name Baruch Asher. He worked for Tadiran, lived in Jerusalem, raised three children, and led a modest life away from the spotlight.
A family obituary described him as a “Holocaust survivor, Prisoner of Zion and freedom fighter, who endured great suffering with pride and courage for the right to immigrate to the Land of Israel. A pillar of strength for his people and his family."
Baruch Asher is survived by his children, Itamar, Uri and Yael, and his grandchildren. The family is sitting shiva in Ramat Gan and Tekoa.