Prisoners of Zion. 1941, page 4.

Born in 1916 in Riga, Latvia, he joined Beitar in 1928. From 1935-1940 he was head of the youth branch of Beitar in Latvia & Estonia. In June 1941 was arrested and sentenced to 6 years imprisonment. Released in 1947 he was arrested in 1949 repeatedly & banished to lifelong exile to Siberia. He served out his sentence in Solikamsk, Usolsk, Mamlotka & other camps. Returned from exile in 1955 but had to wait till 1972 to get to Israel.

Born in 1915 in Poland, he joined a Zionist movement at the age of 15, being an active member till the beginning of WW2. In 1941 tried to cross the Iranian border together with a large group of like-minded people, in the hope of reaching Erets Israel.On arrest, he was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and 4 years exile which he served in Kazahstan, Siberia, the Urals, the Sverdlovsk camps and others. Freed in 1955, he got to Israel in 1964.

Born in 1910 in Kovno, Lithuania, he participated in various Zionist movements: “Ha-Tsofim”, “Maccabi” and study groups of Jewish history & literature. Arrested in 1941, he was accused of Zionist activities in the University and sentenced to 5 years imprisonment. Released in 1946, he was unsuccessful in getting to Israel until 1973. Died in 1987.

Born in 1921 in Kishinev, he joined the youth movement, “Dror”, in 1936 and, from 1937, was leader of the local branch in his town. In 1938 was elected the head of the movement. Arrested in 1941, he was sentenced to 8 years imprisonment and lifelong exile.He served his sentence in the Ivdel & Karaganda labour camps. Released in 1949, it took him till 1990 to reach Israel. He died in 1994.

Born in 1916 in Tartu, Estonia, he joined Beitar at the age of 16 and, from 1937, became commander of the Tallin branch. He was active in collecting money to buy weapons and continued his Zionist activities even after the organization had been closed down. Arrested in 1941, he was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and 4 years exile. Freed in 1955, it took him another 20 years to get to Israel in 1975.

Born in 1915 in Petrograd (St.Petersburg) he was arrested in 1941 as a Beitar officer in Latvia. He served his sentence in the Solikamsk and Krasnojarsk labour camps till his release in 1948. He was able to get to Israel in 1950.

Born in 1914 in Shabli, Lithuania, he became an active Zionist at an early age as a member of Meir Grosman’s movement, Mifleget Ha-Medina. After the Soviet occupation he was arrested and served his sentence in the Krasnojarsk labour camp and in Tataria. Released in 1955, he got to Israel 2 years later, in1957. Died in 1962.

Born in 1918 in Rovno, Poland became a member of “Ha-Shomer Ha-Tsair” and of the “Gordonia” movement. Elected to the “He-Chaluts” Central committee, she participated in the 21st Zionist Congress in Geneva. Arrested in 1941, she was sentenced to 4 years imprisonment. Released in 1945, she continued to work in “He–Haluts” helping with illegal emigration to Erets Israel. In 1948 she herself got to Israel.

Born in 1911 in Salnat, Lithuania, he was a “Mizrachi” movement activist from 1932 until the Soviet occupation. He was also a member of the Keren Kayemet Central committee.from 1935-1940. Arrested in 1941, he was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment in Jakutija, on the Arctic Ocean coast. This was followed by exile till 1960. He participated with his wife in demonstrations of support for the Aliyah movement from USSR after reaching Israel in 1971 They are the only two members of the “Mizrahi” movement leadership who survived exile in Siberia.

Born in 1907 in Plongjan, Lithuania, he became a member of Beitar at an early age, collecting donations for Keren Kayemet & Keren Tel-Chai. In 1941 his family was banished to Siberia and Shimshon spent time in the Barshuti and Krasnojarskk labour camps. Freed in 1956, he got to Israel in 1972.

Born in 1918 in Rovno, Poland, he became a member of the “Gordonia” movement and in 1936 joined the leadership of his local branch. In 1939 he was trained in the Lodz kibbutz in which he was elected to the secretariat. The kibbutz sent him to Lublin and he returned several days before WW2. With the approaching of German troops, the kibbutz was dismantled and Ben-Zion returned to Rovno.He continued in his illegal Zionist activities even after the Soviet occupation until his arrest in 1941. He was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and lifelong exile to Siberia but, due to the Soviet-Polish contract of release repatriation of Polish citizens, returned to Poland and got to Israel in the same year (1957). He was also a member of The Council of Prisoners of Zion.

Born in 1902 in Shabli, Lithuania, he was an active member of Maccabi Shabli until 1941 when he was arrested and exiled to Siberia till 1959. Freed in 1960, he continued to struggle for permission to leave for Israel. Succeeded in 1966. Died in 1983.

Born in 1914 in Unishkis, Lithuania, he joined Beitar in 1928 after graduating from the Jewish secondary school. In 1932-1933 he became the commander of his local Beitar branch and then moved to Kovno where he became one of the Lithuanian Beitar leaders. He published poems in Hebrew in newspapers and magazines. In 1941, after the Soviet invasion, he was arrested with his wife Ella & son Shavi (named in memory of Shlomo ben Josef, executed by the English), sentenced to 10 years imprisonment followed by lifelong exile to Siberia. During this exile he daringly appealed to the Soviet authorities for release and permission to go to Israel. In 1965, thanks to the efforts of Menahem Begin and the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yehezkel Pularevich was released and allowed to go to Israel with his family. On arriving in Israel, he immediately devoted himself to Zionist activities and, with Abraham Shtukarevich, Yakov Liash and others, founded the Prisoners of Zion Organisation in September 1969. Any privileges enjoyed by Prisoners of Zion today are the direct result of the efforts of Yehezkel and his friends. He also initiated the ‘Prisoners of Zion Petition’, handing it to Senator Henry Jackson on the stairs of the American Capitol. Yehezkel’s son, Shabi, served as a doctor on the submarine Dakar.

Born in 1914 in Vilkovisski, Lithuania, he became one of the founders of the local branch of Beitar in 1928. In 1933 he left his studies in Kovno University to start on agriculture training in preparation for emigration to Erets Israel. Having graduated from the course of Beitar instructors, he continued his education on failing to get an emigration certificate. In 1935 he was accepted to the Lithuanian (Beitar) Officers’ School becoming an officer in 1936. In 1937 he was appointed officer in charge of Lithuanian Beitar, responsible for the military training department and was the head of the Beitar’s course for sergeants. While continuing his education during 1938, he aided in the organization of Aliya Bet. As a leading officer of Beitar in Czechoslovakia, he was sent by the Jewish Agency to Vienna, which had already been overrun by the Germans, to coordinate the escape of Austrian Jews to Palestine. When the Germans occupied Czechoslovakia, he escaped, with his wife Luba, to Lithuania. At the beginning of the war between USSR & Germany in 1941, Shmariyahu was arrested and.sent to the Siberian labour camps, while his wife was banished to North Siberia. After 8 years of camps and exile, he and his wife were reunited and in 1952 their son Efraim was born. After 18 years of camps and exile, the family returned to Lithuania . They succeeded in getting to Israel in 1973.

Born in 1897 in Riga, Latvia, was vice-chairman of WIZO in Riga until the Soviet occupation.in 1941 when she was arrested with her family and sent to the Tomsk region. She was rearrested repeatedly in 1949 and sentenced to 6 years imprisonment in the Taishet labour camp, Irkutsk. Released in 1955, she was unable to get to Israel until 1975. Died in 1976.

Born in 1921 in the Ukraine to a traditionally observant family, he was arrested in 1941, accused of teaching Torah, Judaism and Zionism and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in the Vorkuta camp. Released in 1951, he returned to Moscow, got in touch with Israeli Embassy and was active in distributing Zionist material among Moscow Jews. He succeeded in getting to Israel in 1971. Died in 1983.

Born in 1914 in Iagutin in the Kiev region of Ukraine, he studied in an illegal Yeshiva in which he later taught. As a member of a group planning escape from the USSR to Erets Israel, he was arrested in June 1941 and sentenced to 5 years imprisonment in Krasnojarsk. In 1946 he was exiled to Kansk Siberia, but succeeded in escaping. Rearrested repeatedly in 1951, he was accused of organizing illegal emigration of Soviet Jews from USSR. He was given an additional 5 years sentence. Released in 1957, he got to Israel in 1971. Died in 1984.

Born in 1894 in Latvia, he was an active participator in Zionist movements before the Soviet occupation. Arrested in 1941, he was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment in Siberia. Released in 1950, he managed to get to Israel in 1971. Died in 1976.

Born in 1914 in Kovno, Lithuania, he became commander of the local branch of Beitar in Slobodka (Kovno) at the age of 20. Arrested by the Soviet authorities in 1941, he was sentenced to 8 years imprisonment. In 1943, owing to the worsening state of his health, he was sent to exile in the Altajsk region, returning to Kovno in 1947. In 1950 he was, again, arrested, repeatedly, and eventually exiled to the Krasnojarsk region after another year in prison. He returned to Kovno at the end of 1954. For a period of 14 years his appeals for a visa to Israel were refused. It was not till 1969 that his dream was realized and he was allowed to go to Israel.