TRIBUTES

Boris Edward Nadgorny

My family was among many Jewish families in the former Soviet Union who had been denied permission to emigrate for several years. In 1987, a number of people who shared the same misfortune organized a meeting to discuss some of the common issues of their predicament. I was put in charge of answering the phones. There were no calls for a while. Suddenly the phone rang and, to my great surprise, a voice said: "Please hold, Senator Kennedy will be on the line shortly." In a few minutes I was talking to Senator Kennedy. I don't remember the details of our brief conversation - but the very fact that the Senator took the time to personally make such a call was the best news we could have hoped for.

In April of 1988, I immigrated to the United States, but my father, Prof. Edward Nadgorny and my mother were still not allowed to leave. I went to Senator Kennedy's office in Washington to ask for help. His staff was extremely helpful. In the next few months I received several letters from Senator Kennedy, in which he expressed his sympathy and described some of the steps he had taken to bring the case to the attention of the Soviet officials. By the end of 1888 my parents were allowed to leave. I firmly believe that the support from Senator Kennedy and other public officials in the United States and Europe was absolutely essential in securing their release.