A Soulful Journey

When Brezhnev was elected to the party secretariat he brought his mother to the Kremlin for the big celebration.  There he gave her champagne and caviar.  Waiting to hear her remarks, she said nothing.  So Brezhnev then took her to the party headquarters and there had the best cocktails and caviar surrounded in a bright, modern room.  Still she said nothing.  Then Brezhnev whisked hr off to his hunting lodge with all mahogany paneling, his own private chef and stock of vodka.  Still his mother did not say a word.  Finally Brezhnev exclaimed, “Why don’t you say anything about this?” “Well,” she said, “Just be careful that the communists don’t come back to power.” As days pass and we grow old it becomes more difficult to face change and remain unfearful of the past.  When the past still haunts us we cannot fully live in the present.  This is our challenge in the days ahead, to move past our past.

  How happy was Brezhnev was to be at his dacha in the Crimea:   The first morning he woke early and went out onto the balcony to greet the sun. “Good morning, beautiful sun,” exclaimed the Soviet leader. “Good morning,” illustrious first secretary of our beloved party,” the sun said brightly. After a few hours in his office, Brezhnev again went outside, this time to see the warm, glowing afternoon sun overhead. “Good afternoon, dear sun,” shouted Brezhnev. “Good afternoon, courageous hero of the anti-fascist war and beloved first citizen of our glorious homeland,” the sun answered. Brezhnev went back into the house, took a nap, and then did a few more hours of work before stepping out onto the balcony for a look at the sunset. “Good evening, setting sun,” said Brezhnev with a wave of his hand. “Go to hell, you b$s#t@r!d,” replied the sun, “I’ve made it to the West.” –David Harris

Brezhnev and Kosygin met to discuss te Jewish question in the Soviet Union. “Kosygin, how many Jews do have here?" “About 2 ½ million, I think.” “And if we opened the borders to let out the troublemakers among them, how many do you think would leave?” “Probably no less than 5 million.” Rabinovich and Harris Everyone has a dream to be free.

Nixon, Brezhnev and Golda Meir were sitting together on a plane when God announced to them that a worldwide flood would begin in three days to punish mankind for its sinfulness.   He advised the three leaders to return to their respective countries immediately. Nixon rushed to Washington and made a nationwide television broadcast in which he announced that the world would end in three days.   F or the next three days, he ordered, America’s capitalists would not have to contend with any government controls; they were permitted to make all the money that they wanted. Brezhnev, on the other hand, told the people that inasmuch as there were only three days left, they would assume the final stage of Communism had been reached, and they were given permission to drink unlimited vodka. Golda Meir optimistically went before the Knesset to advise the parliamentarians that there were only three days left for government leaders to come up with a feasible plan to make...

Brezhnev and Kosygin met to discuss the Jewish question in the Soviet Union. “Kosygin, how many Jews do we have here?” “About 2 ½ million, I think” “And if we opened the borders to let out the troublemakers among them, how many do you think would leave?” “Probably no less than 5 million.” It has been said by historical observers that when the Jews suffer they are the first indication of a greater malaise that will soon engulf all.

Many stories and jokes came out the Soviet era communist state.  Each tells of the life and frustration of the people.  Invariably, they tell the story of a people’s angst and inability to be free.   Here is one: A drunk ran into Red Square and screamed, “Brezhnev is a durak [fool]!” The KGB hauled him away.  He was brought to court and given a s sentence of twenty years and twenty days: twenty days for drunkenness and disturbing the peace and twenty years for revealing a state secret.” -Newsweek November 1982 One of the critical aspects of life is freedom to act, speak and live.

Vitali Vitaliev was an investigative reporter and satirist in Australia.  He left the Soviet Union in 1990 after a failed coup in Moscow.  He wrote of an evening in 1989 when he bumped into a couple of men sharing drinks and laughter at a hotel lounge.  They grew up in the same village outside Moscow where the grandfather of one of them – Leonid Brezhnev – and father of the other – Andrei Sakharov – had dachas.  When Sakharov was exiled by Brezhnev, his son was thrown out of the university and ostracized.  The only person who offered help was Brezhnev’s grandson. In 1989 their positions had reversed: Brezhnev’s grandson was out of a job because of his grandfather and Sakharov’s son was helping him out. You cannot predict the power of forgiveness