Natan Sharansky In Jerusalem On June 3, 1986 Editorial Photo

Israeli human rights advocate Natan Sharansky was awarded his nation`s prestigious 2020 Genesis Prize for a lifetime of work promoting political and religious freedoms on December 10, 2019. This photo was taken on June 3, 1986 at Sultan&#s Pool in Jerusalem, Israel shortly after he was allowed to leave Russia. Sharansky was in Soviet prisons and gulags for 9 years during the 1960s qnd 70s. He clung tenaciously to his Jewush faith and culture and was hailed as a &#prisoner of Zion.&# Sharansky and his supporters helped mobilize a successful effort to bring many hundreds of thousands of Russian and Soviet Jews to Israel. As an Israeli Sharansky became a Member of Knesset and a government cabinet minister. He then became head of the Jewish Agency. Along the way, he was given many honors, such as the Israel Prize for lifetime achievement and special contribution to the security and state, the US Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal.