NUIS National Union of Israeli Students
Refusenik was an unofficial term for individuals denied permission to emigrate from the former Soviet Union and other countries of the Eastern bloc. A typical pretext to deny emigration was the real or alleged association with state secrets. Applying for an exit visa had to be approved by the KGB, so that future career prospects, always uncertain for Soviet Jews, could be impaired. As a rule, Soviet dissidents and refuseniks were fired from their workplaces and denied employment.
As a result, they had to find menial jobs, such as a street sweeper, or face imprisonment on charges of social parasitism.
The ban on Jewish immigration to Israel was lifted in 1971. Under Mikhail Gorbachev policies he mid-1980’s of glasnost and perestroika, as well as a desire for better relations with the West, led to major changes, and most refuseniks were allowed to emigrate.