Sees Soviet Consul : Ill Dissident Asks for Visa to Go Home
Dissident Soviet geneticist David Goldfarb left the Soviet Consulate on Tuesday hoping that his request to return to visit his daughter and her family in his homeland will be granted.
Goldfarb, 68, arrived in the United States on Oct. 16 after struggling for eight years to leave the Soviet Union. He now wants to return for what he fears may be a last chance to visit with his family. He recently suffered a stroke, has cancer and diabetes, and uses a wheelchair.
“I hope that it will be a positive decision,” Goldfarb said after a meeting with Soviet Consul Victor Gribanov, who he said was “very polite” and raised “no problems.”
Goldfarb, his wife, Cecilia, and their son, Alex, spent more than 30 minutes inside the consulate applying for visas to return to Moscow for two or three weeks. They pleaded for a quick response, citing the elder Goldfarb’s poor health.
Although Goldfarb and his wife are Soviet citizens, they need permission to enter or leave their native country. Alex Goldfarb, who has surrendered his Soviet citizenship and teaches at Columbia University in New York, must have separate permission to return to Moscow with his parents.
A Soviet Embassy spokesman refused to comment on their applications.
The Goldfarbs’ daughter, Olga, 34, her husband and two daughters have been barred from emigrating.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
