Ida Noodle, who was a Zionist inmate in the Soviet Union, passed away yesterday (Monday) at the age of 90. She will be laid to rest today in the Yarkon Cemetery.
Noodle, born in April 1931 in a suburb of Moscow, was denied immigration and repeatedly tried to leave Soviet Russia without success.
Noodle was fired from her job in 1972, supported her imprisoned comrades and also took part in demonstrations aimed at introducing to the world the human rights violations of prisoners in Russia.
She was interrogated by the KGB and sentenced to four years in exile in Siberia. Over the years, Noodle became a symbol of refusal around the world until her release and immigration to Israel in October 1987.
Ilana Friedman, sister of Zion prisoner Ida Noodle, greets at Ben Gurion Airport, Nati Hernick, GPO
Prisoner of Zion, Ida Noodle, received by Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, at Ben Gurion Airport,
Prisoner of Zion, Ida Noodle, is received by Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir at Ben Gurion Airport
After immigrating to Israel, Noodle founded the "Mother to Mother" organization, in which she worked extensively to educate the children of immigrants from Russia.
Her niece Anna Friedman praised her on Facebook: "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved aunt, a special woman and a role model for all of us, Ida Noodle."
President Yitzhak Herzog paid tribute to her on Twitter: "Ida Noodle, a prisoner of Zion and a symbol of Israeli heroism, passed away. "And with courage they changed the world. May your memory be blessed."
Ida Noodle, a prisoner of Zion and a symbol of Israeli heroism, passed away today.
I remember as if it were today how my father, President Haim Herzog, was excited to welcome her warmly at the President's House upon her aliyah.
It is important to remember and commemorate the story of the prisoners of Zion who in spirit and courage changed the world.
R.I.P.
pic.twitter.com/5tXeycPXD1
Isaac Herzog Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) September 14, 2021
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett praised Noodle: "The story of Ida's life, which aroused interest and sympathy around the world, is the story of the immigrants and the entire Jewish people - the longing for Zion, the love of the land and the struggle to immigrate to Israel at all costs. "The education of the children of the new immigrants, to whom she was loyal until her last day. Ida Noodle is a role model of a Jewish heroine for all of us. May her memory be blessed."
The Minister of Aliyah and Absorption, Pnina Tamano Sheta, paid tribute to her: "I bow my head to the death of the prisoner of Zion and the Aliya activist, Ida Noodle. Tirelessly and fearlessly for the release and aliyah of Soviet expatriates in the 1980s and 1970s during the Iron Curtain in its fall and beyond, she paid a heavy personal price when she was imprisoned for a long 4-year imprisonment, for which she was recognized by the State of Israel as a Zionist prisoner in the Ministry of Immigration and Absorption. "Zionism has always burned in it, and this is the legacy it has instilled in all of us, that Jews should always save Jews and act without fear. Ida was a brave and rare woman, may her memory be blessed."
MK Yuli Edelstein commented on Ida Noodle's death: "I sadly received the news of Ida Noodle's departure, one of the great symbols of the struggle for immigration from the Soviet Union to Israel. Ida knew how to keep in touch with other prisoners of Zion during their imprisonment and sent them books, food and medicine to prison. Following her struggle and activities, Ida was fired from her job and subjected to surveillance, harassment and interrogation by the Soviet authorities. May Ida Baruch be remembered. "
Alex Riff, CEO of Lobby Million, an organization that works for 1.2 million Russian-speaking Israelis vis-à-vis decision-makers, praised her: "Tragically. Thanks to her and a handful of Zionist prisoners and those who refused to immigrate in the former Soviet Union in the 1960s and 1970s, the global Shelach Ami movement was born.
"She was one in her generation, and despite all this, her character is almost unknown on the Israeli street, and her heroism remains unknown. It is sad that her story is not yet part of the Israeli education system, history books and the memory of the Jewish heroic story," she concluded.
The Zionist Council in Israel also paid tribute to Ida Noodle: "We mourn the death of Mrs. Ida Noodle, a prisoner of Zion and an inspiring woman who was a symbol of Zionism and Israeli heroism. "The absorption and education of the children of the immigrants. Ida is an integral part of the Zionist story and serves as a symbol and role model for all of us. We cherish her memory and share her family's grief over her loss."