Former Soviet prisoner of Zion and Jewish activist Ephraim Kohlmyansky was the leader of the biggest underground project of the Soviet Jewry era. Arrested in 1984 on the fabricated charges of illegal firearms possession, he kept a prolonged hunger strike while held in the punishment cell. His case sparked a major international solidarity campaign. In Israel, Kholmyansky worked for the Ministry of Education and served as CEO of the Zionist Forum and Givot Olam, an Israeli oil exploration and production company.