Considering this oppression. it is not surprising that Jews in the Soviet Union are echoing the cries of their brethren 40 years ago. But unlike the cries of their predecessors. they do have somewhere to seek refuge. somewhere to live free from religious and social persecution. Yet this elusive promise of freedom has been reduced or eliminated for many. as Jewish emigration from the Soviet Union has reached its lowest point in 10 years. Indeed. there has been a 98percent decline in Jewish emigration since 1979. when 51.320 Jews were allowed to leave. In 1983. only 1.314 Jews were given permission to emigrate. Today. under SecretaryGeneral Chernenko this trend continues as for the first 4 months of 1984. only 303 people were permitted to leave. Although we continue to fight for emigration rights for prominent refuseniks such as Ida Nudel. Anatoly Shchransky. and Victor Brailovsky. Soviet authorities are pursuing ever more repressive and overt antiSemitic policies.
Keywords matched
emigrate emigration