He then sent copies of it to Soviet President Podgorny. President Kosygin. and to the editors of Pravda and Izvestiabut with no results. Confusion and ambiguity regarding Soviet Jews are not limited to emigration policies. Although officially the Soviet constitution forbids antiSemitism. high government officials and government propaganda agencies continue to grind out antiSemitic. antiZionist vituperations which in effect are stifling Jewish cultural and spiritual development. Soviet authorities have suggested to me that there is a large. latent reservoir of historical antiSemitism which might surface if "special treatment" is given to Soviet Jews to emigrate to Israel. My answer is: Is it worse to be discriminated against when you cannot leave or when you can? A letter sent to Premier Kosygin June 6. 1969. signed by three Moscow Jews. describes the situation better than any words of mine: Our families were brought up in the Jewish cultural tradition." the three Muscovites said. "but in the present conditions of Soviet reality. our children are denied any possibilitj of learning their mother tongue. or becoming acquainted with the great heritage and spiritual values of our nation. because the Jewish nationality. unlike the other nationalities living in the USSR. is subject to cruel discriminations in the USSR.
Keywords matched
emigrate emigration