Speech #920008895

In violation of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. it has deprived Soviet Jews of the opportunity of worshiping in accordance with ageold Jewish tradition. In short. the Soviet Government has illegally attempted to destroy virtually all manifestations of Jewish culture and to prevent its transmission to subsequent generations. The Rigermans were also the direct victims of the Soviet policy which denies the right of Russian Jews to emigrate from that country to Israel or to any country of their choice. As applied to the Rigermans. this policy resulted in the harassment. detention and. in one instance. the arrest of Mr. Rigerman each time he attempted to enter the American Embassy in Moscow in an effort to establish his American citizenship. This action was quite possibly in violation of the SovietAmerican Treaty on Consular Relations and the general Soviet policy is in violation of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the rights enjoyed by the citizens of every truly freesociety. I was pleased to have been of assistance to the Rigermans in their attempt to establish their American citizenship and ultimately to emigrate to the United States. I am grateful to the State Department for its help and to those of my colleagues who expressed interest in this case and who joined me in this effort. The arrival of the Rigermans in the United States is testimony to the fact that the Soviet Union is sensitive to world opinion. that the efforts of private individuals and Members of Congress can have an effect. and that it is possible to aid positively the Jews in the Soviet Union.