Mr. Speaker. I have introduced today the Soviet Jewish Refugee Assistance Act of 1972. It directs the Secretary of State to spend $85 million for fiscal year 1973 to house. clothe. feed and train Jewish refugees from the Soviet Union who take up residence in Israel. Anyone who has observed the plight of the Soviet Jews must be filled with compassion. concern and even sorrow. Russias Jewish people are struggling against enormous odds to preserve their ancient religious and cultural ties. We must continue our efforts to form world opinion so that the Soviet Union will permit its Jews to practice their religion. However. in recent months more and more Soviet Jews have been permitted to leave. The last month of 1971 saw three times the number which emigrated in all of 1970. It is generally anticipated that about 50.000 Soviet Jews will leave the country this year. Most of these emigrees will go to Israel with its current population of 3 million. We. in the United States. have never turned our back on the plight of any refugee movement. Since World War II. we have contributed almost $3 billion to refugee assistance. including $600 million to Cuban refugees. $237 million to the International Refugee Organization. $85 million to help Korean refugees. and more than $500 million for Arab refugees. In addition to our concern in assisting refugees. we have fought for religious freedom and against religious persecution. This is why we played a major role in the creation of Israel and why we have been a firm defender of her existence. Mr. Speaker. the interest of the United States will be best served by passage of this legislation. I have long expressed the belief that the continued existence of Israel as a free state is absolutely necessary to maintain the present world balance of power. Israel could well be done in by economic disaster if she is forced to assume the entire costs of these masses of Soviet Jewish refugees. What her enemies and their armies could not do on the battlefielddestroy Israelour inaction could. Mr.
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Refugee emigrated refugee refugees