Speech #920283666

Another Soviet argument that they are acting to end a brain drain is equally fallacious. Once a Soviet scientist makes his determination to leave for Israel he is fired from his job and must find menial tasks to earn his livelihood. There is absolutely no economic or rational basis for the Soviet actions other than the further intimidation of its Jewish citizens from applying for visas and obtaining hard currency at the same time. While it is not certain what motivated the Soviet leadership to take this retrogressive step. we can guess at the sinister motives behind this posting of a pricelist for human beings. There are several apparent reasons for this move. It reflects despair on the part of Soviet authorities. To this date. no matter how they have tried to intimidate Jews. the movement has grown and flourished and the number who apply to emigrate continues to increase. Also the number of highly skilled scientists who apply has also grown. In a more subtle way it may be an attempt to limit the number of Jews who seek higher education. Knowing that he may be charged exorbitant fees if he ever decides to leave. a Soviet Jew might decide not to continue his education at all. But finally. this tactic may be viewed as a deliberate effort on the part of the Soviet Union to obtain much needed foreign exchange on the assumption that the world Jewish community would pay the ransoms for their brethren. This decree of August 15 has already resulted in a new wave of fear among Soviet Jews who expect intensified punitive action against those Jews who have been courageous enough to apply for permits to emigrate. This latest Soviet move comes against a background of antiJewish diatribes and slander now common in the Soviet media. There have been untold instances of Jews who have indicated their desire to emigrate to Israel being subjected to physical assaults. loss of jobs. arrest. and other brutal forms of intimidation. To many Americans this latest Soviet action is uncomfortably reminiscent of the Nazi era when the same type of extortion was practiced against German Jews who desperately sought visas to flee Germany. The employment of this technique only brings shame upon those who masterminded it. Fortunately world attention is now being focused on this heinous practice.