I say the United States cannot ignore this callous and abusive practice. We cannot permit Russia to trade Jews for wheat. The Soviets claim these exit fees are justified because the States investment in the education of each of the emigrants would be forfeited if they left the country. This is nonsense. The Soviet fees are twice as much as the cost of the emigrants education. The Soviets also claim their action is intended to end the "brain drain" caused by this emigration. This too is transparently false. Soviet Jews. regardless of their education. often have little opportunity to use their skills as a result of Soviet harassment. They have been fired. demoted. and shipped off to work camps simply for trying to emigrate. In view of these facts. the true motives of the Soviet Union become clear. These exist fees are simply another example of the Soviet Unions official policy of harassment of its Jewish citizens.
Keywords matched
emigrate emigration emigrants