Speech #930008416

Mr. Speaker. as a Nation we have strongly supported the right of all persons to emigrate from any country and are committed to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations. During the 92d Congress we have repeatedly protested the barriers against the emigration of Soviet Jews maintained and continually worsened by thc Soviet Government. As we hear more and more about the plight of the Jews in the Soviet Union. it is little wonder that so many thousands of them desire to leave that country for the more welcome prospects afforded them by Israel. They are denied the right to publish religious materials. prohibited from receiving rabbinical training and pressured not to attend synagoguesnormal religious activities which should be the right of every person. no matter in what country or of what religious persuasion. Although the Soviet Union officially permits Jews to emigrate. that nation has now made the leaving of the country by Jews almost impossible. Those who dare to apply for exit visas face possible imprisonment and risk losing their jobs. Moreover. if granted a visa at a cost of $1.100. an emigrant is now required to pay an atrocious fee. ranging from $4.000 to $25.000. depending on the amount of education he or she has received in the Soviet Union. Many simply cannot afford this fee. Others are deliberately cutting short their education to limit the fee. an act that can make them subject to induction into the Soviet armed forces. These fees are not only a prohibition to the Soviet Jews. they are also a form of blackmail levied against sympathetic relatives in America who feel responsible for aiding their relatives who are trapped in the Soviet Union. We strongly condemn this policy of the Soviet Union and. as a cosponsor. we urge support and early passage for Mr. VANIKs Freedom of Emigration Act. We should also make it clear to the Soviet Union that Congress attitude toward further improvements in our relations with the U.S.S.R. will be strongly influenced by continued Soviet violations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.