Speech #930008418

Mr. Speaker. I am proud to join with over half of our colleagues in sponsoring the Freedom of Emigration Act and again calling attention to the vicious campaign by the Soviet Union to impede and prevent Jews to emigrate to Israel. Jews in the Soviet Union have historically been the victims of the most brutal and sustained campaigns of harassment. intimidation. and persecution. both under the tsars and the present Communist rulers. Particularly odious is the current campaign to stifle Jewish emigration through the imposition of a tax or levy on prospective emigrants based on their education. This tax. which in some instances is reported to amount to as much as $37.000. requires a person to not only sell all of his worldly possessions but oftentimes forces him and his family to commit economic crimes for which the punishments are quite severe. This situation arises simply because men. women. and children desire to exercise a basic human right to live in the land of their own choosing. free to live their own lives in peace. to seek an end to repression. to strive for some degree of economic security and stability. and to practice their religion without fear of Government retaliation. For a time it appeared as if international public pressure was achieving some modest success when it was thought that the U.S.S.R. was relaxing these illconceived and discriminatory policies. The Soviet Union claimed that this offensive tax had been adjusted for older emigrants and that a certain number of Jews were permitted to leave. Last November. for example. there was. in fact. some substantial emigration. Unfortunately. however. this apparent thaw was not to last as the diploma tax was officially enunciated as the law of the land in the Soviet Union on January 20 and the exit rates were published in the official records. The education taxes amount to as much as $18.000 per person. depending upon the educational level attained by the intending emigrant. Thus. the educated and skilled continue to be deterred from seeking to leave the U.S.S.R. and those who are courageous enough to apply for exit documents are economically. socially. and culturally isolated and are singled out for especially prejudicial treatment. In some instances they are tried on a variety of trumpedup charges and imprisoned.