Eduard Kuznetsov and Mark Dymshitz. were given death sentences while the others were sentenced to various terms in prisons within the Gulag. However. due to intensive world pressure and public opinion the death sentences were commuted. I briefly detail this first trial simply to illustrate that since that time the Soviet Union had used its legal system to harass Soviet Jews whose only crime is the desire to emigrate. The Leningrad Trial of 1970 marked a renewed attempt to deal with a basic. historical problem besetting the Soviet Unionthe problem of silencing the dissident voices within their Nation. particularly the Jewish voice. Restrictions against Jewish religious 11J9" and cultural life in the Soviet Union have been amply cataloged in recent years. Such treatment includes inadequate religious facilities. pressures against synagogue attendance. lack of Yiddish or Hebrew language teaching. and quota restrictions on university entrance to name a few. With such discrimination and repression. is it any wonder to those in this Chamber why so many Jewish citizens desire to emigrate? Let us discuss another example of the abuse the Soviet Judiciary system for the states purpose. Alexandr Feldman was 26 when he was arrested.
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quota restrictions emigrate