Mr. Speaker. during my freshman term in Congress. in November 1979. the Congress passed a resolution urging the Soviet Union to "release Ida Nudel from exile and allow her to emigrate to Israel so that she can be reunited with her sister and husband." In January 1980. the National Conference on Soviet Jewry. along with Members of Congress and the Congressional Wives for Soviet Jewry. worked to gather petitions. which were presented to Soviet officials on behalf of Ida Nudel and her many supporters in the United States. who today continue to demand her release. On April 27. 1981. serveral of us in the House hosted a reception in honor of Idas 50th birthday. Today. still in exile in Siberia. Ida fights on for freedom. Over 10 years ago. Ida Nudel first applied to emigrate from the Soviet Union and was refused. Seven years later in 1978. she courageously stood up to the Soviet authorities and in front of the world proclaimed "KGB. give me a visa to Israel." Her subsequent sentence to internal exile in Siberia is an attempt by the Soviet authorities to darken and empty her life. to kill her spirit. and to force her to abandon her religion and faith in justice. But her Soviet oppressors know little of the determination and perseverance of this woman. Despite illness and psychological and emotional pressures. she has not given up.
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emigrate visa