Speech #970206898

Mr. Speaker. as a member of the 97th Congressional Class for Soviet Jewry. I believe the plight of the many people seeking to emigrate from the Soviet Unionthe socalled "refuseniks"must again be brought to the attention of Congress and the American people. Despite increased public awareness of continued visible oppression in Poland. Afghanistan. and other nations within the Soviet bloc. the "quieter" cases of thousands of Soviet citizens seeking emigration visas are no less deserving of our wholehearted encouragement and support. According to the National Conference on Soviet Jewry. June figures for Soviets emigrating with Israeli visas have dropped from peak figures of 4.500 in June 1979 to a mere 182 this yearthe sharpest decline in over a decade. This trend should figure prominently in any assessment of the Soviet Unions commitment. or lack thereof. to human rights. and should be placed high on the agenda of any future United StatesSoviet negotiations. As a demonstration of our concern for the Soviet Unions abysmal human rights performance. members of the 97th Congressional Class for Soviet Jewry have "adopted" various refusenik authorities. My family is Moisey Shtein. his wife Musia. and daughter Anna. who first applied for emigration visas to Israel over 32 years ago. To date. they have been repeatedly refused. and are still waiting to join Musias parents and sister in Israel. Ironically. they had been granted the necessary permit only 2 V2 months after their initial application. and had sold all their belongings. resigned from