Speech #980070642

I will be taking part tomorrow in the Congressional Fast and Prayer Vigil for Soviet Jewry. I feel it is fitting. therefore. to rise today and once again call attention to the unconscionable violation by the Soviet Government of the human rights of its citizens. In the past several years. emigration of Soviet Jews has declined precipitously. indeed almost stopped. In 1979. just 4 years ago. 51.320 exit visas were granted to Soviet Jews who wished to emigrate. In 1980. the number was cut by more than half. to 21.472. The steady decline continued: In 1981. 9.448 Soviet Jews were entitled to leave the country. last year. only 2.688 were released. And through April of this year. only 421 Soviet Jews were permitted to exit the country. Samuil L. Zivs. deputy chairman of the Soviet Governments official AntiZionist Committeewhich is being presented as the official organ of Soviet Jewsrecently wrote that the tremendous decline in Jews emigrating from the Soviet Union is the result of a decrease in the number of Jews wishing to leave the country. This is a radical departure from the truth. Colonel General David Dragunsky. chairman of the committee. has traced Soviet opposition to Zionism back to Lenin. a shocking aberration which is now being widely spread in the Soviet Union as fact.