It is indeed a solemn duty we have this day to point out the continuing plight of our Jewish friends inside the Soviet Union. I view the situation inside the Soviet Union as a critical one. Emigration of Soviet Jews has declined from 51.000 in 1979 to almost nothing this year. In fact. only 1.069 Jews have been allowed to emigrate from the U.S.S.R. so far this year. At this rate nearly 50 percent fewer Soviet Jews will emigrate this year than last year which was considered a tragically low point in the eyes of the world community. The current rate. if continued. will mean that there has been a nearly 98 percent reduction in the rate of emigration from the Soviet Union since 1979. Presently there are 1.8 million Jews in the Soviet Union. according to the 1979 Soviet census. of which 380.000 are awaiting action on their applications to leave. Jews are the 16th largest ethnic group in the Soviet Union out of a total of 118 national Soviet minorities.
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