The congregation of the North Shore Synagogue will gather on March 16 to hold a bar mitzvah in absentia in honor of Karmi Elbert. of Kiev. Russia. Karmi is the son of Lev and Chana Elbert. a family which is suffering from the cruelest sort of persecution and injustice at the hands of Soviet officials because the family wishes to emigrate to Israel. Denied the freedom to practice the religion of their choice in the Soviet Union. the Elberts have sought permission to emigrate to Israel since 1976. Not only have the Soviets denied this permission. they have thrown Lev Elbert into prison. In May 1983. Lev Elbert was sentenced to 1 year in prison for evasion of army draft by a reservist. Actually. Lev had refused to comply with the draft order unless he received assurance that his military service would not result in permanent denial of an exit visa on the pretext that he had acquired state secrets in his military service. While serving his prison term. a trumped up charge of drug possession was levied against Lev Elbert. His wife. Chana began a hunger strike in protest that lasted almost 6 weeks. and the charges were subsequently dropped. For a year now. I have been working with the North Shore Synagogue. which has adopted Lev Elbert as its prisoner of conscience. with the Long Island Committee for Soviet Jewry. and with other organizations and Members of Congress to persuade the Soviets to cease their persecution of the Elbert family. and permit them to realize their dream of emigrating to Israel. Fridays celebration of Karmi Elberts Bar Mitzvah represents another. and very important step in this continuing effort. In this ceremony. the congregation of the North Shore Synagogue will demonstrate to the world the heartless cruelty of the Soviet leadership in denying religious freedom to its Jewish citizens. and in persecuting those who seek it.
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emigrate emigrating visa