Mr. Speaker. as we take to the floor today to recognize the struggle of the Jews of the Soviet Union. we do so at a- time when their condition is more desperate than anytime since the end of the World War II. and their hopes for the future never more bleak. 1983 will be remembered as the year that the gates of freedom for Soviet Jews were slammed shut. and when the Soviet Government embarked on a campaign of official antisemitism that has parallels in the program of the czars. During the past year. the Soviets permitted only 1.314 Jews to leave their country and they have so restricted the application process that obtaining authority to immigrate has become almost a bureaucratic impossibility. As a result we can soon expect to hear from the Soviets that the number of visa requests are down significantly. This would be no surprise. because they have begun to confiscate the letters of invitation that Soviet Jews must get from a relative in Israel in order to apply for a visa. and invitations are only valid if they arrive through international mail. At the same time the Soviets are closing off the gates of freedom. they are systematically attempting to wipe out Jewish culture and identity inside the Soviet Union. There is a campaign to eradicate Jewish identity by delegitimizing Hebrew. the language of the Jewish people. and by distorting Jewish history and culture.
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