Speech #980166496

On March 15. 1977. Anatoly Shcharansky was jailed on charges of treason and antiSoviet agitation and propaganda. His only crime was that he wanted to emigrate to Israel. but since he demonstrated in the streets of Moscow with others. he became the target of Soviet repression. Jailed because he exercised his freedom of speech which we as Americans cherish. Anatoly Shcharansky has become the symbol of the plight of the Soviet Jew. and although we have. in the past. fought on behalf of their struggle. the oppression has only worsened. During the past year. measures have been taken by the Soviet Government which have rendered the Soviet Jew isolated within the cage of Soviet discrimination. emigration has been cut down. oppressive laws have been enacted. harsher sentences have been imposed. antiZionist propaganda has increased. and contacts between Soviet Jews and outside countries have been severed. Between the years 1980 and 1983. the granting of visas by the Soviet Government to Soviet Jews wishing to emigrate declined from 21.471 in 1980 to 1.314 in 1983. but the problem is not only a matter of the sheer magnitude of those unable to emigrate. The cruel waiting game is aggravated by a catch22a Soviet Jew who has applied for a visa may be dismissed from work do to a redundency law then he or she would become the subject of parasite law which punishes a person who has been out of work for 2 months. In addition. Hebrew. a language that has linked Jews together for thousands of years. is being forcibly eliminated from the lives of Soviet Jews by the Soviet Government.