President. members of the Student Coalition for Soviet Jewry recently visited our offices to ask for help in focusing the Nations attention on the plight of Jews in the Soviet Union. The facts the coalition presented to us were grim indeed. In the last few years. the emigration gates have been slammed shut for most Soviet Jews. In 1983. only 1.314 Jews left the Soviet Uniona mere fraction of the 51.000 who were allowed to leave in 1979. The Soviets contend that the emigration figures are dramatically lower because those Jews who wanted to leave the Soviet Union have already done so. That is simply not true. According to research done by the National Council on Soviet Jewry. over 300.000 Jews had asked relatives in Israel to send them the invitations they needed to apply for emigration. This means that there are still quite a few Jews who want to emigrate and cannot. It also means that these people are forcibly separated from family members who were lucky enough to emigrate in earlier years. Although Soviet intransigence on the emigration issue has only deepened. the Jews have not abandoned their struggle. Many lose their jobs. and are subject to constant harassment and intimidation. They are arrested on trumped up petty and criminal charges. and imprisoned. In a particularly cruel twist of fate. some Jews who have already served their prison terms are being rearrested and resentenced. In addition to the overt harassment. Soviet Jews who wish to emigrate are also the victims of a general upsurge of antiSemitism in the U.S.S.R. This antiSemitism is reflected in the creation and activities of the infamous AntiZionist Committee. and the crackdown on Jewish culture that is apparently being pursued with such vigor. Mr.
Keywords matched
emigrate emigration