Speech #980166640

I am pleased to be able to join with my colleagues to commemorate International Day of Concern for Soviet Jews and to mark the seventh anniversary of the arrest of the courageous Soviet Jewish human rights activist. Anatoly Shcharansky. Soviet restrictions on Jewish emigration. harassment of Jewish citizens. and suppression of Jewish religious and cultural activities have intensified in the 1980s. Therefore I believe that today it is more important than ever that we speak out and emphasize anew our concerns about this issue. The crackdown on Jewish emigration has been dramatic. Over the years more than 400.000 of the Soviet Unions 3 million Jews have taken the risky step of applying for permission to emigrate. The number of Jews allowed to leave peaked at 51.320 in 1979. Since then Jewish emigration has virtually been choked off. The number of Jewish emigrants fell by 58 percent in 1980. then dropped even more precipitously over the next 3 years. In 1983 only 1.315 Soviet Jews were permitted to emigratea drop of over 97 percent from the 1979 level. And the emigration figures tell only part of the story. The sad fact is that the numerous Jews who apply unsuccessfully for exit visas become the targets of harsh official discrimination. Thousands of these refuseniks have lost their jobs. endured police harassment. and been subjected to threatened or actual arrest and imprisonment. Among those who have suffered from such treatment are distinguished Jewish scientists who. after applying to emigrate. have been dismissed from their posts. barred from further employment in their fields. and denied the right to publish their work. Soviet Jews are subjected to a variety of other forms of repression as well. They are discriminated against in job appointments and university admissions.