I am deeply saddened that the necessity for such a congressional vigil still exists. It is inconceivable to me that Just a short time ago. in 1979. Jewish emigration from the Soviet Union was at its peak of 51.320. 1983s statistics reflected a drastic decrease of only 1.314 Jews allowed to emigrate. In March 1983. 101 Jews were granted permission to emigrate. a drop of 2.948 since 1980. This March. only 51 Jews were allowed to emigrate. This dramatic reduction in people permitted to emigrate from the U.S.S.R. is frightening in its implications. What happens to the thousands still left behind? Many Jews In the Soviet Union who are denied permission to emigration depend on American gifts for their basic survival. Until recently. the only problem these gifts presented was that the receiver in the Soviet Union had to pay an expensive import duty. however. now Soviet authorities have legislated a new law. Essentially what this law does is to place a 10year prison sentence on any Soviet citizen who exists on such American donations. Survival for those who receive such gifts is in serious jeopardy. The Lifshitz family. who have been denied permission to emigrate four times since 1981 and led a hunger strike in protest. now face a new and greater dilemma. According to a recent correspondence with Vladimir. he was not long ago ordered to meet with officials to be questioned. Upon his arrival. he observed that the room he was to be interrogated in was filled with electronic equipmentthat is. cameras and tape machines.
Keywords matched
emigrate emigration