Speech #980188877

Having worked closely with the GNYCSJ over the years. I can attest to the substantial contribution they have made to the Soviet Jewry cause. and particularly to the many efforts undertaken by Congress. According to the GNYCSJ: This years Solidarity Sunday march and rally will be the largest public manifestation of support for Soviet Jews in the world in 1984 * * * Solidarity Sunday 1984 comes at a critical time for the more than 2.500.000 Soviet Jews. and it represents a unique public opportunity to demand that the new Soviet leadership reopen the gates of emigration and restore the basic human rights of the Soviet Jewish Prisoners of Conscience and refuseniks. To understand the special significance of this years Solidarity Sunday it is necessary to reflect on the dramatic and continuing rise in Soviet antiSemitism during the past year. Consider. for example. that Soviet Jewish emigration dropped sharply in 1983 to its lowest level in modern history. Only 1.315 Jews were allowed to leave the Soviet Union in 1983. down from the previous low of 2.688 who were allowed to emigrate in 1982. The 1983 figure represents a 98percent decline from the record high number of Soviet Jews51.330who were permitted to emigrate in 1979. Further. it should be noted that this disturbing trend has continued into 1984. Through April of this year. only 303 Jewish citizens were allowed to leave the Soviet Union. This figure is significantly lower than the 435 Soviet Jews who were permitted to emigrate during the same period last year. Significantly. the 4month totals for both 1983 and 1984. when added together. do not even represent onethird the number of Soviet Jews who emigrated during the single month of April 1980when 2.469 Soviet Jews emigrated. A historical view of modern day Soviet Jewish emigration reveals the following figures: 1971. 13.022. 1972. 31.681. 1973. 34.733. 1974. 20.628. 1975. 13.221. 1976. 14.261. 1977. 16.736. 1978. 28.864. 1979. 51.329. 1980. 21.471. 1981. 9.249. 1982. 2.684. 1983. 1.315. and 1984 (through April). 303. In addition to the record low emigration figures. 1983 also marked the Soviet Governments formation of an AntiZionist Committee which has intensified what was already a vicious antiSemitic campaign. The AntiZionist Committee has even gone so far as saying that the Jews who wanted to leave the Soviet Union have already left. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact. over 400.000 of the approximately 3 million Soviet Jews have begun the emigration process. and some 20.000 have been denied permission to emigrate on more than one occasion. Particularly distressing are the considerable number of Soviet Jews who have been arrested. imprisoned. and denied freedom of religious expression in retaliation for requests to emigrate. These Prisoners of Conscience now total 19. with five new Soviet Jewish activists imprisoned in 1983. The new prisoners included losif Begun. who was imprisoned for the third time.