I have worked with my colleagues on behalf of the thousands of Soviet Jews whose only crime is seeking the freedom to practice the religion of their choice in the country of their choice. Never in those years has their plight been as serious as it is today. Jewish emigration has almost completely halted. In 1983. only slightly more than 1.300 Soviet Jews were permitted to obtain visas to emigrate. far fewer than those given visas in a months time in the 1970s. Even worse. officially sanctioned abuse. harassment. and persecution of the cruelest sort has increased alarmingly. Within the past week. Soviet hooligans administered a brutal beating to a young Soviet Jew. Karmi Elbert. whose family seeks to emigrate to Israel. There is no question in my mind that this vicious beating was directly linked to our efforts in America to win freedom for the Elbert family. Such outrageously antiSemitic attacks must be protested by everyone who respects religious freedom.
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emigrate emigration visas