In addition to these violations of the rights of Soviet Jews. there is another which is even more distressing. That is. the Kremlin is now trying to sever the link between Jews living in the Soviet Union and their relatives and friends abroad. Tens of thousands have applied for permission to emigrate from the Soviet Union to join their families in Israel and elsewhere. only to have their requests denied. Over the past few years. the number of those permitted to emigrate has declined dramatically. In May of this year. only 109 Soviet Jews emigrated from the Soviet Union. which is less than would have left on a typical day in 1979. Mr. President. the dismal emigration figures. accompanied by reports of increasing persecution of these people. clearly indicate that the plight of Jews in the Soviet Union is worsening. The issues of emigration and human rights were key topics of discussion when I. along with several other Members of the U.S. Senate. met with Chairman Andropov in the Soviet Union last summer. We shared with the Soviet leader the concern of the American people for thosemany of them Jewswho seek to emigrate and cannot. for those who have pleaded publicly for peace and for adherence to the Helsinki agreement. and who have been persecuted or jailed. As part of our appeal. we left individuals letters with Chairman Andropov requesting relief on behalf of some lesserknown dissidents seeking permission to emigrate. Although the response to my own appeals on behalf of my constituents has not been encouraging. I believe that we must continue to pursue every diplomatic effort in an effort to awaken the Soviet Government to the reality that the fundamental human rights of its citizens cannot be ignored.
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emigrate emigration emigrated