Speech #980260513

The doors to higher educational institutions are closing to an increasing number of qualified Jewish applicants as a result of discriminatory entrance exams. Under the late Yuriy Andropov. the plight of Soviet Jews worsened considerably. New measures were introduced to make even more difficult the already arduous process of applying to emigrate. Emigration applicants continue to be subjected to oppressive measures such as dismissal from employment or. in some cases. even imprisonment. Laws were changed to further punish those trying to emigrate. and there was a crackdown on Jewish culture. Of extreme concern is the massive propaganda effort against Jews which includes the creation. last April. of the AntiZionist Committee of the Soviet Public. and the publication of the virulently antisemitic book. "The Class Essence of Zionism." The most significant sign of worsening treatment was the drastic decrease in emigration from a high of 51.320 in 1979 to a low of 1.314 in 1983. Only 652 Jews have been allowed to emigrate so far in 1984. and the total for this year is expected to be under 1.000. Yet the number of Soviet Jew applying for emigration visas has not diminished. As if this litany were not enough. Soviet authorities have now taken steps to further isolate Soviet Jews from their heritage and culture and from the West. New. stricter laws have been laid down affecting travelers. who can no longer ride in a car with a Soviet citizen. and who cannot sleep in their houses. Soviet authorities have instituted a policy on nondelivery of mail to Soviet Jews. a situation important enough to have been brought up at the Universal Postal Conference in Germany this past summer. The significance of this policy is that Soviet Jews may no longer receive their allimportant invitations to leave the Soviet Union. which is the first step in the emigration process. These are significant. additional steps in the cultural genocide of Soviet Jews being carried out by Soviet authorities. In short.