President. again in 1985 I Join with many of my colleagues in participating in the Call to Conscience Vigil for Soviet Jewry. I commend my colleague from Minnesota. Senator BOsCHWITZ. for his leadership in this effort in the coming year. and I urge all of us here in the Senate to raise our voices on behalf of Jews in the Soviet Union who wish to emigrate yet are denied that basic right. While the problem which we will be discussing as this vigil continues over the coming year is not a new one. it continues to bring hardship and suffering to many people. Individuals are put at risk. their physical and mental health deteriorates. and families are split apart by virtue of unfair and unJustifiable policies of a government. Cases of imprisonment and "internal exile" are rampant. and the names of Anatoly Shchransky and Iosef Begun. Zacher Zunshine and many "refuseniks" are well known to us. Most of us are well aware of the problems associated with Soviet emigration. particularly for Jews and other people who practice their religious beliefs in spite of Government pressure to the contrary. The statistics graphically demonstrate to all the world that the willingness of the Soviet Government to relax barriers to emigration was shortlived. and that in most recent years the doors leading out of the Soviet Union have been closed. particularly to Soviet Jews. In response to this startling reversal. people of all faiths from around the world have Joined together on behalf of those desiring to leave the Soviet Union. The size. diversity. and intensity of this group seems to be increasing all the time. In a unified and persistent votce. many of us have expressed our ..wtrage and total dissatisfaction with the policies of the Soviet Government in this area. And. in spite of the tremendous problems which still face Soviet citizens who apply to emigrate. there have been some positive steps which appear at the very least to have been encouraged by this pressure from outside the Soviet Union. There have been a number of Instances which demonstrate that we do indeed have some influence in this area. Therefore. it is incumbent upon us. Mr. President. to redouble our efforts on behalf of all those in the Soviet Union who are being denied their basic human rights. including the right to emigrate and live in the place of their own choosing. Another encouraging element in this effort today is that in the past. there has been a correlation between levels of emigration from the Soviet Union and relations between the United States and the Soviet Union. In times of positive relations between our two Governments. levels of Soviet emigration have been higher than in times of poor relations. As arms control negotiations resume. we must hope and pray that this pattern will continue and that emigration from the Soviet Union will again increase. While we cannot and should not expect this trend to "solve" the problem at hand. it may indeed mean that the Soviet Union will be even more receptive to expressions from the United States and other countries on behalf of Soviet "refuseniks." Our work. then. in some respects. becomes even more critical. The Call to Conscience Vigil. which is taking place both in the House and in the Senate. is one important way for the United States to serve notice to the Soviet Union that we are aware of this tremendous problem and that we will not rest until it is resolved.
Keywords matched
emigrate emigration