Speech #990005121

Participants in Emergency Action viewed a powerful Soviet television propaganda film which attacked Soviet Jews as agents of the CIA and a Zionist conspiracy. We also ate a symbolic prisoner lunch consisting of black bread and potato soup. We heard firsthand accounts of Soviet represeon of Jews who seek to either freely practice their religion or emigrate to a land which will allow them to do so. Today we pay special tribute to the indomitable spirit of Soviet Jews who face persecution for seeking emigration and justice at home. The overwhelming majority of Jews who apply to emigrate from the Soviet Union are denied permission by the Soviet Government. In fact. the numbers of Jews who have emigrated from the Soviet Union declined from 51.320 in 1979 to just 896 last year. For those fortunate enough to be permitted to leave. months or even years may pass from the day of application to the day of departure. The long emigration process may be marked by constant harassment and conscious bureaucratic delays. especially for activists. To apply. one must submit a variety of documents to the local OVIR [Office of Visas and Registration. a branch of the Ministry of Interior]. The critical one is a Nyzov. or invitation from a relative in Israel. Since 1979. narrow rules determined that this must be a first degree kin. virtually precluding hundreds of thousands of people from receiving the mandatory document. A Soviet Jew might request several invitations before actually receiving one. since authorities often intercept them in the mail. The Helsinki Final Act and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights calls for the easing of the repression of Soviet Jews who simply wish to emigrate. Yet the Soviet Unions record in recent years of this issue is appalling. It seems clear that allowing Soviet Jews to emigrate would not harm the security of the Soviet Government. Rather. it would greatly enhance the likelihood of improved relations between our two nations. There are other dangerous trends occurring within the Soviet state. Not only is the sharp decline in Jewish emigration from the Soviet Union continuing. but with determined brutality. the Soviet Union has refused to allow Jews to live in their homeland with dignity and the freedom to be Jews. We are witnessing an intensification of forced cultural assimilation. an expansion of antiZionist propaganda campaigns and an attempt to sever the Soviet Jewish community from any contact with similar communities abroad. In recent months. scores of private Hebrew teachers have been warned by the police and KGB to stop teaching Hebrew or be severely punished.