Speaker. the Third Congressional Fast and Prayer Vigil for Soviet Jews is a tangible and significant sign of this countrys continued concern for the plight of Soviet Jews. and I am proud to participate in It. We must continue to stress to the Soviet leadership that its treatment of its Jewish citizens violates their human rights. international law. and Soviet treaty agreements. There is a no doubt that 1984 was a bad year for Soviet Jews who wish to emigrate. The Soviet Government granted permission to leave the Soviet Union to only 896 Jews. At the same time. antiSemitic rhetoric has increased dramatically. as has repression against those who choose to practice Jewish tradition or who show interest in their Jewish heritage. Hebrew teachers have been the main targets of this campaign of repression because they are a vital link in the teaching and perpetuation of the Jewish faith. The stories of searches. destruction. and rough treatment by Soviet officials are alarming. The difficulties faced by Soviet Jews wishing to emigrate or to practice their faith in peace are tremendous. The problems are general. but for the people affected. they are also very personal. In an effort to help an individual facing the difficulties of emigration. I have adopted a refusenik. Evgeney Skrynnick. Evgeney is an engineer and a graduate of the Technical Institute in Kalingrad. Evgeney is single and currently lives in Moscow. His mother and sister and her family have emigrated to San Francisco. and his brother is an activist in Moscow. Evgeney applied to emigrate from the Soviet Union in January 1978 and was refused in July 1978. He was refused again in January 1979. The purpose of this vigil and of our efforts on behalf of Soviet Jews is to promote the observance of human rights and freedoms. including the freedom to emigrate. I do not think that the importance of these efforts can be overstated..
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