Speech #990013254

Jewish cemetarles are desecrated. and the teaching of Hebrew Is banned. With the establishment in 1983 of the AntiZionist Committee the U.S.S.R. became the first country since Hitlers Germany to officially sanction antiSemetism. Forbidden the freedom to express their cultural identity and practice their religion. many Jews seek to emigrate. Once they apply for exit visas. most find that that too is a crime. They often lose their jobs. become social outcasts. get drafted into military service. or even imprisoned. One wellknown refusenik. Lev Elbert. was recalled to reserve duty at age 35. When he asked that he not be exposed to classified information so that knowledge of state secrets would not prevent him from obtaining permission to emigrate. he was Jailed for draft evasion and sentenced to 1 year in a labor camp. The Soviets usually deny the right to emigrate on the basis that the irdividuals emigration Is not "in the interest of the 3ovit Union." If world opinion is important to the Soviet Government. and if adhering to their own international agreements is a consideration for Soviet diplomacy. then guaranteeing human rights. be it the freedom to practice religion or the freedom to emigrate. is always in the interest of the Soviet Union. Today there are between 5.000 and 10.000 Jewish refuseniks who have been waiting over 10 years to be released. Yvengia Utevskaya and Alexandr Yudbovorsky are two of tl . more fortunate ones. their wait was only 4 years. Both are civil engineers. and both were prohibited from working in their field. Out of the Soviet Union only 2 months. they are as unaware as we as to how the Soviet Government selects the few that are granted exit visas. They were turned down several times as their departure was not in the interest of the Soviet state. Although their application had not changed. the final time it was submitted they were granted emigration privileges. Today they live in freedom. united with their family in Israel. In his eulogy of Constantin Chernenko.