More that 100.000 people are expected to gather for this occasion at Dag HammarskJold Plaza opposite the United Nations building. In this international setting. these participants will express as one voice their message of hope and solidarity for the almost 3 million Soviet Jews who are denied their rightful freedoms. Since 1979. the number of Jewish citizens granted emigration rights has plummeted almost 98 percent. from a peak of 51.320 to a low of 896 last year. The figures for this year are even grimmer. especially in light of new Soviet regulations making the emigration process more complicated. In addition. the Soviet government has. in the past year. stepped up its official antiSemitism campaign by arresting Jewish Hebrew teachers and cultural activists on fabricate( criminal charges. The list of Soviet Jews who long to practice theirreligious and cultural beliefs in the open is mounting daily. There are currently more than 20.000 Soviet Jews who have become refusniks. among them some who have been refused emigration vizovs for 15 years. In addition. 400.000 others have begun the lengthy application process to emigrate but have not yet received final word. These people await In anguish and frustration for permission to live in a country free from religious oppression. .We in the United States. as the symbol of freedom for the rmst of the world. cannot ignore the determination and courage of these people. We must take every opportunity to ally ourselves with them and to give them strength when their own wanes.
Keywords matched
emigrate emigration