I recently tray :-d to the Soviet Union and met with Soviet leaders. When the issue of Soviet Jews was raised. the standard Sovi t answer was simply that it Is an internal issue. But the Soviets themselves are not treating emigration as an internal issue. The Soviet Government is clearly trying the emigration of Soviet uews to the state of overall United StatesSoviet relations. A fiftyfold decrease in emigration by Soviet Jews will not foster detente. however. and the Sovi ets must realize that tlhe issue ol human rights cannot and must not be tied to other issues. Religious freedom is not a United StatesSoviet issue. But .-that we can do and must do is to continue to speak out. We must speak with a united voice to let the Soviet Union know that we are watching their treatment of Soviet Jews. and to tell them that we will continue to press for increased freedom of emigration in the Soviet Union. The Soviets must also realize that It is in their best interests to allow Soviet Jews to practice their faith openly and to teach their children as they wish. If the Soviet Union will not allow religious freedom. and will not open its borders. It should at least accord Jews the same limited freedom to practice as other religions now have. such as Moslems. Baptists. the Russian Orthodox. and Lutherans. There are some 400.000 Soviet Jews now trying to emigrate. Several million more suffer discrimination and cannot practice their faith openly. The Soviet Jewish community is the third largest in the world. behind the United States and Israel.
Keywords matched
emigrate emigration