Speech #990038303

Indeed. the repression that Soviet Jews are facing is neither arbitrary nor of limited scope. on the contrary. it is carried out with the utmost vigor. and affects every aspect of their lives. From housing discrimination to denial of the right to fair trail. the Soviet Union is making a concerted effort to wipe out its Jewish population. One of the greatest obstacles currently confronting Soviet Jewry is the repressive emigration policy practiced by the Soviet Government. I feel that this policy is inherently hypocritical. Jewish citizens are forced to endure countless Injustices on a daily basis in what Is ostensibly an attempt to eliminate Jewish religious practices in the Soviet Union. Yet those who seek to leave the country are denied that basic freedom. The authorities have consistently reduced the amount of Jewish emigration from a steady flow to little more than a feeble tricle. The number of exit visas granted has declined from 21.471 in 1980 to 897 in 1984. This governmental action is abominable. I urge not only this body. but the rest of the free world to condemn Soviet emigration policies. As the predicament of Soviet Jews grows steadily worse. it becomes clear that little can be done to combat domestic repression. Only through more open emigra- . tion can we alleviate the plight of Jews and others whose basic freedoms are routinely denied in the Soviet Union. The denials and inflammatory antiSemitic rhetoric that emanate from the Kremlin lead us to recognize the difficulty of such a task. However. the necessity for pressure is immediate. The Soviets have embarked on a program to dissuade potential applicants for visas by resorting to restrictive and often brutal totalitarian tactics. Harrassment of applicants. their families. and families of those who have already emigrated. has included the loss of jobs. conscription into the armed forces. and expulsion from universities and other educational institutions. By putting pressure on the Soviet authorities. we encourage the citizenry not to succumb to such measures. Furthermore. we place the Government in an embarrassing spotlight which it is eager to avoid.