A prominent Moscow Journalist. Lev Kronegev. has referred to Soviet Jews as nonpatriots. bourgeois and even accused them of being nonpersons. We are all very conscious of the fact that the Soviet Government has drastically reduced the emigration opportunities for its Jewish citizens. In 1979. Soviet Jewish emigration peaked at 51.320. Last year. the total number of Soviet Jews allowed to emigrate was a mere 896. This drop is largely attributable to new restraints placed on those desiring to leave the Soviet Union. For the first time. applicants are required to submit an invitation from a firstdegree relative who is living in Israel. Potential emigrees also face the intimidation of seeing others who have applied to leave harshly treated. chastized. and imprisoned on insufficient charges such as vagrancy. hooliganism. and antiSoviet activity. One such example is the case of Leonid Lubman. Leonid applied for emigration in 1976. His request was denied that same year. No reason was offered by the Soviet Government for this denial. Shortly after Leonid applied to emigrate to Israel. the KGB searched his home and took his Hebrew books. After he applied. he lost his position at work. he was chastized sharply. and was labeled a traitor. Leonid wrote a book about the economic problems of his country and gave it to a student to take to the West to be published.
Identified stereotypes
Soviet Jews are referred to as nonpatriots and bourgeois.