When Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev came into power. many of us were hopeful that the change in leadership would facilitate a change in the Soviet Unions systematic denial of basic human rights to Soviet Jews. On the contrary. the repressive measures used by Soviet officials against Russian Jews have increased both in magnitude and severity under the leadership of Gorbachev. The level of Jewish emigration from the Soviet Union has declined 98 percent over the last 6 years. from 51.000 in 1979 to a mere 896 in 1984. Thus far in 1985. 499 Soviet Jews have been permitted to emigrate. with the level reaching a low of 36 people in June. As troubling as these numbers are. they reflect only one portion of the officially sanctioned antisemitic campaign being waged against Soviet refuseniks under Gorbachev. The "AntiZionist Committee of Soviet Citizens." a group founded by Soviet military commander Col. Gen. D.A. Dragunsky. makes the outlandish claim that the problem of Jewish emigration has now been resolved since all Jews who wish to leave the Soviet Union have already done so. The committee has also staged press conferences and assisted in numerous other public efforts aimed at linking Zionists to Nazis. While such measures are obvious examples of the vicious tactics used by Soviet leaders. equally distrubing are the more subtle forms of repression practiced daily against Soviet Jews.
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emigrate emigration