It is also a forceful rebuke to those who would argue that the Soviet Union is "just like us." The Soviets oppression of the Jews is particularly poignant at this time. On August 1. we will mark the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Helsinki accords. With this agreement. the Soviets pledged to respect the rights of religious expression and free emigration. This was a solemn promise on the part of the Soviets. but it has been broken time and time again. Jewish emigration from the Soviet Union remains at precipitously low levels. and the ranks of refuseniks in the U.S.S.R. continue to swell. Moreover. the Soviets are waging a growing campaign of antiSemitism. and Individual Jews continue to be singled out for particularly harsh punishment. Let me cite just two examples. In December 1984. Uli Edelshtein was sentenced to 3 years in prison camp after being charged with illegal drug trafficking. Edelshtein had earlier applied unsuccessfully to emigrate to Israel. he is said to have irritated Soviet authorities further by teaching Hebrew without official authorization. Also in December 1984. Yosef Bernstein was sentenced to 4 years in prison for allegedly resisting arrest. Yet. his sole offense was his persistent effort over the past 5 years to emigrate to Israel with his wife. Faina. He is reported to have suffered severe damage to one eye after being attacked by two other inmates upon his arrival at prison.
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emigrate emigration