I want to turn my attention for a moment to the plight of Soviet Jewry. I concentrate on Soviet Jews for they form one of the largest Jewish communities in the world. and because they suffer badly from the neglect. nonobservance. and outright violation of their rights and freedoms. both as individuals and as a community. While one of the basic rights guaranteed under the Helsinki accords is the right to leave and to facilitate family reunification. the Soviets have hampered emigration. This is demonstrated by the existence of thousands of refuseniks and the continuing drop in emigration. Not only do the Soviets block emigration but they engage .in a concerted campaign of harassment of applicants for family reunion. Applicants lose their jobs and cannot find any work leading to impoverishment and the threat of a charge of parasitism. They are thrown out of universities and are deprived of academic standing.
Keywords matched
family reunification emigration