Speech #990086344

Mr. President. I rise once again today to make a plea for the estimated 350.000 Soviet Jews who wish to exercise their internationally recognized right to emigrate from the Soviet Union. yet have been refused by the Soviet authorities. The Soviet Union continues to practice a policy of inhibiting the flow of Jewish emigrants for leverage in a game of superpower brinksmanship. This is a contemptible policy that should remain ever present in our minds as we approach the Soviets in the full spectrum of our relations with them. The call to consciencea series of statements by Members of Congress on the subject of Soviet Jewryis a viable way to demonstrate the resolve of the people of the United States. On both sides of the aisle and in both Chambers of Congress. we stand firm in our resolve to plead the case of Soviet Jews who are not permitted to plead on their own. We wish to encourage Soviet Jews in their ongoing struggle against the Soviet authorities who refuse to act favorably on their applications for emigration and who harass them for the practice and teaching of Jewish culture. We also wish to offer them hope that one day they may be able to leave the Soviet Union if they so choose. As Jews all over the world celebrate the Yom Kippur holiday tomorrow. it is indeed tragic that Soviet Jews will endure another day under the yoke of this authoritarianism. In a previous statement on this subject. I made the comment that with a new leader in the Kremlin there may be opportunities to make progress on Soviet Jewish emigration. Today. we find ourselves only 9 short weeks before the first summit meeting between the new leader. Mikhail Gorbachev. and President Reagan. Indeed. this meeting affords the United States and the Soviet Union a great opportunity as well as a great challenge. I am sincerely pleased that President Reagan has affirmed his intention to raise the subject of Jewish emigration as a primary U.S. concern with Mr. Gorbachev in Geneva. The sad fact is that since March 11. 1985. when Mr. Gorbachev became First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. there has been no improvement in the flow of Jewish emigration from the U.S.S.R. After a peak of over 50.000 emigrants in 1979. the number of Soviet Jewish emigrants dropped to 1.000 in 1984 and only 500 in the first half of 1985. Richard Burt. former Assistant Secretary of State and now Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany. reaffirmed the continued intransigence of Soviet authorities on this issue in testimony before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs earlier this year. Many notable Kremlinologists argue that Mr.