Speech #990171723

Mr. President. I am levels of emigration from the Soviet pleased to take this opportunity to Union and relations between the Join with my colleagues in expressing United States and the Soviet Union. In the concern of the U.S. Congress times of positive relations between our about the fate of Soviet Jewry. Each two Governments. emigration levels of the past 3 years. I have participated have been higher than in times of in the congressional call to conscience poor relations. It will take all of our vigil in order to dramatize the plight hopes and prayers to ensure the conof those who have been denied the tinuance of these peacetime discusright to emigrate or have been impris. sions. oned by the Government of the Soviet There are strong signals being sent Union. I believe that this type of sus- back and forth between the White tained. coordinated effort by Members House and the Kremlin that every of Congress is very effective in letting issue is negotiable. That does offer a the Government know of our deep glimmer of hope. but what is really concern about certain Soviet policies. needed is substantive policy changes. I am tremendously concerned about Even after the Geneva summit. it is the emigration policy of the Soviet difficult to see any real change in the Union. There are so many Soviet citi. policy of Soviet emigration. Nor is zens who have been denied permission there any promise or indication that to leave that country to live with their there will be a more open policy in the families outside the Soviet Union. future. Last year. only 1.140 Jews were These practices of the Soviet Govern- allowed to be free to live in the counment are particularly troublesome be- try of their choosing. cause they are usually related to the I urge the President to press for the religious practices of the citizens in. release of these prisoners of convolved. Persecution against Jews and science. Those citizens who desire to Christians has increased in recent emigrate to a Western democratic months. and we in the United States country should be granted that freemust speak out about this situation. dom. We. as representatives from our As a number of my colleagues and I Nations 50 States. must continue to pointed out in a March 11 letter to our advocate this freedom which every President. antiSemitism is part of the person in every country is entitled to. military indoctrination program in the In my own State of Oklahoma. there Soviet Union. Viewings encouraging are several groups. affiliated with nathis line of thinking are often offer- tional and International organizations. ings of primetime television. also tiosla intnati l r an o under Communist control. The harass- who speak out and actively challenge ment. beatings. arrests and jailings of Soviet policy regarding emigration. mayJews for simply attempting to Furthermore. the release of these many Je for y on tin g o prisoners would enhance the goodwill without any account having to be between our two countries and would given. These people continue to strug- inevitably facilitate the lessening of gle to maintain any semblance of tensions including the ongoing discusJiwish social. religious or cultural life sion of arms control. Mr. President. we while they are trapped in the Soviet do have a stake in this battle. and I Union. always living under the fear of urge my colleagues continuing conbeing discovered. cern to bring Justice to those so unMost of us are aware of the alarming fairly oppressed.e decrease in the number of Jews who have been allowed to emigrate from the Soviet Union during the past few SOCIAL SECURITY COLA years. This type of persecution and * Mr. DAMATO.