That is perhaps the most frustrating aspect of our efforts to fight repression of Soviet Jews: the thick. unresponsive wall of the Soviet bureaucracy. We in Congress join the President and other American leaders in making frequent calls to Soviet leaders to stop the oppression of Soviet Jews. But our requests that the Soviets reopen the doors of emigration which were. in effect. closed tightly in 1984. seem to go unheeded. usually. the only response is silence. I am here today to remind my colleagues that our efforts are worth it. Jewish emigration totals have plummeted from more than 50.000 in 1979 to just 1.138 last year. The stories of refuseniks trampled upon by Soviet authorities for their desire to emigrate continue to reach the West. These facts give us all the more reason to redouble our efforts on behalf of Soviet Jews. The example of Anatoly Shcharansky. who languished in prison for 8 years until his sudden release a few months ago. should inspire us to continue our pressure on Soviet authorities.
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emigrate emigration