Mr. Speaker. for 10 years Members of this Chamber have risen in the conscience vigil to remind ourselves and the world of the plight of Soviet Jews. Today I reintroduce the case of a man who has sought to practice his religion. preserve his culture and emigrate to Israel. For seeking to realize these desires. losif Begun [pronounced YOsef BehGOON] was sent first to internal exile. then to hard labor camp. and now to prison. Fifteen years ago. in 1971. losif Begun first applied to emigrate to Israel. The Soviet authorities response to his application was to remove him from his post as senior research fellow at the Moscow Central Scientific Research Institute for Economic Problems. He could no longer find work in his field. applied mathematics. losif Begun petitioned the Soviet authorities to allow him and others to teach Hebrew. which he considered a vital means of transmitting Jewish culture.
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emigrate