I gained firsthand experience with this inconsistent behavior. which causes the hopes of many to be tempered with the understanding that these Soviet concessions represent just the tip of the iceberg. The facts are widely known that of the 2.5 million Jews in the Soviet Union. 400.000 have taken steps to leave. At least 15.000 to 20.000 of these individuals have been repeatedly denied permission to emigrate. While 250.000 Jews were allowed to leave the Soviet Union during the 1970s. only 1.000 a year or less have been granted exit visas since 1984. The following is an account of my May 22 to May 27 mission to the Soviet Union. We met with Jews who gather outside a synagogue within walking distance of the Kremlin and KGB headquarters in Moscow to meet westerners and tell their tales of denied emigration and persecution. Many have lost their jobs because they applied to emigrate. Others have even been threatened with imprisonment. I am told by an elderly Jewish man that young Jews are wary of coming to the synagogue to worship for fear of being recognized by Soviet KGB agents.
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emigrate emigration visas