Speech #990231460

The Fainberg family is only one of thousands of families who have been the victims of antiSemitism in the Soviet Union. Since the start of 1980. the number of Soviet Jews permitted to leave the Soviet Union has fallen drastically. In 1979. over 51.000 emigration visas were issued. but since then the exit visas given have dropped to less than 100 a monthvirtually a complete stoppagewhile between 400.000 and half a million Jews are still waiting. In order to stem the flow of new applications. the Soviet authorities have produced one restriction after another. For example. in Leningrad. only one application a day is processed. In some towns. a Jewish family must receive an invitation to immigrate to Israel from a relative of the first degree. namely. father. mother. brother. sister. son or daughter. If the entire family is in the Soviet Union. this makes it almost impossible for their emigration request to be accepted. Since 1981. the Soviet Post Office has delivered very few of the invitations sent to Soviet Jews by their relatives in Israel. Thus. hundreds. probably thousands. of Soviet Jews are waiting for the necessary papers to apply for exit visas. General antiSemitism continues to increase. The antiZionist committee of the Soviet public was established on March 31. 1983 and since then has encouraged meetings in schools. factories and institutes throughout the country of the theme of "Jewish traitors denouncing Jews and their desire to immigrate to Israel. Individual Refuseniks are shown and named on TV where they are accused of betraying their motherland. The "army trap" continues to threaten many young Jews who have waited for exit visas and are now approaching military age. Any Jewish boy who serves in the Soviet Army is classified as a "security risk" and may be refused an exit visa on those grounds alone. Some Soviet Jews have waited more than 20 years after being released from the army and are still being refused visas on this pretext. Due to the growing difficulty any Soviet Jew has in obtaining a place at a university. parents with young children are now faced with the choice of applying to leave and possibly condemning their sons to the "catch22" situation or seeing them grow up without any chance of further education. The Fainberg family represents 15.000 refuseniks and 400.000 Jews who are not activists or dissidents. but rather just want their basic right to emigrate. The Fainbergs represent thousands of Jewish families who have been so unjustly treated. Now with some movement in the international scene. Soviet Jews are waiting to see whether they can hope for more emigration and a brighter future or whether they must withstand more attacks. more intimidation with little chance of freedom for themselves or their children. At this time it is especially important that we demonstrate our continued concern for human rights in the Soviet Union. In the anticipation of another meeting between President Reagan and General Secretary Gorbachev.