Speech #990252411

Both are directly related to Mikhail Manevich. the cantor at Temple Emanuel. and his wife. Ema. Their cases typify the plight of the 400.000 Soviet Jews awaiting permission to emigrate. The David Karlin family of Leningrad was first refused exit visas in 1976 on the false grounds that Mr. Karlin knew state secrets. The family has been applying for the last 10 years. but have been repeatedly denied. In 1978. the Karlins submitted an American invitation sent directly from their son. a U.S. citizen. but were refused and told never to apply for an exit visa with an invitation from the United States. Officials then ignored them when they sought an appointment to receive an explanation. Mr. Karlin was dismissed from his job as a financial administrator of a Leningrad electronics company in 1974 when his brother applied for an exit visa. He was unemployed for 6 months. finally finding a job as a law teacher at a school for professional truck drivers. This job ended when the Soviets told him he couldnt teach Soviet students if he had applied to emigrate. He was then unemployed for 2 years. until he found a job working for the State insurance agency. Although in 1978 Mr. Karlin was told that he would be cleared of all the secrets in 5 years. the Karlins were again refused exit visas in January 1986. Vjacheslav. Irma. and Ilja Manevich have applied to emigrate since 1980. The Soviet Government most recently refused to grant them exit visas in February 1986. They were told that because Innas parents do not wish to emigrate. their family would be required to stay in the Soviet Union. The irony here is that all of the Manevich family. with the exception of those just mentioned. now live in the West. After their first application.