For the moment at least. some long suppressed books are being printed and more books from abroad are being made available to the public. Restrictions on Jews entering Institutions of higher learning have been eased. Emigration has increased dramatically since 1986. with an estimated 8.000 Jews likely to be allowed to leave by the end of this year. Almost as many Jews left the Soviet Union this June as in all of last year. Like our progress in arms control negotiations. these Improvements in human rights are encouraging. Unfortunately. however. this promising policy of "glasnost" also has a dark side: At least one antiSemitic group has sprung up and is enjoying great freedom to harass Jews. Promises of more freedom to train rabbis and the young. especially in Hebrew. have not yet been fulfilled. Most new applications for emigration are denied. except to the childien and parents of those who have already emigrated. The Soviet Government has clamped down on regional ethnic groups out of fear that more autonomy for them could undermine ethnic Russian culture. The Soviet people remain uninformed of their Governments actions. For example. they still do not realize the extent of their countrys involvement in Afghanistan. even though casualties there are mounting. Despite the recent increases in emigration. the process required to secure permission to leave the Soviet Union continues to be a painful and drawnout ordeal for Soviet Jews. Compared to the tens of thousands who would like to leave. this years rate of emigration represents only a trickle. The courageous efforts of Soviet Jews to emigrate have a personal significance for me and many other Members of Congress. All of us have been moved by stories of individuals struggling to leave the Soviet Unionwhether to rejoin their families. to practice their religions. to find meaningful work. or just to enjoy the freedoms of Western democracies. In my case.
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