President. as part of the continuing Congressional Call to Conscience for Soviet Jewry. I want to share a story with my colleagues. loselevich Iakov lives in Leningrad with his family. He and his wife. son and mother first applied for visas to leave the Soviet Union in 1979. His son married a German woman and now lives in the West. but loselevich. his wife and mother have been repeatedly refused permission to leave the country. The official explanation is that Ioselevich used to work for the Radio Ministry. But he left that Job 12 years ago. he never worked on military projects. and the Ministry itself has repeatedly confirmed that there is no reason why he should not be permitted to emigrate. Eleven years after his first request. loselevich and his family are still awaiting a decision which would allow them freedom to live where they choose. Ioselevich Iakov is the victim of a discriminatory and capricious Soviet system directed against Jews who wish to emigrate or who simply wish to live according to their own religion and culture. When I last visited with Soviet refuseniks in July. I was told that their freedom had increased but that Soviet authorities kept the Jewish community offbalance by suddenly withdrawing newly granted liberties.
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emigrate visas