Operation Exodus. One of the pleasant results of the thawing of the Cold War is that Jews are now able to leave the Soviet Union as never before. That is not to say that all obstacles to emigration have been removed for Soviet Jews. indeed. we in Congress must continue in our call for the Soviet Union to formally adopt emigration legislation which has been repeatedly delayed by the government of the Soviet Union. Yet now that the emigration flood gates within the Soviet Union have begun to swing open. we must not assume that the cause of Soviet Jewry is extinct. Rather we. as advocates of freedom must begin to shift our emphasis toward seeing to the needs of the emigres as they reach their destinations and attempt to lead new productive lives. I am proud to say that Operation Exodus. which has played such an important advocacy role in pressuring the Soviet government to open its borders to Jews desiring to leave. has already begun to make its mark on the now challenge. On Tuesday. June 26. 1990. in my home city of Sacramento. Operation Exodus raised over $750.000 to be used to assist newly emigrated Soviet Jews. I would like to especially call to my colleagues attention the efforts of Steve and Linda Merksamer. who organized this benefit. Mr. Speaker. the rise of antiSemitism in the Soviet Union. the continuation of "Poor Relatives" and other discriminatory policies. and the refusal of the Soviet Union to implement an Exit/Entry Law all continue to dictate the need for Operation Exodus. But more importantly. the success of groups such as Operation Exodus in Increasing emigration from the Soviet Union mandates a continued need for humanitarian assistance such as that raised In Sacramento earlier this week. I commend Operation Exodus for Its responsiveness to the needs of a distressed segment of the world population. and I wish it continued success in maintaining a bright future for the cause of Soviet Jewry.
Keywords matched
emigration emigrated