The U.S. Senate commemorated Soviet Jews’ struggle for freedom.
Amid concerns of rising violence against Jews in the former Soviet Union, the Senate last Friday passed a resolution commemorating the 40-year fight for freedom.
Oppressed Jews in the Soviet Union began to push to be allowed to leave in 1967, leading to a mass movement in America for freedom for Soviet Jews. The movement culminated in a 250,000-person march on the National Mall in Washington on Dec. 6, 1987, before then-President Ronald Reagan’s summit with Mikhail Gorbachev.
Since that time, 1.5 million Jews have been allowed to leave the former Soviet Union, though 1 million still remain.
The Senate resolution, sponsored by Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn), joins a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives sponsored by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) in calling for recognition of the 20th and 40th anniversary of these milestones.
Anti-semitic incidents in Ukraine, Belarus and the former Soviet Union have spiked of late.
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