— The National Conference on Soviet Jewry (NCSJ), reported today that 789 Jews left the Soviet Union in November 1980, a decline of 81.2 percent over the some period for 1979. Burton Levinson, chairman of the NCSJ, in releasing the figures noted that “in the eleven months of 1980 a total of 20,582 Jews left the USSR as compared to 47,175 in the same period in 1979. This means a decline of 56.4 percent for the year, to date.”
“At a time when East and West European nations are meeting in Madrid to review the Helsinki Accords, including the emigration of Soviet Jews, and other Moscow continues to test Western resolve,” Levinson said. “The emigration of Soviet Jews is one instance of this test. I am certain that our government and others will meet that test and that the American Jewish community and is supporters will do the same. In the meantime, however, thousands of innocent people are suffering even as the Soviet Union claims to have a humane’ emigration policy.”
According to the NCSJ the total number of Jews leaving the USSR in 1980 will be less than 50 percent of 1979. It is not expected to be more than 22,000.
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