Sen. Henry M. Jackson (D.Wash.), indicated today that there is a long, hard road ahead before Soviet Jews will be given the freedom to emigrate but promised, “we won’t let them down.” Jackson made his comments upon receiving the Gold Medal of the Judaic Heritage Society which cited him “for his fight for the freedom of Russian Jews.”
Speaking extemporaneously, Jackson said: “I assure you, we had some rough going and we’ll have more of it, but we will keep the faith. This is a protracted thing. It won’t be realized finally for a long time. I’m confident that by maintaining a steady course, inevitably we’ll win out, “We’ll do all we can in our quest to find a way. I am sure we will make it possible for people who want to leave–in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights–to do so. We won’t let you down.”
The medal was presented to the Senator by Robert Webber, president of the Judaic Heritage Society. The last time it was presented to a member of Congress–in 1971–the recipient was the then Rep. Gerald Ford (R.Mich.), Republican Minority Leader in the House of Representatives.
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