Two national Jewish organizations said Wednesday they were heartened by reports from Moscow that 400 Jews will have been allowed to leave the Soviet Union by the end of March, but stressed their reservations over whether this “welcome step” signified a meaningful change of policy or a gesture aimed at improving the Soviet image.
Alan Pesky, chairman of the Coalition to Free Soviet Jews, noted that since prominent refusenik Natan Sharansky was free from prison and allowed to leave for Israel in February 1986, there have been a number of “heartening developments,” such as the release from prison of Iosif Begun and the exit permission granted long-time refusenik David Goldfarb.
Nevertheless, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev “has been able to reap a public relations windfall while actually giving very little in return,” Pesky said. Ruth Popkin, national president of Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, also hailed the granting of exit visas to 400 Soviet Jews this month.
“We sincerely hope that this action reflects a significant change in the Soviet Union’s long-standing policy of repression of its Jewish citizens and is more than an illusory and politically motivated ploy to improve its relations with the United States in the pursuit of its own ends,” Popkin said. “Time, and the release of additional Soviet Jews, will tell,” she added.
‘TRUMPED-UP CHARGES’
Pesky noted that while only three Jews remain political prisoners in the USSR, “They are there on trumped-up charges, as were all Jewish prisoners held captive solely because of their desire to emigrate to Israel.”
He said “the Soviet emigration policy has the effect of denying the right to emigrate to some 400,000 Jews” who have asked to leave for reasons other than family reunification, “including repatriation to Israel.” Therefore, “mere numbers are not enough. There must be normalization of the Soviets’ emigration procedures.”
Popkin congratulated the new emigrants who will be reunited with family and friends in time for the Passover holidays next month. “We look forward to the time when all Soviet Jews will celebrate Passover in freedom,” she said.
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