The Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry charged that the American Jewish Congress’ support of the Humphrey-Dole-Finley Bill, which seeks to extend agricultural trade credits to the USSR in defiance of the Jackson Amendment, is “ill-timed at best and lacking in understanding of the thrust of Jackson’s legislation.”
The SSSJ stated: “We cannot imagine how the USSR is to be rewarded with trade credits for a small, artificial rise in emigration figures precisely at a moment when human rights activist Yuri Orlov has been harshly sentenced, Anatoly Shcharansky may be in the dock for his life, leading refusniks Vladimir and Maria Slepak and Ida Nudel face five years’ imprisonment on false charges, and former Prisoner of Conscience losif Begun has been rearrested.
“The thrust of the Jackson Amendment is to ease the process of emigration, “the SSSJ said.”The anti-Semitic campaign in the USSR has become so vicious and the application process so difficult in many cities that soon most Jews might well fear to or not even be able to apply to leave.” The SSSJ said “the Jackson legislation, passed by the overwhelming majority of Congress, should be reviewed, but only when the Kremlin makes an honest move to freer emigration.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
