The United States may one day not be able to accommodate all of the Soviet Jews seeking refuge in America, the Reagan administration’s top human rights specialist said here Monday night.
“There may be limits as to the number of Jews allowed to emigrate to the United States, particularly when there is another country of refuge — Israel,” said Richard Schifter, assistant secretary of state for human rights and humanitarian affairs.
Schifter spoke at a dinner honoring Morris Abram, outgoing chairman of the National Conference on Soviet Jewry. The dinner was part of the conference’s annual leadership assembly, which began here Monday night and runs through Tuesday afternoon.
In remarks devoted chiefly to paying tribute to Abram, the assistant secretary noted that during the course of the chairman’s five-year tenure there had been substantial progress in persuading the Soviet to allow more Jews to emigrate.
Noting that the current rate of Jewish emigration is 20 times what it was in January 1987, Schifter said, “The work done over the years under Morris’ direction has paid off.”
But he said that while the struggle to win freedom for thousands of Jews remaining in the Soviet Union continues, the new challenge is “finding a new home for them.”
Saying that the American Jewish community will have to do more to help immigrants adjust to their new lives, including providing better job counseling, Schifter said, “We must reach into our pockets to contribute to this cause.”
NEW APPROACH TO REFUGEES
The assistant secretary made a similar pitch two weeks ago in an appearance at the annual meeting of the Union of Councils for Soviet Jews in Washington. His remarks would appear to signal that the federal government is shifting its approach to refugee relief efforts.
This summer, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow temporarily stopped issuing entry visas for Soviet Jews and other ethnic minorities wishing to immigrate to the United States, saying it had run out of funds earmarked for this purpose.
Rather than immediately ask Congress for additional funding, the Reagan administration began urging private refugee relief organizations to take on more of the burden.
Analysts noted at the time the irony that after pressing the Soviets for years to increase emigration levels, the United States now finds itself in a position of not being able to accommodate all of the newcomers.
Abram did not address this subject in his own remarks, which focused largely on praising the Reagan administration for its strong support for Soviet Jewry and outlining some goals for the future.
The outgoing chairman acknowledged that there had been significant progress since the summit in increasing Jewish emigration.
But he appeared to cast doubts on the significance of reports that the Soviet Union is allowing the opening of various Jewish cultural facilities.
If the Soviets want to demonstrate their good faith about allowing Jewish culture to flourish in the USSR, Abram said, they should repeal all laws restricting the study of Hebrew and permit synagogues and Jewish institutions to be open whenever the communities desire.
Succeeding Abram at the helm of the National Conference is Shoshana Cardin of Baltimore, past president of the Council of Jewish Federations.
While Cardin is not expected to have the same diplomatic clout in Washington that Abram enjoyed, she commands widespread respect and is likely to bring a new level of energy and spirit to the Soviet Jewry movement.
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