DENIAL OF HUMAN RIGHTS TO JEWS IN THE SOVIET UNION THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AUG 19 19/1 REFERENCE HEARINGS BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON EUROPE OF THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES NINETY-SECOND CONGRESS FIRST SESSION e4-791 MAY 17, 1971 Printed for the use of the Committee on Foreign Affairs SOITED BY THE UNITED STATES OF AMEF COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS THOMAS E. MORGAN, Pennsylvania, Chairman CLEMENT J. ZABLOCKI, Wisconsin L. H. FOUNTAIN, North Carolina RONALD V. DELLUMS, California ROY J. BULLOCK, Staff Administrator SUBCOMMITTEE ON EUROPE* BENJAMIN S. ROSENTHAL, New York, Chairman WAYNE L. HAYS, Ohio CORNELIUS E. GALLAGHER, New Jersey LEE H. HAMILTON, Indiana GUS YATRON, Pennsylvania ROY A. TAYLOR, North Carolina MORGAN F. MURPHY, Illinois PETER H. B. FRELINGHUYSEN, New Jersey J. HERBERT BURKE, Florida CLIFFORD P. HACKETT, Subcommittee Staff Consultant *Includes the European "Captive Nations." (II) CONTENTS LIST OF WITNESSES Klaperman, Rabbi Gilbert, chairman, New York Conference on Koch, Hon. Edward I., a Representative in Congress from the State Schneier, Rabbi Arthur, president, Appeal of Conscience Foundation.. "Time Runs Out for Russia's Jews" reprint of article by Rabbi Arthur Schneier from Look magazine, November 27, 1966. Hon. Jacob K. Javits and Hon. Robert F. Kennedy, insert into Con- gressional Record, February 10, 1965 of speech of Rabbi Arthur Schneier entitled "An Appeal of Conscience on Behalf of Soviet October 18 and 20, 1966, text of the "Appeal of Conscience on Behalf DENIAL OF HUMAN RIGHTS TO JEWS IN THE SOVIET UNION MONDAY, MAY 17, 1971 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS, SUBCOMMITTEE ON EUROPE, The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:40 a.m., in room 2255, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Benjamin S. Rosenthal (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Mr. ROSENTHAL. The subcommittee will be in order. We are very pleased that all of you gentlemen could be with us, and I have a brief opening statement, which I will read, but Congressman Fulton wants to say a word first. Mr. FULTON. I would like to welcome you very heartily, too. We appreciate your progressive thinking and your very thoughtful approach to all these problems, including space. Mr. ROSENTHAL. Millions of Jews are being held as virtual prisoners today in the Soviet Union. Their crime is the faith of their fathers. Today, nine of those Jews are on trial in Leningrad for wanting to leave Russia and emigrate to Israel. We have no way of knowing how many other Soviet Jews wish to emigrate to Israel or to the United States and elsewhere. But we do know the number is great and that as it grows, as more and more Soviet Jews seek emigration visas, more and more find themselves in Soviet jails. And those not thrown in jail are prosecuted and persecuted in other ways. They may find themselves out of a job or demoted or subjected to other forms of retaliation. Soviet refusals to permit international legal observers at the Leningrad trials only increases world suspicion over the validity of the charges and the fairness of the court proceedings. World opinion has been aroused in recent months over this and previous trials of Soviet Jews seeking to go to Israel, and the Kremlin has responded with a slight increase in the trickle of Jews allowed to leave the Soviet Union. One of the purposes of these hearings is to help understand the situation in the Soviet Union in the hopes that not only Jews but all persecuted minorities and others wishing to emigrate from the Soviet Union will be free to do so, and that those who wish to remain in the land of their birth may also do so without fear and may live freely. Pertinent legislation may also suggest itself. One of the basic principles of humanity is that persons should be allowed to come and go as they please, to live in the land of their choice. |