NEWS • 65 REFINANCE YOUR MORTGAGE AND SAVE! Soviets Proven Blatant Violators On Helsinki Human Rights Accords BY DEBORAH K. SCHLUSSEL On June 3, 1976, the United ical training is non-existent, due an anti-Zionist committee in the Soviet public." So much for States, Canada, and all Euro- to no other reason than the fact human rights, civil liberties, pean nations, with the exception that it is not permitted by the and freedom in the Soviet of Albania, ended a series of Soviet government. Therefore, it long discussions on issues by is not surprising that these syn- Union. signing the Helsinki Accords. agogues are run by "rabbis" who The human rights community This six-page document details are actually trained and regis- would be better advised to fol- compliance with and monitoring tered KGB agents appointed by low the advice of Dr. Andrei of certain human rights, eco- the Soviet authorities to monitor Sakharov, who warned that nomic, scientific, cultural ex- Jewish activity. or even the hint of Jews who engage in any reli- "Weakness, change, and security issues. weakness and vulnerability to gious activity must do so clan- Human rights, one of the major blackmail, is inconsistent with components of the Helsinki Ac- destinely, for if they are caught the defense of human rights and cords, is described in detail. By practicing religion, they will be can lead to tragic consequences." signing this document, the sig- arrested, detained, interrogated, The time has come for the natories pledged civil liberties imprisoned, and quite often, United States to come to grips and free emigration to all of never seen again. with the violations of the Soviet Soviet Jews have been beaten Union. Such acts of evil cannot their citizens and visitors. and arrested for teaching He- The Soviet Union, one of the for the good of the Jewish people major parties to the Helsinki brew, and KGB raids on homes and other minority groups Accords, is also one of the most have increased in recent within the Soviet Union, and for blatant violators of human months. Psychiatric hospitals the good of the word and man- rights in the world. By signing and mental institutions are kind, remained unthwarted. the Helsinki Accords, the being used to silence the dissent Soviets formalized their com- of the refuseniks, and many mitment to certain policies gov- Jews are being incarcerated in erning emigration and concern- prisons and concentration ing human rights. However, camps. Ex-refusenik Yosef Men- they have apparently taken this delevich stated that, without a Ref usenik's Day with' a grain of salt. Perhaps the doubt, anti-Semitism in the In Labor Camp Soviets do not view emigration Soviet Union is on the same and human rights with the seri- level as that of Nazi Germany BY JEFFREY SELIK ousness that we do, but nonethe- before the Holocaust. This constant anti-Semitism Every morning I wake up less, they must be held account- able by the treaties that they coupled with decreasing oppor- after having the same dream have signed, or else, what is the tunities for higher education night after night. I dream I am purpose of negotiating any other and professional positions has on a big airplane en route to treaties with them. One-sided prompted more and more Jews America, the land of freedom. agreements are useless and in to seek emigration from the Then all of a sudden, reality vain, and once one party breaks USSR. At first, only the less- hits me like a knife in my heart. I am shivering in my bed in my its end of the bargain, the whole barrack, a prisoner in a Soviet deal is void. labor camp. The Soviet Union was also a I'm so hungry, yet I know sponsor of and signed the U.S. Jews who engage in these sharp pains in my Declaration of Human Rights. any religious ' stomach will not disappear as This is a 30-page document long as I must remain here. I which elaborately details the activities must do so long for a decent meal, but I various human rights and free- clandestinely. realize that the chances for my doms by which they, the other release are unlikely. I will soon parties and sponsors involved, eat what they refer to as break- and all members of the United fast. I will have a hard wedge of Nations Assembly were to abide. bread and a small cup of Not unlike the Helsinki Ac- assimilated Jews living in Cen- black Asia, the Caucasus, and the spoiled milk. After "breakfast" I cords, this document highlights tral tried to leave, but in- begin another day of hard labor. and affirms the most fundamen- Baltics There are so many things I assimilated Jews liv- tal human rights: liberty of creasingly, want to learn about, but there is ing in the Slavic republics, espe- thought, conscience, and faith; cially in the RSFSR (Russia Re- no one here to teach me about the exercise of civil and political public) and the Ukraine have them. It is important to me to rights; and the rights of applied to emigrate. This is sig- learn all about my Jewish heri- minorities. Also not unlike the nificant, for it appears that life tage and without that informa- Helsinki Accords, the Soviet in the Soviet Union is becoming tion, I feel like there is a large Union has clearly and profusely intolerable for more and more void in' my life. I want to know violated the U.N. Declaration of Jews, even those who do not about other countries and the Human Rights. Not only does identify with being Jewish. people that live in them. I the Soviet Union deny its citi- These assimilated Jews had dream of the time that I can zens any civil liberty, but it also been loyal proponents of the visit these places as a free man refuses its citizens their right to soviet way of life. My mother told me that when emigrate from this oppressive Emigration has declined from she was a girl, she went to a country so that they may prac- a peak in 1979, to 896 party. She said she had a good tice freedom elsewhere. The fol- in 1984, of a 51,000 drop of over 98 peir-' time. I have never been to a on will further elaborate lowing cent. The figures for the first 11 party before, but the best time I a few of the various human months of this year (1985) ever had was the time I was rights violations committed by amount to almost nothing in sick and L couldn't work for two the Soviet Communist dictator- terms of emigration. They are as days. ship. When I became 13 years old, I January-61, February- The major ethnic group af- follows: March-97, April-166, May- wanted so very much to be bar fected by 'this dictatorial domi- 88, June-36, July-174, August- mitzvahed. Unfortunately, I nation is the Soviet Jewish 51, 29, September-93, October-124 couldn't. I know that it is not population. Jewish cultural and and November-128, for a sum possible here, but I won't be a religious expression has long total of 647. The Soviets respond real man or a real Jew until I been restricted, and there are by saying that many Jews have can. It hurts so much to want apparent Soviet obstacles to its been wrongly influenced by something so badly but to be preservation. There are no He- "Zionists." Hostile Zionist prop- denied my heritage. brew or Yiddish schools, and aganda, they maintain, has de- Soon it will be time for Hebrew and Yiddish publica- ceptively lured many Soviet dinner. 'Then I will go to bed, tions and language instruction Jews to Israel from the USSR. and dream my same dream, just are extremely limited, if not al- On March 31, 1983, the Soviet to wake up in the morning to ready obsolete. Less than 60 press reported "the formation of the chill of reality. synagogues remain, and rabbin- , , ■•■ iriday'Yehitle) ,'. 19116' Mortgage Rates Are The Lowest in Years! Save Money on Your Monthly Payments. 24-Hour Approval on Most Applications. 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