Rochelle Lieberman
and the staff of
elEati.on.
GATEWAY TRAVEL
I J
higher still. In the first six
months of the year, just over
6,000 Soviet Jews left on visas
for Israel, and the monthly
figure has risen steadily from
a litle over 700 in January, to
nearly 1,500 in June.
However, the rise must been
seen within a historical
perspective, which covers
more than just the last two or
three years. Under the leader-
ship of the supposedly liberal
Gorbachev, the annual figure
is only a fraction of the peak
year, 1979, when, under the
more conservative Leonid
Brezhnev, 51,331 Soviet Jews
left on visas for Israel.
Emigration and applica-
tions for exit visas are still
highly problematical as the
Soviet government still only
recognizes the right of Jews to
leave for Israel in order to be
reunited with first-degree
relatives. Demands that they
be allowed to leave to
repatriate to their national
homeland are ignored,
despite Soviet obligation
under international law. If
the requirement of first-
degree kinship is strictly en-
forced, as it was in the first
few weeks of 1988, the path to
emigration will be effectively
blocked to the majority of
Soviet Jews.
While the past year saw the
granting of exit visas to many
veteran refuseniks, among
them the families of Vladimir
Prestin and Vladimir Slepak,
who applied in 1970, and
Yosef Begun, Ida Nudel and
Pavel Abramovich who all ap-
plied in 1971, others are still
being denied permission to
leave. Most notable among
them is Yuli Kosharovsky,
who has now been waiting
more than 17 years for an ex-
it visa for Israel.
As of March 1988, some
2,500 Soviet Jewish families,
about 9,000 people, were
known to have been refused
exit visas at some time and
still to be in the Soviet Union.
This figure of 9,000 does not
include people about whom
no details are available in the
West, and it is estimated that
the true refusenik population
of the USSR is two to three
times that figure.
Many refuseniks continue
to be refused permission to
leave on the grounds that a
member of the family has ac-
cess to classified information
— a ruse, in most cases, to
avoid giving an exit visa to a
certain person or family.
In other cases, while someone
may once have known state
secrets, this was such a long
time ago, in many cases 15,
20 or even more years, that
the claim that such informa-
tion can still pose a threat to
the security of the USSR,
Wish you a Happy and Healthy
New Year
Ly gpoffak' g rzc.
Bridal Gowns and Accessories
Custom Mode and Restyling Clothes
A HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR
TO ALL OUR FRIENDS AND CLIENTS
3 1065 Orchard Lk Rd.
851-5111}
Hunter's Square
lks■
■411
Gateway Travel
GATEWAY TRAVEL
353-8600
Marilyn Gold from
State Farm Insurance,
Wishes Friends & Clients a
Healthy & Happy New Year
THE ROSENS
Wish You All A Happy and Healthy
NEW YEAR
WARMEST WISHES TO
THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY
AND MANY
THANKS FOR
YOUR
CONTINUED
PATRONAGE.
0
P
C
I
A
N
BILL
Formerly in Oak Park
406 Pelissier St.
MICHAEL
at the
Turn left out of tunnel exit
straight thru 1st intersection,
turn left into parking garage.
(519) 977-1188
OPTICAL SHOP
General Motors Bldg., Concourse 233
871-5744
Detroit, Mich. 48202
'-oi
Best Wishes
for a
happy, healthy
New Year
Wishing You and Yours
A Happy and Healthy
NEW YEAR!
HUNTERS SQUARE
TALLY HALL
ORCHARD LAKE AT FOURTEEN MILE
FARMINGTON HILLS, MI • 855-3444
Mon: Sat.
9:30-5:30
Fri. 9:30-8:00
Sun. 12-4
825
„ Woodward Ave.
Motors Lta. pontiac, MI 48053
(313) 332-8000
17 0 IMO
-
Lotus
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
105