Situation of the Jewish communities in the Soviet Union
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly debate on 27 September 1980 (13th Sitting) (see Doc. 4580, report of the Committee on Relations with European Non-member Countries). Text adopted by the Assembly on 27 September 1980 (13th Sitting).
- Thesaurus
The Assembly,
1. Recalling its
Resolution 412 (1969) on the situation of the Jewish communities in European non-member countries, its Recommendations 632 (1971), 722 (1974), 778 (1976), and
Resolution 679 (1978), on the situation of the Jewish community in the Soviet Union ;
2. Noting that there is considerable variation in the situation of the small Jewish communities in Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland and Romania, but that there are no serious problems except in Czechoslovakia where the elementary rights of the national and religious minorities are denied ;
3. Considering that attention is rightly focused on the Soviet Union where, in spite of the emigration of more than 220 000 Jews permitted over the last ten years, the world's second-largest Jewish community, numbering more than two million, is to be found ;
4. Considering that high hopes of Soviet compliance with her undertaking in the Helsinki Final Act to facilitate freer movement of persons were raised by the issuing of emigration visas to more than 51 000 Jews in 1979 ;
5. Considering that the very survival of the Helsinki spirit requires that the humanitarian provisions of the Final Act should not be affected by world political tensions ;
6. Deeply concerned that this year's monthly emigration figures fell by August to less than a quarter of the totals recorded in 1979, apparently caused by new restrictive criteria for family reunification, justifying fears that the doors to emigration may be closing,
7. Appeals to the Soviet Government :
7.1 to accelerate the processing of applications for visas with a view to eliminating the backlog before the Madrid CSCE meeting, since the present trend contradicts the spirit and letter of the Helsinki Final Act ;
7.2 to contribute to a serene atmosphere in Madrid by releasing those in prison because of their efforts to exercise their right to emigrate and to be united with their families, including Anatoly Shcharansky, Ida Nudel and Joseph Mendelevich ;
7.3 to cease all racial discrimination, and implement the UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education, notably by ceasing to diffuse racially inspired propaganda and by extending provision for the teaching of Jewish languages ;
8. Calls upon members of the Assembly to intervene in their national parliaments and with their governments, a. to press for Soviet compliance with the Helsinki Final Act and b. to ensure that these matters are raised at the Madrid meeting.
