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Religious Believers and the New Soviet Emigration

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Religious Believers and the New Soviet Emigration 78 Chronicle for his views on Gorbachev's policy the other people. Yet propaganda of glasnost' and replied with the expounds only one truth. This is following words: detrimental to the cause. I there­ It seems to me that thinking is fore believe that full and truthful either right or wrong. If it is wrong information is very important. then it assesses reality incorrectly, Through truth we reach mutual and if it is right, it understands understanding. From there it is not what reaUty actually is . When so far to universal peace. one people is dealing with another it must know the whole truth about MALCOLM WALKER Religious Believers and the New Soviet Emigration The figures for Jewish emigration The moving sight of Anatoli Shchar­ from the Soviet Union are widely ansky kissing the Western Wall in regarded, especially among the im­ Jerusalem is not repeated by every portant Jewish lobby in the United Jewish emigrant. However, last year States, as a yardstick of current there were a number of Hebrew Soviet attitudes to human rights teachers and religious activists questions. Jewish emigration in 1987 amorig the emigrants, some of them, has been higher than in any year since such as Yulian Edelshtein, formerly the late 1970s. But almost unnoticed, imprisoned for their religious activ­ emigration of ethnic Germans to ity, for whom the dream of being West Germany has jumped, and has allowed to go to the Promised Land now for the first time overtaken has been fulfilled after years of the Jewish figure. Even Armenian campaigning. There was universal emigration has recently increased, joy among the Moscow Jewish com­ passing the 6,000 mark last year. munity when Iosif Begun, also What of the religious aspects of this a recently released prisoner, was :jncreased emigration? There are among a further group of refuseniks several interesting points which come finally given permission to leave. to light on an analysis of these The figures published for the figures. number of Jewish emigrants are, to a The official number for Jews certain extent, a fiction. The Soviet emigrating on Israeli visas in 1987 authorities allow many non-Jews to has reached over 5,400. With a few emigrate to Israel, although they exceptions, they fly to Vienna and know they are not Jewish and are then choose to go to Israfl or to a unlikely·to want to settle there. This third country, usually the United is a convenient face-saving device in States. The proportion choosing Is­ two ways: the authorities can rid rael as a destination has been low - themselves of troublesome dissidents little more than a quarter on average without conceding that non-Jews too - indicating that only a small have the right to leave; and a higher number of those emigrating would than otherwise total improves Jew­ consider themselves religious Jews, ish-American perceptions of the Sov­ wishing to settle in the Holy Land. iet human rights record. One group Chronicle 79 of religious believers who have mutual sympathy between the two recently been able to take advantage groups. of this are Pentecostals, most of Another group of Pentecostals, the them in unregistered congregations, church in the Far Eastern Siberian who have been running a campaign town of Chuguyevka which has for the right to emigrate for many suffered continuous persecution from years. Unregistered Pentecostals are the authorities for many years, has unhappy· about the state's tight been trying to emigrate since 1983. restrictions on the activity of their After. numerous fines, loss of wages, churches, the ban on evangelism and physical assaults and attacks on their religious instruction for children, and property, the authorities finally the discrimination against believers arrested and imprisoned ten of their in jobs and homes. Many of those members, including the pastor, Vik­ involved in the Pentecostal emigra­ tor WaIter. Six remain in detention, tion campaign have been imprisoned, but last year the first hopeful sign of among them leading activists Vasili progress in their battle to leave came and Galina Barats from Moscow, when the Soviets finally allowed the both of whom were released after the first family to leave for West Ger­ February 1987 review of sentences many. Johann Vins and family for those imprisoned on charges of arrived in the West in April, and have "anti-Soviet activity". They estimate been followed by six other families that there are currently 20,000 Pente­ from the church. costals who are actively seeking to The emigration of Soviet Germans leave. The Barats wish to establish to West Germany - and on occasion the principle that anyone may to the GDR - has fluctuated widely emigrate freely from the Soviet over the 'past few years, reaching a Union, and have turned down invita­ low point of 429 in 1985. A total of tions from abroad. However, other 14,262 Soviet Germans emigrated to Pentecostals have emigrated on Is­ West Germany in 1987, a higher raeli visas, thus appearing in the figure than that of Jews and already totals given for Jewish emigrants. approaching the peak years for After many years of footdragging by German emigration of 1976 to 1978. the Soviet authorities, emigration of The Mennonite immigration aid Pentecostals is significantly increas­ office has collected statistics of the ing, and many leading members of religious affiliation of new arrivals in unregistered congregations are among the West German government's refu­ those receiving permission to emigrate. gee camp at Friedland. Just over Former prisoner Eduard Bulakh from 40 per cent declared themselves to be Vilnius was allowed to emigrate with Lutheran, 25 per cent Roman Catho­ his family in March, while Mikhail lic, 18 per cent Baptists. and ten Kopot' from L'vov, an active mem­ per cent Mennonites. Fewer than ber of an unofficial peace movement seven per cent declared themselves to in the Soviet Union, the Group to be non-religious or of other religious Establish Trust Between East and groups. This is a remarkably high West, emigrated with his family in proportion of new arrivals declaring July. The Bulakh family had written themselves to have a religious affilia­ an emigration appeal specifically tion, all the more remarkable in view requesting permission to leave for of the severe restraints imposed on all Israel, comparing the plight of Pente­ denominations of German church costals in the Soviet Union to that of life since the deportation of the the Jewish people in slavery in Egypt Soviet Germans to the East in the under the Pharaohs, and noting the 1930s and 1940s. (It should, however, 80 Chronicle be noted that religious believers are released from labour camp in Feb­ more likely to wish to emigrate to ruary and emigrated to Holland in West Germany than other Soviet September. The Baptist former prison­ Germans since they remain closer to er and Latvian nationalist Janis their German heritage, and have Rozkalns arrived in Vienna with his religious reasons for wanting to leave family on 15 October. With the the Soviet Union.) The number of release in 1987 under amnesty of Mehnonitesis high, and many of many religious prisoners of con­ those declaring themselves to be science from labour camps, the Baptists come from a Mennonite Soviet authorities may have decided background. Those emigrating in­ that it is better to allow them to clude a number of Mennonite emigrate - or to exile them forcibly pastors. Due to the emigration of if necessary - than to allow them to most of their membership, some continue the unauthorised religious Mennonite communities (mainly in activity for which they were origin­ Central Asia) are likely to die out in ally imprisoned. The return of many the next few years. religious activists from camps has The Soviet authorities have also already resulted in an upsurge of allowed a number of religious activ­ unofficial religious activity: the ists and former prisoners to emigrate. Ukrainian Catholic Church, illegal After many years of campaigning since 1946, is gradually coming into Vladimir Khailo, a leading member the open; the Lutheran Church in of an unregistered Baptist congrega­ Latvia has stood up strongly to state tion in the Ukrainian town of Krasny pressure to remove active pastors; Luch, was released in March after and the number of unofficial reli­ more than six years in psychiatric gious and human rights journals has hospital. In August he left the Soviet increased. While not all of this may Union with some of his family for be attributed to the return home of Holland. Ukrainian Catholic activist former imprisoned activists, the Iosyp Terelya, who spent more than authorities have probably decided twenty years in labour camps and that they will have a quieter time psychiatric hospitals for campaigning without them. for the relegalisation of the banned Compiled by members of Ukrainian Catholic Church, was Keston College staff The Catholic Church in Vietnam 1987 has been a significant year for restrictions that this entails. The the fortunes of the Catholic Church severe restraints on the church, which in communist Vietnam. >There are have existed in the north of the signs that the turning point in country since 1954 and in the south church-state relations may have been since the communist victory and reached: the state finally seems to reunification in 1975, curtailed the recognise that the church will not be church's activity, but did not suceed destroyed by persecution, and the in reducing the allegiance of the church, for its part, has come to Catholic population in Vietnam to realise that it must learn to exist in a the church. Indeed, since 1975 the communist society, with all the number of Catholics in the country is .
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