4802 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS March 22, 1988 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS THE SO-CALLED JEWISH Therefore, the discussion in our press agents of Western intelligence. When it PROBLEM IN THE U.S.S.R. about the activity of the "Pamyat Society," comes to this problem, our newspapers which has been in existence since May 1987, cannot take a step without using threats. is remarkable for the strange paralysis and Thus, Orarefiev and Strokov in Vecher­ HON. JOHN EDWARD PORTER avoidance of the Jewish question. There is naya Moskva threaten the Jew with charges OF ILLINOIS an impression that "someone" or "some­ under Article 7 4 of the Criminal Code of the thing" is not permitting the discussion on a RSFSR: "Breach of national and racial IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES level which could help people work out their equality." Tuesday, March 22, 1988 own clear attitude on the problem which The anonymous author, who perhaps can be based on complete understanding. It forgot that the letter of the "Initiative Mr. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, 60 years ago is evident that to achieve such a clear atti­ Group" was published in Vechernaya millions of Jews were murdered. And, for too tude, it is necessary to arrive at a true pres­ Moskva, wrote that in this letter, the activi­ long, the world was left unaware because no entation of the situation. ty of some leaders of "Pamyat" are identi­ one came forward to reveal the atrocities The problem cannot be formulated clearly fied as the official opinion of the authori­ being committed. Today, hundreds of thou­ before there is an end to the assertion that ties. There is nothing of the kind in this sands of Jews and other innocent citizens the Jewish question does not exist in the letter, in fact just the opposite is true-the suffer in the Soviet Union. Many people are USSR and until there is an end to the de­ "Initiative Group" was looking for a dia­ imprisoned, held in exile, or institutionalized, fense of manifestations of social anti-Semi­ logue with the authorities. This inane state­ tism as being atypical. ment is an invention of the author of the Iz­ solely because of their religious beliefs or But "Pamyat" is not the only issue: It vestia, the same as his statement about desire to leave their country. Many Soviet citi­ must be understood that the political situa­ state anti-Semitism, though in the last case zens suffer from serious illnesses and are tion in our country is unstable. he perhaps knows better. He declared the being denied passage to the West for treat­ This is not the place to discuss the pros­ official position in the following way: "We ment. pects of the development of the present sit­ are internationalists-our attitude toward Pam Cohen, President of the Union of uation; these prospects may be as unclear to both anti-Semitism and Zionism is equally Councils for Soviet Jews, recently sent me the higher authorities as they are to us. negative." But the same attitude toward translation of an open letter about the so­ For our letter, the following is important: anti-Semitism and Zionism is achieved by In the existing instability, aggressive Rus­ juggling the text and as a result, the good called Jewish problem in the Soviet Union. sian nationalism-the manifestations of word "internationalism" is compromised. This letter was written by seven non-Jewish which are not limited to "Pamyat"-aspires Anti-Semitism is a hatred towards Jews intellectuals, some of them associated with to become a real political force and suggests who are considered to be the source and tool dissident human rights movements in the its own national-socialist version of "peres­ of all kinds of evil. This hatred is molded in U.S.S.R., and sent to Mr. Yakovlev, Secretary troika." In such a situation, Soviet Jews various forms and takes various mythical of the Central Committee of the C.P.S.U., and have reason to be apprehensive. and ideological covers. It applies in many four Soviet newspapers. This document em­ It is important to note also, that even the pseudo-rational arguments. We know the phasizes not the human and civil aspects of part of our society which strives for demo­ Hellenistic myth about the "stinky Jews­ cratic change has no clear moral position on man haters." For centuries the myth about the Jewish problem in the U.S.S.R., but rather the national question. the Jews as murderers of God and ministers the danger threatening the mere existence of From Vechernaya Moskva, September 7, of the devil was also illuminated in Christi­ the Jewish community by the growing anti­ 1987 and September 8, 1987, we learned that anity. Inside Christianity, nearly all the semitism in that country. Ispolkom Mossoveta <Moscow municipality) ideas and slogans of religious and secular Mr. Speaker, I am inserting this letter in the forbade the meeting against anti-Semitism. anti-Semitism were formed piece by piece. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, as a statement Of [Ed. note: Planned to be held in Moscow on "Jewish usury," condemned by the Catholic concern and a demonstration of a painful September 13, 1987.1 Reading the text we Church, became "World Jewish plutocracy" lesson history has taught us, and urge my col­ felt shame. The appeal of the "Initiative and later "domination by Zionist capital." Group" which was published in Vechernaya The German national-Socialists, whose leagues to read it carefully. We must not Moskva was a bitter reproach to us because anti-Semitism was based on biological con­ remain silent during times of trouble. we, non-Jews, were not the initiators of this cepts of the nation, considered the Jews as UNION OF COUNCILS FOR SOVIET JEWS, struggle against anti-Semitism. But we were creators of both capitalism and bolshevism. Washington, DC. silent and our silence creates a shameful sit­ Zionism is the movement of the Jewish <The following letter was written in the uation for us when we're forced to take the people to their own state. Sometimes this fall of 1987 and transmitted to Dr. Lev lead in the struggle against social anti-Semi­ movement may be intertwined with Messi­ Utevsky in Israel by former Prisoner-of­ tism. And what is written about this in the anic hope. After the State of Israel was cre­ Conscience, Dr. Roald Zelichonok. It was newspapers? ated, this movement became a movement translated by the Soviet Jewry Education As far as we know, there were six publica­ for the emigration of as many Jews as possi­ and Information Center, Jerusalem, and tions in Moscow and the central newspapers ble to this State, for the revival and devel­ edited by Dr. Lev Utevsky. about the forbidden meeting. opment of national culture with Israel as a To: Secretary of the Central Committee of Let us take for example the lengthy, center of this process. the CPSU, Yakovlev. anonymous article in Izvestia from Septem­ In most competent Western encyclope­ Newspapers: Verchernaya Moskva, Mos­ ber 18, 1987, "For Whom Does Our 'Peres­ dias, Zionism is defined just about this way, kovsky Komosomoletz, Dokumenty i troida' Give No Rest?" Every person who but Resolution 3373, adopted by the United Fakty, Moskovskiye Novosti. has no preconception, can see the contrast Nations on December 10, 1976, by voices of between the extremely delicate process of the countries of our block and of Arab coun­ AN OPEN LETTER ABoUT THE So-CALLED separating the positive from the negative in tries define Zionism as a "form of racism "JEWISH PROBLEM" "Pamyat" <on one hand, "the pure aspira­ and racial discrimination." Incidentially, ac­ For a long time we have been deeply con­ tion of people to preserve the memory of cording to Article 10 of the Charter of the cerned with the growth of the aggressive na­ their past" and on the other hand, "the United Nations, such resolutions may be tionalistic and anti-semitic mood in modern Great Power of Chauvinism") and the direct considered only as recommendation, and are Russian society. The persons who are pro­ insults against the members of the "Initia­ not obligatory. moting this mood appear to be the best pre­ tive Group" who are simply labeled "provo­ It has to be emphasized that in the real pared social force, ideologically and organi­ cators" and are denied the possibility of situation of our country, such a definition zationally, in the present epoch of change. having any "pure aspirations." of Zionism and the formula "against" anti­ Attempts to resist them strictly according to Moreover, the anonymous author of the Semitism is only an ideological cover for official internationalism seems to be hope­ article in Izvestia ominously hinted that the anti-Semitism. This formula cannot have less. members of the "Initiative Group" are paid any other meaning. This formula was ere- e This "bullet" symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. March 22, 1988 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 4803 ated just to make anti-Semitism legal in the twenties and have been used since the 50's the AHEPA Voice, as the best 1987 district frame of Communist ideology, i.e. without for the same purpose in Arab countries. publication in the domain. Evaluation for breaching internationalistic taboos. The memory of the Holocaust makes us the award was based on the quality of the Anti-Zionism became a pseudonym for of­ write: The definition of Zionism as a kind of publication, journalistic proficiency, quality ficially approved anti-Semitism for the first racism and an indentification of Zionism of layout, and design and quality of infor­ time at the end of the 40's, the time of the with Fascism, used by Soviet literature is mation.