[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 759 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 759

Recognizing the 40th Anniversary of the Mass Movement for Soviet Jewish 
Freedom and the 20th Anniversary of the Freedom Sunday Rally for Soviet 
                  Jewry on the Mall in Washington, DC.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 18, 2007

   Mr. Waxman (for himself, Mr. Engel, Mr. Berman, Ms. Schwartz, Mr. 
 Wexler, Mr. Hastings of Florida, Mr. Levin, Mr. Cantor, Mr. Rothman, 
   Mr. Schiff, Mr. Honda, Mr. Butterfield, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Mr. 
    Crowley, Mr. Nadler, and Mr. Ackerman) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and 
                           Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Recognizing the 40th Anniversary of the Mass Movement for Soviet Jewish 
Freedom and the 20th Anniversary of the Freedom Sunday Rally for Soviet 
                  Jewry on the Mall in Washington, DC.

Whereas, in 1964, the American Jewish Conference on Soviet Jewry (AJCSJ) was 
        founded to spearhead a national campaign on behalf of Soviet Jewry;
Whereas, in 1964, the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry was founded to demand 
        freedom for Soviet Jewry;
Whereas, in 1964, thousands of college students rallied on behalf of Soviet 
        Jewry in front of the United Nations;
Whereas Israel's victory in the 1967 Six-Day War inspired Soviet Jews to 
        intensify their efforts to win the right to emigrate;
Whereas, in 1967, Soviets launched an anti-Zionist propaganda campaign in the 
        state-controlled mass media, and a crackdown on Jewish autonomy, 
        galvanizing a mass advocacy movement in the United States;
Whereas, in 1970, the Union of Councils for Soviet Jewry was founded as a 
        coalition of local grass-roots ``action'' councils supporting freedom 
        for Jews of the Soviet Union;
Whereas, in 1971, the severe sentences, including death, meted out to nine 
        Leningrad Jews who attempted to hijack a plane to flee the Soviet Union 
        spurred worldwide protests;
Whereas, in 1971, the National Conference on Soviet Jewry (NCSJ) succeeded the 
        AJCSJ;
Whereas, in 1971, mass emigration of Jews from the Soviet Union began;
Whereas, in 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed into law the Jackson-Vanik 
        Amendment to the Trade Act of 1974, prohibiting the extension of trade 
        benefits to countries that limit emigration, and otherwise infringe 
        basic human rights;
Whereas, in 1978, the Congressional Wives for Soviet Jewry was founded;
Whereas, in 1982, President Ronald Reagan enacted Public Law 97-157, expressing 
        the sense of the Congress that the Soviet Union should cease its 
        repressive actions against those individuals who seek the freedom to 
        emigrate or to practice their religious or cultural traditions, drawing 
        special attention to the hardships and discrimination imposed upon the 
        Jewish community in the Soviet Union;
Whereas, in 1983, the bipartisan Congressional Human Rights Caucus was founded 
        to advance the cause of human rights;
Whereas, in 1984, the Congressional Coalition for Soviet Jews was founded;
Whereas, in 1987, an estimated 250,000 people demonstrated on the Mall in 
        Washington before the start of the Reagan-Gorbachev summit, in an 
        unprecedented rally that helped give the issue added visibility on the 
        national scene;
Whereas, in 1989, the Soviet Union opened its doors to the millions of Soviet 
        Jews who had been held as virtual prisoners within their own country;
Whereas, in 1991, the Supreme Soviet passed a law that codified the right of 
        every Soviet citizen to emigrate, precipitating massive emigration by 
        Jews from the Soviet Union, primarily to Israel and the United States;
Whereas the hundreds of thousands of immigrants from the Soviet Union and former 
        Soviet republics have greatly enriched their new-found homes in areas as 
        diverse as business, professional sports, the arts, politics, and 
        philanthropy;
Whereas, in 1992, Congress passed the Freedom Support Act, making aid for the 
        fifteen former Soviet republics contingent on progress towards the 
        implementation of a democratic system, and respect for human rights;
Whereas, since 2000, more than 400 independent Jewish cultural organizations and 
        30 Jewish day schools have been established in the former Soviet Union, 
        giving rise to a renewal of Jewish life;
Whereas NCSJ and its partners have performed exceptionally by continually 
        promoting the safety and security of Jews in the former Soviet Union;
Whereas continued acts of anti-Semitism and xenophobia in the former Soviet 
        Union are reprehensible and respect for democracy, religious freedom, 
        and human rights in the former Soviet republics needs promotion and 
        strengthening; and
Whereas it is the 40th anniversary of the mass movement for freedom by and on 
        behalf of Soviet Jewry: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That Congress recognizes the 20th anniversary of the 
Freedom Sunday Rally for Soviet Jews in Washington, DC, which embodies 
the American principle of citizen activism for the greater good.
                                 <all>