Soviet Jewish Emigres

Jun 1, 1981 — ON SOVIET JEWISH EMIGRES

The Rabbinical Council of America in convention assembled,

PRAYS for the welfare and safe journey of those Jews who ARE allowed to leave the Soviet Union;

RECOGNIZES that the ultimate future for Jews is in the Land of Israel, the more so for Jews who have been alienated for decades from their Jewish heritage;

URGES all Jewish organizations to do whatever is in their power to encourage Soviet Jewish émigrés to settle in Israel, in order to assure their own future as part of Klal Yisrael;

APPLAUDS the efforts of the religious organizations in the United States to share our religious heritage with the children of Soviet Jewish émigrés, through arranging for yeshiva education, special schools, communal involvement, and untiring individual effort; but regrets that the efforts are too little and too localized for the massive challenge of assimilation that faces the vast majority of Soviet émigrés to America;

Deplores THE EFFORTS ON THE PART OF ORGANIZATIONS IN Vienna and Rome, especially those who purport to act “in the name of Torah” to deter and divert immigration to Israel, by innuendo, financial blandishment, and outright falsehood;

CALLS UPON organizations and Federations based in the United States who are charged with helping Soviet Jewish émigrés, to put Soviet aliyah to Israel as a priority, second only to helping ALL Jews who wish to leave the Soviet Union, to do so.