Session: 123456789101112131415161718         Page 165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202 of 617

You might be interested, because it triggers something else: back in 1971 I led the fight to give refugee status and automatic entry into the United States to any Soviet Jew allowed to leave the Soviet Union, and I was fought bitterly by the Jewish community on this. That may be interesting to you. You want to do it now?

Yes. Let's keep it tied to this case.

Okay. The way it happened was this: I decided when I came to Congress... I've never been a Jewish activist. I'm very proud of being Jewish, but I had never been a Jewish activist. But I am an activist, and here I'm getting involved in every civil liberty issue for the blacks and the Puerto Ricans and the women and every oppressed group in the country except the Jews. Well, I quickly changed that, and made them one of my priorities. A lot of people, by the way, in my district at that time did not know I'm Jewish. My name is not particularly Jewish. K-o-c-h for many people is not Jewish, more German, although it is a Jewish and a German name. So I came up with the thought -- and someone had suggested it to me -- that I introduce legislation which would allow and encourage Soviet Jews to come to the United States. At that point the Jackson-Vanick amendment was either discussed and Congress was very supportive of getting Jews out of the Soviet Union, but if they got out of the Soviet Union,