Gorbachev to Review Cases of 355 ‘Refuseniks,’ U.S. Visitor Reports

Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev agreed Wednesday to review the cases of 355 “refuseniks” who have been denied Soviet permission to emigrate, the head of a U.S. committee on Soviet Jewry said.

Gorbachev also acknowledged that anti-Semitism is a problem in the Soviet Union, although not a “deep-rooted” one, and he refused to issue a statement condemning it specifically, said Shoshana Cardin, leader of the National Conference on Soviet Jewry.

In the first official meeting between a Kremlin leader and the head of the U.S. organization, Cardin said she was impressed by Gorbachev’s willingness to discuss the strains in the relationship between the Soviet Union and Jews.

“When we came in, President Gorbachev said, ‘I know who you are. I know what your mission is. I am familiar with your concerns,’ ” Cardin said. “Indeed, he was very familiar. He initiated the discussion on anti-Semitism. He initiated the discussion on diplomatic relations with Israel.”

She presented Gorbachev with the list of 355 “refuseniks”--some of whom have been waiting for years to emigrate, some of whom were denied permission just last month--and said he promised to review the cases.

The conference said that 186,815 Jews emigrated from the Soviet Union last year, most to Israel. The Soviet Union has about 3 million Jews.