At an event last night commemorating the fortieth anniversary of the Soviet Jewry movement and the twentieth anniversary of the March to Washington in December 1987, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) received, “The Soviet Jewry Liberty Award” from the American Jewish Committee for his work with the Russian Jewish community. 

    “Russian Jews have not forgotten (Rep. Smith’s) relentless efforts to save them from the ‘evil empire,’” said David Harris, executive director of the American Jewish Committee. 

    “Tonight, I hope every former refusenik knows how deeply respected, cherished and admired you are,” Smith told the gathering of approximately 200 people which included former New York City Mayor Ed Koch and Dr. Igor Branovan, President of Russian American Jews for Israel and Founder of Doctors Against Terrorism. 

    “You stood up to a Goliath-like, tyrannical, anti-Semitic dictatorship that seemingly held all the cards, had all the power to destroy, including a brutal secret police—and you prevailed.” 

    Smith first engaged in the Soviet Jewry movement on a congressional delegation trip to Moscow and Leningrad in 1982. He recalled the stories he heard from refuseniks of Soviet physical and mental abuse, systematic harassment, gulags and psychiatric prisons and other acts of anti-Semitsm. 

    “To apply for an exit visa—a universally recognized human right, which on paper at least, the Soviet Union had acceded to—was to invite the cruelty and wrath of the KGB and other small minded, morally-stunted communist thugs,” said Smith. 

    "You inspired generations past, and inspire today, all who seek freedom, human rights, the rule of just laws and liberty. You are heroes. The world is forever in your debt,” said Smith, a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and past Chairman of the US Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), also known as the Helsinki Commission. 

    In his remarks, Smith praised the American Jewish Committee for showing, “extraordinary, principled leadership and successful advocacy not only for Russian Jews and Jews worldwide, but for all who yearn for freedom and the rule of law. 

    “It is clear to me that absent the expertise, well-honed strategies, reliable information, and actionable intelligence provided by American Jewish Committee (AJC), National Council on Soviet Jewry (NCSJ) and others, little would have been accomplished.” 

    The author of numerous human rights laws including the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, 2003 and 2005—laws designed to combat sex and labor trafficking—Smith said the lessons learned from the 1975 Jackson-Vanik amendment paved the way to insist foreign aid penalties be applied to nations complicit in or indifferent to human trafficking. 

    “The incalculable wisdom of the Jackson-Vanik Amendment—linking Most Favored Nation (MFN) status with Soviet Jewish emigration—was pure genius and enabled the freedom of more than 657,000 Soviet Jews between 1975 and 1991. 

    “The Jewish groups wrote the book on turning advocacy into success, in large part by linking human rights with trade. 

    “And not only that, but the success of the Jackson-Vanik Amendment revolutionized human rights policy for the better on multiple fronts. 

    “It seems to me that all but the most naive know that diplomacy and moral suasion has only limited appeal or efficacy in dealings with dictatorship. 

    “Mere talk—especially the niceties of diplomatic chatter—is often cheap. 

    “Jackson-Vanik proved that the judicious application of economic rewards and punishment yields positive human rights results—and freedoms for many who are oppressed.” 

    Smith returned to the United States just two days ago following a trip to Israel where he met with notable former Soviet dissident and former Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Natan Sharansky. (See Sharansky letter attached). 

    “It was—as it always is—an honor just to be with him and benefit from his wit and wisdom,” Smith said of Sharansky, who most recently was presented with the esteemed Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2006 by President George W. Bush for his leadership on human rights. 

    “While most of our conversation centered on peace, justice, security, and reconciliation—or more accurately the absence of those things, especially with the ominous rise of Hamas—it was yet another opportunity to recall the bravery and tenacity of Jewish refuseniks,” said Smith. 

    A long-time leader in efforts to combat anti-Semitism, Smith has held numerous hearings and introduced legislation to end the practice. In 2004, Congressman Smith secured passage of legislation that created an office within the State Department to monitor and combat anti-Semitism, established a US Special Envoy to head global anti-Semitism efforts, and required annual reporting on international incidents of anti-Semitism (PL 108-332). 

    Most recently, Smith served as co-chair of the US delegation to the Conference on Discrimination and Promoting Mutual Respect and Understanding, a follow-up to the OSCE’s previous conferences on anti-Semitism. These global conferences were initiated in response to Smith’s call to the OSCE to engage more effectively and consistently in recognizing and combating the resurgence of anti-Semitism.