PRINTER'S NO. 2359
No. 182 Session of 1987
INTRODUCED BY IRVIS, ACOSTA, ANGSTADT, ARGALL, ARTY, BALDWIN,
BARLEY, BATTISTO, BELARDI, BELFANTI, BIRMELIN, BLACK, BLAUM,
BOOK, BORTNER, BOWLEY, BOWSER, BOYES, BRANDT, BROUJOS, BUNT,
BURD, BURNS, BUSH, CALTAGIRONE, CAPPABIANCA, CARLSON, CARN,
CAWLEY, CESSAR, CHADWICK, CIVERA, CLARK, CLYMER, COHEN,
COLAFELLA, COLE, CORNELL, CORRIGAN, COWELL, COY, DALEY,
DAVIES, DAWIDA, DeLUCA, DeVERTER, DeWEESE, DIETTERICK,
DININNI, DISTLER, DOMBROWSKI, DONATUCCI, DORR, DUFFY, DURHAM,
EVANS, FARGO, FARMER, FATTAH, FEE, FISCHER, FLICK, FOSTER,
FOX, FREEMAN, FREIND, GALLEN, GAMBLE, GANNON, GEIST, GEORGE,
GLADECK, GODSHALL, GRUITZA, GRUPPO, HAGARTY, HALUSKA, HARPER,
HASAY, HAYDEN, HAYES, HECKLER, HERMAN, HERSHEY, HESS,
HONAMAN, HOWLETT, HUGHES, HUTCHINSON, ITKIN, JACKSON,
JADLOWIEC, JAROLIN, JOHNSON, JOSEPHS, KASUNIC, KENNEDY,
KENNEY, KOSINSKI, KUKOVICH, LaGROTTA, LANGTRY, LASHINGER,
LAUGHLIN, LEH, LESCOVITZ, LETTERMAN, LEVDANSKY, LINTON,
LIVENGOOD, LLOYD, LUCYK, MAIALE, MAINE, MANDERINO, MANMILLER,
MARKOSEK, MAYERNIK, McCALL, McCLATCHY, McHALE, McVERRY,
MELIO, MERRY, MICHLOVIC, MICOZZIE, MILLER, MOEHLMANN, MORRIS,
MOWERY, MRKONIC, MURPHY, NAHILL, NOYE, O'BRIEN, O'DONNELL,
OLASZ, OLIVER, PERZEL, PETRARCA, PETRONE, PHILLIPS, PICCOLA,
PIEVSKY, PISTELLA, PITTS, PRESSMANN, PRESTON, PUNT, RAYMOND,
REBER, REINARD, RICHARDSON, RIEGER, RITTER, ROBBINS, ROEBUCK,
RUDY, RYAN, RYBAK, SALOOM, SAURMAN, SCHEETZ, SCHULER, SEMMEL,
SERAFINI, SEVENTY, SHOWERS, SIRIANNI, B. SMITH, S. H. SMITH,
D. W. SNYDER, G. SNYDER, STABACK, STAIRS, STEIGHNER, STEVENS,
STUBAN, SWEET, E. Z. TAYLOR, F. TAYLOR, J. TAYLOR, TELEK,
TIGUE, TRELLO, TRUMAN, VAN HORNE, VEON, VROON, WAMBACH, WASS,
WESTON, WIGGINS, WILSON, WOGAN, WOZNIAK, D. R. WRIGHT,
J. L. WRIGHT, R. C. WRIGHT AND YANDRISEVITS, OCTOBER 26, 1987
ADOPTED, OCTOBER 26, 1987
A RESOLUTION
1 Congratulating Vladimir and Maria Slepak on news of their long-
2 awaited permission to emigrate from the Soviet Union.
3 WHEREAS, Vladimir and Maria Slepak are among the most
4 prominent leaders of the Jewish refusenik movement in the Soviet
1 Union; and
2 WHEREAS, The Slepaks are among more than 400,000 Soviet Jews
3 who have expressed a desire to emigrate; and
4 WHEREAS, More than 12,000 Soviet Jews have officially
5 received "refusals" of their applications; and
6 WHEREAS, The Slepaks have sought to emigrate to freedom in
7 Israel since 1971; and
8 WHEREAS, Soviet authorities have refused the Slepaks' request
9 to emigrate on the basis that Mr. Slepak had knowledge of state
10 secrets in his capacity as Chief of Moscow Television Research
11 Institute; and
12 WHEREAS, The Slepaks were the targets of harassment by the
13 KGB following their application to emigrate, and Mr. Slepak was
14 forced to leave his professional job and support himself with
15 menial employment; and
16 WHEREAS, The Slepaks participated in demonstrations and
17 hunger strikes to protest the denial of an exit visa; and
18 WHEREAS, One such demonstration by the Slepaks in June 1978
19 was brutally suppressed and resulted in the Slepaks being
20 beaten, arrested, and charged with "hooliganism;" and
21 WHEREAS, As a result of being found guilty of that charge,
22 the Slepaks were sentenced to exile in a closed city in Siberia;
23 and
24 WHEREAS, The Slepaks' two sons were permitted to emigrate,
25 and one son, Alexander, is a graduate of Temple Medical School
26 and currently resides in Pennsylvania; and
27 WHEREAS, Governor Robert P. Casey personally intervened on
28 behalf of the Slepaks by speaking to Vladimir on February 26,
29 1987, in a conference call, agreeing to "adopt" the family and
30 to visit with Alexander Slepak; and
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1 WHEREAS, Alexander Slepak, after a meeting with Governor
2 Casey in Philadelphia, traveled to Harrisburg on June 2, 1987,
3 and addressed the Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania;
4 and
5 WHEREAS, The Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
6 unanimously adopted a resolution on that day declaring June 2,
7 1987, as "Soviet Jewry Day" in Pennsylvania, which singled out
8 the plight of the Slepak family; and
9 WHEREAS, The House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of
10 Pennsylvania unanimously adopted a resolution on June 2, 1987,
11 adopting Vladimir and Maria Slepak as "Citizens of
12 Pennsylvania"; and
13 WHEREAS, Vladimir Slepak reported on October 14, 1987, that
14 he and his wife had received permission to emigrate to Israel;
15 therefore be it
16 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
17 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania congratulate the Slepaks on
18 receiving permission to emigrate from the Soviet Union; and be
19 it further
20 RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to
21 the Slepaks when they arrive in Israel.
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