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Continuing
and Urgent
Arms
Control
As of
April 1994 the treaty between the United States and the Russian
Federation on Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive
Arms (START II) had not taken effect. Implementation of START II
is contingent on the ratification of START I. (For details on START
I, see joint Program Plan for 19911992, p.29; for details on START
II, see Joint Program Plan 1993-94, p.38.) In early 1994, Ukraine
ratified START I but continued its delay in ratifying the Nonproliferation
Treaty (NPT). Russia refuses to ratify START I until Ukraine ratifies
NPT. The Jewish community relations field supports the provisions
of Start 11 and the NPT, and calls upon the Administration to encourage
Russia to ratify START I and 11 in order to ensure implementation
before the April 1995 Non-Proliferation Treaty Conference.
Since
March 1993, when North Korea announced it was backing out of the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the international community has
made efforts to encourage North Korea to maintain its non-nuclear
status. In March 1994, the United States called upon the United
Nations to impose economic and diplomatic sanctions against North
Korea, in an effort aimed at forcing North Korea to permit full
inspection of its nuclear program. At the same time, the U.S. moved
to strengthen its military position on the Korean peninsula by readying
Patriot anti-missile interceptors for dispatch to the area. As of
June 1994 there was no resolution of this matter.
The Chemical
Weapons Convention, which bans the development, production, stockpiling,
transfer, and use of chemical weapons, calls for ratification by
65 countries before taking effect. (NOTE: For details on
The Chemical Weapons Convention, see Joint Program Plan 1993-94,
p. 38.) Ratification began in March 1994. As of mid-March 1994,
only four countries had ratified the treaty; the United States was
not one of them. The NJCRAC urges the United States to ratify the
Chemical Weapons Convention treaty.
{NOTE:
For a discussion of the multilateral talks on Middle East Arms control,
see section on Middle East Arms Race.)
Preserving
the Memory of the Holocaust
The year
1995 marks the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration
camps. This milestone will provide opportunities to memorialize
the victims, to honor the rescuers and liberators, and to reaffirm
the lessons of the Holocaust. The film "Schindler's List" is having
a profound impact, and will be important in efforts to deepening
understanding about the Shoah, especially for the next generation,
as the numbers of living witnesses to the Holocaust continues to
dwindle. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, which opened
in 1993 in Washington, continues to draw large numbers of visitors
of all ages and diverse ethnic backgrounds. The Jewish community
relations field is encouraged to organize missions of elected officials,
interfaith groups, and youth to visit the museum, and to continue
efforts to assist school systems in introducing Holocaust curricula.
Jews
in Arab and Moslem Countries
Jewish
communities in a few Middle East countries remain at risk. The largest
community, totaling more than 25,000, is in Iran. A tiny number
remains in Yemen. It is vital for the Jewish community relations
field to carefully monitor conditions in those countries. Given
the delicate nature of these communities, CRCs activities on behalf
of them should be coordinated through the NJCRAC.
Absorption
in Israel of Ethiopian Jews
The organized
Jewish community continues to support the efforts of the government
of Israel to make the mass immigration of the Beta Israel of Ethiopia
into a successful aliyah. Particularly praiseworthy is the unique
loan and grant program set up to assist Ethiopian Jews to afford
decent housing. The program has enabled more than 1500 Ethiopian
families to move from temporary caravans and absorption centers
into permanent housing. As the program continues, it is important
to encourage other Ethiopian families to take advantage of this
opportunity.
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