ABSTRACT
The new general secretary's desire to reform Soviet society and bring an end to the escalating tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States offered a new foothold for an American critique in the arena of human rights. Jewish organizations also enjoyed remarkable sympathy in American public opinion. Hastened by the invasion of Afghanistan, the end of detente resulted in an extremely abrupt drop in Jewish emigration. In the 1980s, the emigration of Soviet Jews became a barometer of relations between the two superpowers. In a context marked by significant tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, the number of emigrants abruptly diminished between late 1979 and 1986. The immigration of Soviet Jews to Israel threatened to undermine Washington's efforts to resolve the Middle East conflict. Until 1987, Jerusalem had only indirectly expressed to Washington its interest in Soviet aliyah.
