Israel Takes in Ethiopians, Ends Their Humanitarian Plight

source: AllVoices 

Addis Ababa : Ethiopia | Jan 17, 2011

 Groups of hundreds of Falash Mura, Ethiopians with Jewish ancestry, began arriving at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport today. Israel’s cabinet approved the immigration of 8,000 Falash Mura into Israel in 2010.

Under Israel’s Right of Return law, Jews from anywhere in the world have a right to move to and live in Israel. The law was passed after Israel was established to create a home for Jews who had been persecuted in Europe, Russia and elsewhere.

The Falash Mura’s ancestors converted to Christianity under domestic pressure in Ethiopia in the 19th Century, complicating their status as Jews and their rights under the law of return.

Israel’s cabinet approved their immigration en masse partially because of their Jewish roots and partially to resolve a humanitarian crisis.

Many members of the Falash Mura live in poor conditions in transit camps in northern Ethiopia.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israelis had a moral duty to resolve the complex humanitarian crisis, according to a BBC article.

"The government of Israel wants to solve this problem, because there is a difficult humanitarian crisis there," Netanyhau told the ministers.

"These are the seeds of Israel - men, women and children - that currently find themselves in the worst living conditions," he added.

Six hundred Falash Mura are expected to arrive this year, with 200 more coming each month for the next three years.

Thousands of Ethiopian Jews who kept their Jewish faith throughout the centuries were flown to Israel in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Over 100,000 Jews from Ethiopia are believed to live in Israel.

Humanitarian groups, including the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and the UJA-Federations, sponsor programs that help Ethiopians resettle.