Jewish Agency representative in Ethiopia focuses on aliya

Photo by: Courtesy Ruppin Academic Center

Source: The Jerusaleme Post, 02/08/2011

The challenge facing thousands of Ethiopians waiting for permission to make aliya is no longer about fighting for the right to immigrate but rather about better preparing them for a new life in modern Israel, the recently appointed Jewish Agency head of delegation in Ethiopia told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.

“It is essential for them to be prepared by learning Hebrew, studying Judaism and better understanding Israeli life and culture,” Asher Seyum, the first Ethiopian-born head of the delegation, told the Post in a telephone interview.

“In every personal meeting I have with those about to immigrate – and I intend on meeting every family – I plan to tell them that their challenge is only just beginning,” he said.

“They are so busy thinking about making aliya that they do not realize the real problems can arise after they move to Israel, and that their goal is not just physically moving from Ethiopia to Israel but figuring out how to better blend into their new society.”

Indeed, according to a report published last month by the Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs, Ethiopian immigrants make up a disproportionate share of those seeking help from social services.

Within the 110,000-strong community, more than 60 percent have active files with social workers and, even among the second generation of immigrants, the chances of them having met a social worker is twice the national average.

Seyum, who for the past two years headed the agency’s immigrant absorption operations in Jerusalem and the South and was previously the director of its absorption centers first in Safed and then in Ashdod, might be in a better position than most to help this new batch of immigrants – recently approved by the cabinet to make aliya at a rate of 200 people a month – to enjoy a smoother transition into Israeli society.

“It must come from them,” he said, adding that until recently the approach toward Ethiopian immigrants was always extremely “paternalistic,” with everything being handed to them very easily.

“I believe that the new immigrants need to take the responsibility on themselves when they arrive,” said Seyum, who made aliya at age 13 in 1984 and returned to work in Ethiopia just over a week ago. He is based in Gondar, where the majority of the Falash Mura – Ethiopians of Jewish descent – are waiting for approval from the Israeli government to immigrate.

“We have already renamed the compound a community center and I plan to improve the education system already operating here so the children are better prepared,” he said.

“Once a month I will give a presentation about an aspect of life in Israel.”

In response to the question of whether this – as pundits contend – is really the final chapter in mass emigration from Ethiopia to Israel, Seyum is equally as determined.

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