Ottawanians Help Ethiopians on Their Journey to Israel

By Sandra Zagon

It is a trip I will always remember.

Along with eight others from Ottawa, we travelled from Tel Aviv to Addis Ababa
to observe, witness and participate in the emigration, on May 3, 2007, of 85 Ethiopian Jews to the land of their dreams – Israel.

Micha Feldman, an Israeli who was the chief architect for Operation Solomon (a two-day airlift in 1991 during which 14,000 Ethiopian Jews known as the Falasha were evacuated to Israel),  accompanied us to Ethiopia.  He began his briefing, a couple of hours before our plane took off for Ethiopia, telling us stories about the background and context of what we would be seeing in our four short but full days in Ethiopia. We would spend time in the capital, Addis Ababa and in the north in a town called Gonder and surrounding villages.

The Falash Mura are descendants of Ethiopian Jews who reportedly converted to Christianity several generations ago out of fear of persecution in the predominantly Christian country and who now want to return to their Jewish roots and reunite with relatives. Every month 300 Falash Mura are brought out of Ethiopia to Israel.

When we arrived, to introduce us to urban living conditions in Ethiopia for the very poor, we visited a small village directly across from our luxurious hotel.

What an introduction that was! 

Dwellings covered by corrugated metal, no running water, open-sided community kitchen structures, raw sewage running down the sides of the dirt packed ‘streets’, women selling their vegetables set out on cloth on the ground at the entrance to the village, and the village school – with people who had smiles on their faces as Feldman spoke with them and introduced them to us. 

We meet Dr. Rick, who runs the Blue Nile Clinic in Addis Ababa, with support from the Jewish Distribution Committee (JDC). Originally from the US, Rick has been in Addis Ababa for close to 18 years and  has adopted a large number of Ethiopian children to facilitate their medical care in the US or Africa. At his clinic, with the help of a few other professional staff, he runs a feeding center for mothers and children and provides basic medical services such as vaccinations.

We also visited the compound where those waiting to leave for Israel are housed temporarily. This was the most real part of the day – meeting people some of whom would actually be flying out with us in two days, their lifetime wish coming true.  The prayer that we so fervently say at the beginning of each Jewish year…“Next Year in Jerusalem” was going to be a reality for them.

We flew to Gondar on our second day, where most of the Falash Mura live. There we visited another JDC-funded compound with a feeding station for mothers and children, a recreational playground for the children and an activity program designed to help pass the time for those waiting to get word that their applications for immigration had been processed and approved.

We visited a synagogue and school/learning center, which unfortunately was empty the day of our visit as it was May Day, a national holiday left over from the days of Communist rule.  We learned that the Ethiopian government had closed down the JDC-funded school, and that the JDC would not be re-opening it, as it did not want to create a state of dependency and hope for people who claimed to be Jewish but were unable to prove it under the Israeli Law of Return. 

Day three and the last full day of the trip started with a visit to the Israeli embassy where the ambassador briefed us on Israeli-Ethiopian relations and the emigration program underway.  We met a number of other officials involved in the emigration program. 

We were told that by the end of 2008, it was estimated that all eligible Ethiopian Jews would be in Israel – this representing about a further 5000-6000 Falash Mura.  Before leaving the Israeli Embassy compound, we saw classrooms where the Ethiopians readying to leave were introduced to modern conveniences like a toilet, a stove, and a fridge and where they began learning what life was going to be like in Israel.

They even began Hebrew classes in the two weeks before their planned departure, with the view to learn a few words at least. At the Israeli Embassy compound, we distributed new clothes to the kids, parents and elders, who would be travelling with us to Israel that night. 

That night we watched as the select 85 Ethiopians walked down the road from the compound to the Embassy, dressed in their shabbas best, with their suitcases and personal belongings on their shoulders, and with children, babies and elders in tow.  It was dark and hardly a word was spoken. 

A most emotional and solemn process indeed. 

When we arrive in Israel many Ethiopians bent down to kiss the ground.  A dream is coming true.   How interesting for us to notice that most of the immigration officers on duty were former Russians who themselves had to have gone through the same process that the Ethiopians were about to go through.

In many cases, the Ethiopians signed their papers with a thumbprint, not being able to sign their names.  After clearing Customs and Immigration, they finally were able to fetch their luggage and meet friends and family members who had come to the airport to meet them.

And what a scene that was – the most emotional part of our experience.  Parents reuniting with children and in some cases grandchildren; brothers finding brothers; sisters finding sisters.  The traditional Ethiopian custom of children kissing the feet of their parents or grandparents, family members kissing each other on their cheeks, from side to side, seemed to go on forever. You could see that they just wanted to hold on the each other, to make up for the years that they had not seen each other. 

Unbelievable!

Indeed, we had been witness to Exodus 2007, a time of great dreams and hope. At the same time, we clearly saw the huge challenge which lies before these brave souls.  For the most part, the Ethiopian Jews who are now coming to Israel are poorly educated, mostly illiterate and coming from societies, which are not a lot different than they were two thousand years ago.

Immigrating to Israel, one of the most technologically modern societies today, is a challenge that many of them will simply not be able to meet. The young ones of course have a better chance of making the adjustment, of taking advantage of all the services Israel puts at their disposal to succeed. The older ones will likely have to be supported for the rest of their lives. In spite of the challenges that lie ahead, it was clear that they have made the right choice to come to Israel.