Report on Ethiopia
Prepared for Isaac Herzog, Israel’s minister for social affairs and services and for diaspora affairs
AUGUST 2008 -- A small delegation representing the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism visited the communities of Gondar and Addis Ababa Ethiopia from July 20 through July 24, 2008. The group included United Synagogue’s executive vice president, Rabbi Jerome M. Epstein; the international president of USY, Adam Berman; Rabbi Paul Freedman, the director of the United Synagogue’s Israel Commission, and Jane G. Epstein, a concerned Jewish leader in her own right. Avraham Neguise, an Ethiopian-born Israeli activist, accompanied them.
Because the 8,700 Jews in Gondar represents the largest number of Ethiopian Jews this report will focus on their plight.
Our delegation visited a school for 700 children. We were impressed with the students’ working knowledge of Hebrew and the high quality of education that these children are receiving. Not only are they given intensive Hebrew studies, the children also are becoming well versed in Jewish and Israeli culture. Many of them were able to read and understand Hebrew texts and responded to both teachers’ and visitors’ questions in ways that demonstrated both understanding and commitment.
We were privileged to visit some of the many adult education classes the school offers, and we noted the widespread active interest in many areas of Jewish culture. Even though the classrooms were crowded and unappealing, the students were highly engaged and focused on the material that was presented. We were particularly impressed by the crowded classroom where more than 100 men of various ages learned both how to put on tefillin and the values those tefillin represent.
On Monday afternoon, we prayed minha and ma’ariv the approximately 450 men and 400 women. On Tuesday morning we prayed shaharit with somewhere between 1,200 and 1,500 men and women. Because the community does not know many sets of tefillin, the first 38 men who arrived that morning were privileged to fulfill that mitzvah. We were awed by the many participants who walked from 60 to 90 minutes to attend these services but they told us that it was important to them to be there because they “wanted to live as Jews.”
After morning services, we had a dialogue with the community for approximately 50 minutes. The responses to questions about relatives in Israel were particularly significant to us. We asked how many people there had parents in Israel, how many had children in Israel, how many had siblings in Israel, and how many had uncles and aunts in Israel. By the time we were done questioning, it was clear that well over 98 percent of the people there have close relatives in Israel.
Some people have questioned the authenticity of the Jewish identity of the 8,700 people in Gondar. The Conservative and Reform movements, along with largest segment of Orthodox Jewry and the chief rabbinate of Israel, have validated the community’s Jewish identity. Based on that alone, community members should be entitled to make aliyah. In addition, we believe that they have a compelling case based on family reunification. To separate these loved ones from each other seems to be an act of cruelty.
Although the poverty in which these 8,700 Jews live might not be the determining factor in Israel’s decision-making process, that poverty nonetheless is striking. Most of the Jews moved from their villages to Gondar, giving up their homes and their jobs, because Ariel Sharon’s government promised to consider each case individually, and that the process would move quickly. They believed the promise. Now, most of them live in one-room hovels. Large families cram into small quarters; most of them have to sleep in shifts. We were told that 60 people share one outdoor latrine. Because food pantries have been closed, most people are hungry, and the schools, too, are at risk of closing.
Those of us who participated in this mission are not in a position to determine anyone’s eligibility for aliyah based upon the criteria that Israel’s government has set, but certainly the government can make that decision. We urge Israel to consider each of the 8,700 Jews individually, and as soon as possible. We believe that most of them will be deemed eligible and that Israel and the Jewish world will be blessed with new Israeli citizens who will contribute positively to Israel’s great future.
