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A plane carrying 450 immigrants from Ethiopia on
Wednesday marked the end of Israel's decades-long effort to bring Jews and
their descendants from the African nation to the Jewish state. About 90,000
Ethiopians were brought to Israel in the organized immigration project that
began with a dramatic airlift in 1984-85 dubbed "Operation Moses" and
continued with the 36-hour "Operation Solomon" in 1991. Left behind
at that time were thousands of the Falash Mura, the name given to the
descendants of the ancient Jewish community who converted to Christianity in
the 19th and 20th centuries, most often under pressure. The end of airlifts
left some families divided between Ethiopia and Israel.
The Israeli government decided in 2010 to bring
the rest of the Falash Mura, many of whom had waited for years in transit camps
in Gondar, Ethiopia. Another 7,000 Ethiopians have arrived in the last year in
the last of the organized operations, titled "Dove's Wings." This
month, Jewish Agency
Chairman Natan Sharansky handed the mayor of Gondar the key to the city's
Jewish school, where envoys prepared hopeful Falash Mura for life in Israel.
The last group of immigrants was welcomed Wednesday with a ceremony marking the
end of the campaign. But other Ethiopian Israelis demonstrated
outside the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem
to protest the official termination of the immigration effort. Hundreds of
people who haven't proved their Jewish genealogy to the satisfaction of Israeli
authorities remain in Ethiopia for now, although they have relatives in
Israel, community activists told local media. Despite considerable
inroads made by the community, which has provided Israeli society with diplomats,
lawmakers
and celebrities,
the immigrants' integration into mainstream Israeli society is often difficult.
Earlier this year, Israel's state comptroller issued a scathing
report faulting authorities for failing to manage what should have been a
national priority. The
report found that many programs, in particularly those earmarked for boosting
education, were severely under-budgeted and poorly managed. High school dropout
rates are high among immigrants, as is early discharge from mandatory military
service for serious misbehavior. Gaps in education and immigration difficulties
are reflected in the job market, as many Ethiopian Israelis work in low-paying,
menial jobs. Source ( Los Angeles Times
)
