JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s government on Sunday approved the immigration of several thousand Jews from war-torn Ethiopia, some of whom have waited for decades to join their relatives in Israel.
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The decision took a step toward resolving an issue that has long complicated the government’s relations with the country’s Ethiopian community.
Some 140,000 Ethiopian Jews live in Israel. Community leaders estimate that roughly 6,000 others remain behind in Ethiopia.
Although the families are of Jewish descent and many are practicing Jews, Israel does not consider them Jewish under religious law. Instead, they have been fighting to enter the country under a family-unification program that requires special government approval.
Community activists have accused the government of dragging its feet in implementing a 2015 decision to bring all remaining Ethiopians of Jewish lineage to Israel within five years.
Under Sunday’s decision, an estimated 3,000 people will be eligible to move to Israel. They include parents, children and siblings of relatives already in Israel, as well as orphans whose parents were in Israel when they died.
“Today we are correcting an ongoing injustice,” said Pnina Tamano Shata, the country’s minister for immigration and herself an Ethiopian immigrant. She said the program was a response to people who have waited “too many years to come to Israel with their families” and to resolve a “painful issue.”
In a joint statement with Israel’s interior minister, she said the decision came in part as a response to the precarious security situation in Ethiopia, where tens of thousands of people have been killed over the past year in fighting between the government and Tigray forces.
It was not immediately clear when the airlift would begin. The government appointed a special project coordinator to oversee the effort.
Kasaw Shiferaw, chairman of the group Activists for the Immigration of Ethiopian Jews, welcomed Sunday’s decision but said there was still a long way to go.
“On one hand, this decision makes me happy. Three thousand people are realizing a dream and uniting with their families,” he said.
“But it’s not a final resolution. Thousands are still waiting in camps, some for more than 25 years. We expect the government to bring all of them,” he said.
These people are xchians, not Jews. Even regarding the non xchian ethiopian “Jews” who clearly intermarried with the locals and who didn’t have a concept of Torah shebaalpeh and who didn’t even possess a sefer Torah written in loshon hakodesh there was a major shaila if they are yehudim or sofek yehudim. Rav Moshe paskened sofek yehudim who require a geirus misofeik. The Israeli government rabbis paskened based on politics. There was never a question that the ethiopian xchians are goyim gemurim even according to the government rabbis position. This is just another scheme by the rapidly decreasing chilonim to hold on to their political power by importing goyim to EY. The chilonim would much rather turn the medina into a non Jewish state than to hand over the political power to the chareidi soon-to-be majority.
They are NOT Jews they are 100% bantu every Ashkenazi poses said they are goyim their geirus is posel as it’s motivated by economics unlike the Russian half jew.
they are not Jews
There is a safek if they are Jews.
<em>It was not immediately clear when the airlift would begin.</em> But surely not now so long as border is closed to all foreigners [except Miss World Pageant” participants], because of Omicron.
Another correct step in the right direction. These Jews will make great Israeli citizens, will work, study, pay taxes and join the IDF to protect all its Jews. Baruch HaShem!
Finally!
Sad that it took so long.
Hopefully, those still waiting will be I”YH brought out soon.