16 Falash Mora Arrive in Israel, but Ethiopia Said to Be Unhappy

Sixteen members of the Falash Mora community in Ethiopia arrived in Israel on Monday morning to emotional reunions with family members some had not seen in years.

They are the first part of a group of Falash Mora, Ethiopians whose ancestors converted from Judaism to Christianity, to be admitted to Israel on humanitarian grounds, under the Law of Entry, rather than as Jews under the Law of Return.

Their arrival comes amid reports of increasing irritation by the Ethiopian government over alleged interference by Israeli and Jewish organizations on the question of the Falash Mora.

Tens of thousands of Falash Mora are said to be waiting to immigrate to Israel, posing a problem for Israeli officials who must determine their legal status here.

A ministerial committee decided earlier this year to admit only those Falash Mora who have immediate family in Israel. The 16 comprise the first part of this group of 129.

Absorption Minister Yair Tsaban said this week that the government is doing all it can to expedite the process of bringing other Falash Mora determined eligible to enter Israel.

The 16 headed to absorption centers near Haifa to begin their settlement.

Meanwhile, Israel’s ambassador to Ethiopia, Haim Divon, has reported to the Foreign Ministry that the Ethiopian government is increasingly angry and frustrated over the efforts to address the fate of the Falash Mora by Israeli and Jewish organizations.

The Ethiopian government last month expelled a team of the North American Conference on Ethiopian Jewry and an Israeli rabbi, Menachem Waldman, who were teaching Judaism to the group.

Divon specifically cited as inflammatory the activity of Waldman. He charged that the rabbi had failed to gain approval from the Ethiopian government, which considers such activity illegal.