The Canadian Jewish Congress has reported CJC officials met with the Canadian Department of External Affairs on the “rapidly deteriorating situation” of the Jewish community in Asmara, the capital of Ethiopia’s Eritrean province, site of the insurrection against the Ethiopian government. The CJC said the revolt appeared to have had an “adverse affect on minorities” in Eritrea, “and on the tiny Jewish community in particular.” The CJC added it had been assured “that the matter will be pursued with other interested countries concerned with protecting their citizens in the area.”
The CJC said a representative of the Jews of Asmara was present at the recent plenary assembly of the World Jewish Congress in Jerusalem, at which Alan Rose CJC executive director, discussed with the representatives the position of the Jewish community. The CJC is “maintaining close contact” with the Jewish community in Asmara. The Ethiopian Jews were mainly Falashas, estimated to number between 20,000 and 25,000, as well as about 500 Jews who are not Falashas. The Jews in Asmara are mostly non-Falashas, the CJC said, adding that there is a synagogue in Asmara.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
