Two fatherless families of Black Jews left Israel today under an expulsion order from the Interior Ministry which the families had, in effect, requested. The order provided the only legal means the government had to provide the families–women and children–with airline tickets to the U.S.
The husbands left Israel last year and their families who stayed behind at Dimona in the Negev suffered hardships and asked Israeli authorities to help them get home. Police said that the remaining Black Jews would probably leave the country shortly. The group, which originated in Chicago and once numbered over 100, came to Israel during the past two years with the stated intention of settling permanently. Though they claimed to be Jews, the Interior Ministry denied them immigrant status. The families were settled, mainly in Dimona, but came into conflict with local settlers and among themselves.
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