Mayor Tom Bradley and City Council members have called upon President Reagan to press for efforts to end the persecution of some 25,000 Jews living in Ethiopia.
At the same time, Bradley, at a press conference in City Hall several days ago, offered temporary refuge to Falashas Simcha Desta, his wife Rachael and their child who were recently reunited in Los Angeles after their dangerous exit from Ethiopia while they proceed with their emigration to Israel.
City Councilman Dave Cunningham, who had met Desta at a Black-Jewish dialogue conference sponsored by the Jewish Federation Council, presented the family with a resolution on behalf of his colleagues which expressed their grave concern regarding the plight of Falashas still living in isolated villages in Ethiopia’s rural areas. The resolution noted that the Falashas are barred from practicing their religion, prevented from emigrating, and live under constant threat of arrest and physical torture.
The resolution called upon Reagan to express the concern of the United States and its citizens for the human rights of Ethiopia’s Jews — including the right to emigrate freely — to “relevant foreign governments ” and to seek ways to assist them to emigrate.
DESCRIBES CONDITIONS IN ETHIOPIA
While human rights for all Ethiopians have been reduced since Emporer Haile Selassie was deposed in 1974, the situation, according to Desto, is worse for minority groups and such religions as Lutherans, Roman Catholics, Pentacostals, but especially for Jews. He said that between 1980 and 1982 all Jewish leaders had been tortured, imprisoned or fled to Israel.
Desta, his wife and child were imprisoned and tortured in 1981 for attempting to leave the country. They are the first Falashas who have experienced torture and imprisonment in Ethiopia to speak out to the American public.
“We were in prison under horrible unsanitary conditions for several months, but we never gave up, nor will other Ethiopian Jews who have been tortured,” Desta told Bradley and City Councilmen.
According to Osias Goren, Federation president, “no matter what the government of Ethiopia may do to our Falasha brethren, they will never succeed in stopping them. World Jewry will never give up its determination to bring all Ethiopian Jews home to Israel. “
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