The State Senate has adopted a resolution calling on the United States government to “extend its diplomatic offices” to the Ethiopian Jews who want to leave Ethiopia and other African countries and emigrate to “hospitable shores of their own choosing.”
The resolution, introduced by Senate Democratic Leader Manfred Ohrenstein, asks the U.S. government to provide “whatever assistance is necessary in the form of a significant number of visas, grants for travel and maintenance, and aid in their absorption in this country, if such is required.”
Ohrenstein said he introduced the resolution because he fears that “this small remnant of aid once glorious, ancient Jewish community is in danger of extinction unless immediate large-scale assistance is forthcoming from countries such as the United States. Several groups of Israelis and Americans recently in Ethiopia have issued conflicting reports. But even the most positive report indicates the oppression of Ethiopian Jews.”
The resolution was transmitted to President Reagan, Secretary of State George Shultz and members of Congress, Ohrenstein said.
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