Severing Form Families Debilitates Many Young Ethiopians in Israel

The remarkable exodus of 15,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel during “Operation Moses” in 1985 has already occupied its page in modern Jewish history. But their story is not finished.

Many of them, particularly the children and teenagers, suffered pain and trauma. For some, it never ceased.

Rabbi Nahum Cohen, director of the Youth Aliya absorption center for Ethiopian children at Hofim in northern Israel and himself a 1966 immigrant to Israel from Scranton, Pa., has witnessed the plight of many of the Ethiopian children.

“Until the remaining Jews of Ethiopia are brought to Israel and are reunited with their families, these Ethiopian youngsters are going to be in trauma,” Cohen told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency recently while visiting here on a speaking tour sponsored by the United Jewish Appeal.

“As long as these children and youngsters are separated from their relatives and friends, who remained back in Ethiopia, their ability to function in society will be handicapped. They simply cannot study or work,” Cohen asserted.

Official Israeli sources estimate that 12,000-14,000 Jews still live in Ethiopia. According to American and Israeli officials, the prospects are dim that they will be allowed to leave for Israel in the near future.

COPE WITH GRIEF, SEPARATION

Cohen said the absorption center of Hofim has been serving as “a revolving door” for Ethiopian youth, who after completing various study and training programs are sent to other Youth Aliya centers in Israel.

According to Cohen, Hofim houses 211 Ethiopians ages six to 20, most of whom suffered tragedy. “The average child at Hofim lost more than four relatives in the course of the journey to Israel,” Cohen disclosed. “We have in Israel 45 Ethiopian children who are orphans. Many, many others have lost one of the parents or a sister or brother and other relatives.”

Cohen stressed that many of the Ethiopian children are still suffering from the trauma of their 10-month odyssey to Israel through the Sudan. “During that journey they were jailed, beaten, robbed and raped,” Cohen said.

He noted that the combination of the journey with the shock of separation from family members has caused many of the Ethiopian youngsters emotional problems they are yet to overcome. “The kids who were separated from their families are still going to sleep crying every night,” Cohen said.

In addition to the emotional problems, Cohen said many of the young immigrants required treatment for various illnesses such as malaria, typhoid fever and stomach parasites. Many suffered from malnutrition as a result of the Ethiopian famine. “Altogether we had to hospitalize in Israel 106 Ethiopian children since their arrival,” Cohen disclosed.

SAID TO BE HAPPY IN ISRAEL

But despite all the hardships, none of Israel’s Ethiopian Jews want to return to Ethiopia, Cohen said. “The children and youngsters say to us, ‘Bring our parents and our relatives to us.’ They do not want to go back,” explained Cohen.

Hebrew is spoken by all at Hofim, Cohen said, pointing out that after three months in the absorption center, “they know enough to be integrated.” However, some of the Ethiopian kids still speak their mother-tongue, Amharic, Cohen noted.

According to Cohen, there are 2,495 Ethiopian children living in Youth Aliya centers all over Israel, where they are integrated with Jewish youth from other countries. The are mostly well adjusted and rarely experience prejudice, Cohen claimed. He said that the Ethiopian Jews, who live in about 68 different locations in Israel, can generally be considered as a success story.