WASHINGTON (JTA) — A health clinic in Ethiopia run by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee has reopened.
The Gondar clinic, closed since May, was able to reopen Nov. 26 due to a $250,000 donation — half from the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, the other half from an anonymous New York donor, The Jerusalem Post reported.
The clinic provides basic medical care and sometimes life-saving health services to thousands of Falash Mura waiting to immigrate to Israel. Falash Mura are Ethiopian Jews whose ancestors were forced to convert to Christianity hundreds of years ago.
The newspaper noted that the reopening of the clinic, which was encouraged by the Israeli government, came a week after Jewish Agency for Israel chairman Natan Sharansky told Jewish leaders he wanted to bring the remaining Falash Mura to Israel if their Jewish roots could be proven.
