A government official has issued an order to a group of Black Jews to halt their construction of dwellings on land owned by the government land authority and leased to Kibbutz Beth Kama in the Negev. The Black Jews, originally from Chicago who arrived last year in Israel from Liberia, began this weekend to build housing on this land. The order for them to stop their activity stated that the construction programs and taking possession of the land was illegal. The group of Black Jews, under their leader Ben Ami who was formerly known as Ben Carter, arrived in Israel demanding to be treated as Jews under the Law of Return. Pending clarification of their status they were given housing and jobs in Dimona near Beersheba. The group, however, claimed that they could not earn a living in Dimona and recently approached the Jewish Agency Settlement Department and its chairman, Dr. Raanan Weitz, asking that they be given land upon which to construct a settlement. Before receiving any reply, the group arrived over the weekend at a site opposite Kibbutz Beth Kama and began to build houses. The Jewish Agency said it was still studying their request.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
