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Friday, February 21, 1986
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
NEWS
GOT
A
QUESTION?
Ethiopian Jews Face Grim
Emigration Prospects
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Monday-Friday
9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
•
In cooperation with these
Jewish Welfare Federation member agencies:
• Fresh Air Society
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• Jewish Community Center
• Jewish Community Council
• Jewish Family Service
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• Jewish Home for Aged
• Jewish Vocational Service
and Community Workshop
• Midrasha—College of Jewish Studies
• Resettlement Service
• Sinai Hospital
• United Hebrew Schools
New York (JTA) — A State
Another problem, according
Department official said last to Aron, is that of leadership in
Monday that the prospects for the Ethiopian community. They
the emigration of the some 9,000 already have 12 different organ-
Jews who still remain in Ethi- izations,"and they cannot
opia are grim and that the situa- decide on one leader or organiza-
tion is not likely to change in the tion to represent them, he said,
near future.
adding, "The Etniopians in
"Ethiopian Jewry's present Israel are very, divided. They
situation is without prospect at unite in order to achieve their
all," Princeton Lyman, United goals."
States Assistant Secretary of
State for African Affairs, told
the plenary session of the Na-
tional Jewish community Rela-
tions Advisory council (NJC- Lebenbom Elected
RAC) at the Waldorf Astoria NJCRAC Official
Hotel. "I do not anticipate any
dramatic breakthrough in the
situation," in the near future, he
added.
Lyman explained that most of
the emigration of Ethiopian
Jews in the last few years,
including the airlift known as
"Operation Moses" which
brought about 10,000 Ethiopian
Jews to Israel more than a year
ago, took place through the
Sudan.
But this is no longer possible
since the removal of Sudan's
moderate, pro-Egyptian presi-
dent Gaafar Nimeiry last spring
and the establishment of a
radical regime amidst political
turmoil all over the country,
Lyman said. He said that
"Operation Moses" has become
a major political issue in the David Lebenbom
Sudan, viewed by many Sudan-
For the first time since its 1937
ese as an "insult to Sudan's na-
founding, the Jewish Community
tional honor."
In view of this development, Council of Metropolitan Detroit is
Lyman asserted, "it is impos- represented by an officer for the
sible to conceive of the Sudan as National Jewish Community Re-
a pathway for Ethiopian migra- lations Advisory Council
(NJCRAC).
tion in the near future."
David Lebenbom, Council's
The situation of Ethiopian
Jews is complicated by the immediate past president, has
elected to serve as a
attitude of the military-Marxist been
NJCRAC vice chairman. Elec-
pro-Soviet government in Ethi- tions were held at NJCRAC's an-
opia, Lyman said. "The govern- nual plenum in New York City
ment objects to free Jewish this week.
emigration. They resent the at-
During the past program year.
tention of the international com- Lebenbom chaired NJCRAC's
munity to the Jews of Ethiopia. Commission on Jewish Security
But at the same time they are and Individual Freedom. He also
sentitive to the international at- served as a member of the Com-
tention to the Jews." he said.
mission on Equal Opportunity. In
Lyman said that relationships addition, Lebenbom has served on
between the U.S. and Ethiopia the NJCRAC Commission on
are not good, and that makes it Church-State and Interreligious
difficult for Washington to ex- Relationships.
Prior to serving as Jewish
ert any influence on the issue of
Community Council president
Ethiopian Jews.
from 1982-1985, Lebenbom held
Another speaker at the plen- positions as Council vice
ary session was Chaim Aron, president and secretary. He also
chairman of the Immigration sat on Council's Executive Com-
and Absorption Department of mittee and served as a member of
the Jewish Agency, who focused the Internal Relations-Culture
on the problems of integrating Committee.
Ethiopian Jews into the main-
stream of Israel's society.
Apart from the problem of ad-
justing to a modern Western
society, the Ethiopian commun-
ity in Israel today has its unique
problems, Aron said. He dis- Isaac Stern
closed that about 40 percent of Here For Concert
the community is of one-parent
Violinist Isaac Stern will ap-.
families — either a mother or a pear in concert at 8 p.m. March 4
father with one child or more. at Ford Auditorium.
He said many of the Ethiopians
Tickets are available at the
who came to Israel left their Ford Auditorium box office, Hud-
spouses or families behind.
son's and Ticketworld.