I DETROIT CLEARANCE SALE Ethiopian Urges Help For Former Countrymen SUSAN GRANT Staff Writer A . EVERYTHING AT TEL-TWELVE 2nd LOCATION Im 3 DAYS ONLY g FRI-SAT-SUN • MAY 25-26-27 studios TEL-TWELVE MALL • 12 MILE & TELEGRAPH DAILY 10-9 • SUNDAY 12-5 • 354-9060 Prior Sales Excluded - In Stock Only Groups Sold As Complete Sets Specialiazing In MEN'S & WOMEN'S Z Cavaricci Girbaud Big John Edwin REAR ENDS Applegate Square Northwestern Hwy at Inkster 353-4353 22 FRIDAY, MAY 25, 1990 SPRING CLEANING? call LIBRARY BOOKSTORE 545.4300 We Buy (and Sell), Secondhand Books Books Bought In Your Home lthough worldwide attention has been focused on bringing Soviet Jews to safety, an E- thiopian Jew who lives in Israel doesn't want Ameri- cans to forget his former countrymen. Matti Elias, who has worked with the Israeli government to help Ethio- pian Jews resettle for 25 years, spoke to Detroit au- diences May 9 about the dangers faced by Jews in Ethiopia. "There is a feeling that after Operation Moses there is no problem with Ethio- pian Jews," Elias said. While Operation Moses succeeded in bringing 7,500 Ethiopian Jews from Sudan refugee camps into Israel in 1985, another 15,000 Ethio- pian Jews remained behind in the war-torn and famine- filled country. For 15 years, a civil war between the Communist government and two guerilla rebel forces has been fought in the country's villages, he said. Now rebels control northern provinces including Gondar, where about 10,000 Jews live. Ethiopian Jews "are really in danger. It is not a ques- tion of the famine. It is a physical danger," Elias said. Rebel military forces, sup- plied by Arab countries like Lybia and Iraq, have forced Jews to leave their homes and move to other provinces, he said. "The Ethiopian Jews are not farming, they have no schools, they have no syn- agogues. Communication has been cut by the rebels," said Elias, who has not heard from his two sisters in Ethiopia for six months. Escape for Ethiopian Jews became easier when the Israeli and Ethiopian government resumed dipolmatic relations in November. Jews living in the country's capital, Addis- Abba, can leave the country legally. About 3,000 Jews are in the capital waiting for the necessary paperwork, he said. But for those Jews who remain in areas controlled by rebel forces, getting to Addis-Abba means crossing war zones. Even if Jews get to the capital, relations between Israel and Ethiopia could M. Sempliner CAB UNLIMITED Steding Heights Sterling Place 37680 Van Dyke at 16 1/2 Mile 939-0700 Oak Park Lincoln Center, Greenfield at 10 1 h Mile 968-2060 West Bloomfield Orchard Mall, Orchard Lake at Maple (15 Mile) • 855-9955 CLASSIFIEDS GET RESULTS! Call The Jewish News 354.6060 change, Elias warned. The rebel forces are 100 miles from the capital. If Addis- Abba is captured, Jews may not be permitted to leave. Once in Israel, Ethiopian Jews are sent directly to ab- sorption centers where they are taught Hebrew and vocational skills , Elias said. Some Ethiopians who came during Operation Moses are still in absorption centers while they look for perma- nent housing. Unlike Soviet Jews who can directly settle in Israel, absorption centers are necessary for the 17,000 E- thiopian Jews in Israel. Coming to Israel from Ethi- opia is like "bringing a per- son from the 10th century to the 21st century," Elias said. Ethiopian Jews in Israel also face the separation of their families, which makes settling in the country harder, he said. Almost every Ethiopian Jew has someone who he has left behind. Although older Ethiopian Jews find it difficult to adapt to life in Israel, the younger generation does not, said Elias, an adviser and coor- dinator for an army prep program for Ethiopians. Previously, as deputy direc- tor for vocational training for the Ministry of Absorp- tion, he organized seminars for immigrants. Elias, who came to Ethi- opia legally as a young boy, said he had little trouble adapting to Israel. He now lives on a kibbutz with his wife, Tirza, and four daughters. During his Detroit visit, which was sponsored by the B'nai B'rith Council, Elias asked area residents to write letters to government leaders about Ethiopian Jews and join groups like the Michigan Association for E- thiopian Jews. The group's goal is to bring attention to the plight of Ethiopian Jews. Elais also asked for finan- cial support. It costs about $3,000 to resettle one Ethio- pian Jew in Israel. The money pays for transporta- tion, housing and other ex- penses. Once in Israel, it costs $900 for a group or in- dividual who wish to adopt an Ethiopian child and pay for his education for one year. For some Detroiters, the message has already been