NEWS I The Board of Directors, Officers and Staff of Huntington Banks of Michigan Extend Their Best Wishes to the Community for a Happy New Year. Ethiopian Descendants Claim Harassment Jerusalem (JTA) — Thousands of Ferris Mora, descendants of Ethiopian Jews who converted to Christianity, are being harassed by villagers who want their land and are flee- ing to Addis Ababa. Micha Feldman, the Jew- ish Agency representative in Ethiopia, has sent an urgent report to Jerusalem saying 4,000 of the Ferris Mora have reportedly reached the Ethiopian capital and are waiting for Israel to open its gates to them. Israel has not made a final decision on the matter, but has so far been reluctant to allow the Ferris Mora into the country. A government- appointed fact-finding mis- sion to Ethiopia concluded in June that the Ferris Mora, who number at least 25,000, had converted to Christiani- ty 100 years ago and today lead a totally un-Jewish life. This week Israel decided to allow the immigration of 100 Ferris Mora "on a human- itarian basis." Most of them are elderly people left 00 0 Huntington Banks Member FDIC Troy Main Office 801 West Big Beaver Road 362-5200 38 Locations to Serve You A SMARTER WAY TO BANK. May the coming year be filled with health, happiness and prosperity for all of our Families, Friends and Customers Fut." ristic Iturnishil es, Inc. ANDREW D. SALLAN ■■ •• SCOTT R DRESNER Cranbrook ASSOC. INC REALTORS Best wishes to all our customers for a happy and healthy New Year 84 Franklin 32440 Franklin Rd. 626-8700 West Bloomfield 5839 W. Maple 855-2200 Birmingham 1424 S. Woodward 645-2500 The Ethiopian govern- ment, which regards the Ferris Mora as Ethiopian citizens, is also placing obstacles in the way of their emigration. The government has said it regards attempts emigration as interference in its internal affairs. The Ethiopian Church in- dicated that bringing the group to Israel would be regarded as an attempt to reconvert them. Mr. Tsaban is due to visit Ethiopia shortly to study the issue first hand. Vatican Ties Won't Lessen Concern CSHANA TOVA •• behind after the May 1991 Operation Solomon airlifted most of Ethiopia's Jews to Israel. These elderly people are now being permitted to join relatives in Israel. Immigration and Absorp- tion Minister Yair Tsaban said the move was not a precedent but rather one that involved these in- dividuals only. The emigres would not be considered new immigrants and would not enjoy the same benefits as olim. J New York (JTA) — The Vatican has assured Pales- tinians of its continued con- cern for their welfare as it moves toward closer ties with Israel. The assurance was con- veyed by Joaquin Navarro- Valls, director of the Vatican press office, in a recent issue of L'Osservatore Romano, according to Rabbi Leon Klenicki, director of inter- faith affairs at the Anti Defamation League. It followed expressions of concern by Moslem and Christian Arab clerics in Jerusalem in the wake of a July 29 decision in Rome to move toward normalization of relations between the Vat- ican and Israel. The concern was conveyed in a letter to Pope John Paul II signed by Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah, Grand Mufti Ibrahim Shaaban, Melkite Catholic Patriarch Vicar Lutfi Laham and Anglican Bishop Samir Kafity, accor- ding to a church press ser- vice in Geneva. Vicar Laham was quoted as telling the Swiss Catholic news agency APIC that the Jerusalem clerics were not objecting to the move toward diplomatic ties with Israel as such. They only wanted to be reassured there would be no deterioration in relations with the Palestinians. "For many years, the Vat- ican has taken very clear positions on the cause of the Palestinian Arabs and on Jerusalem," Vicar Laham said, according to the Ecumenical Press Service of the Geneva- based World Council of Churches. Vicar Laham said he was pleased Vatican represent- atives had briefed churches in Jerusalem before announ- cing the formation of a bilateral study commission with Israel. Some of the signatories are members of a Moslem- Christian committee formed to closely follow the discus- sions between Israel and the Vatican, he said. While expressing concern over the closer ties between the two states, Vicar Laham was optimistic about the future of Middle East peace negotiations. "We are in favor of anything that can help the rapprochement between peoples," he said.