THE DETROI T JEWISH NEWS

110

I(

et

Ethiopian
immigrants
from 1991 are
finding
success in
Israel.

Rid e

he JDC-Brookdale Institute, one of Is-
rael's leading research centers on so-
cial issues, has conducted an extensive
research program since 1992 on the
resettlement and integration of Ethiopian
immigrants.
There are currently 57,000 Ethiopian
Jews in Israel. The largest waves were 7,000
in Operation Moses in the mid-1980s and
14,000 with Operation Solomon in 1991.
Ethiopian Jews came primarily from the
northern regions of Ethiopia, where for cen-
turies they were cut off from mainstream
Judaism. Despite their isolation, they re-
tained a strong identity as Jews and a long-
ing to return to their ancient homeland.
Most of the 7,000 Ethiopian immigrants
who arrived in Israel with Operation Moses
live in public housing. Those who came to
Israel in 1991, at the height of the massive
wave of immigration from the former Sovi-
et Union, were first housed in hotels and ab-
sorption centers. Later, they were provided
with mobile homes in 22 temporary sites
throughout the country.

Ethiopian immigrants
Uzi and Chava Alamo
with family and
friends at their new
home in Hoshaya.

In an effort to assist Ethiopian families
in acquiring permanent housing, a govern-
ment preferential mortgage program was
implemented. By the end of December 1995,
85 percent of the families living in mobile
home sites in May 1993 had purchased
apartments and moved into permanent
housing in cities such as Netanya, Rishon
Lezion, Yavne, Kiryat Malachi, Ramle and
Ashdod.
Efforts to integrate Ethiopian immigrant
into the Israeli employment market have fo-
cused on providing basic skills that would
assist them in making the transition from
agriculture to industrial professions. The
goal was to extend their limited education-
al and occupational backgrounds to prevent
them from falling to the bottom of the socio-
economic ladder.
During the first four years in Israel of the
Operation Solomon immigrants, the vast
majority of men obtained employment an
small groups of women began entering the
workforce. The rate of unemployment among
Ethiopian residents of mobile home sites had