Ethiopian Israelis: Let the Tigray make aliyah

Some 2,000 relatives of olim living in Israel said to be waiting in Ethiopia for permission to make aliyah. Ethiopian community in Israel claims authorities stalling on issue

Ilana Curiel |Published: 08.07.09 , 20:11

While the story of the Falash Mura is known to most Israelis, the public is generally unaware of the difficulties another Ethiopian community that claims to have Jewish ancestry – the Tigray, is facing in immigrating to Israel.

The Ethiopian community in Israel has recently launched a campaign to bring to Israel some 2,000 Tigray who have relatives in Israel.

The main difference between the Falash Mura and the Tigray lies in their geographical origin. The Falash Mura are Jews who converted to Christianity in the mid 19th century as a result of social and economic pressure. Most of them live in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. The Tigray live in northern Ethiopia in a region that borders Eritrea and Sudan, and their Jewish roots are unclear.

Many Ethiopian Israelis now claim that a large community made up of the relatives of Jews who have immigrated to Israel decades ago lives in Tigray. They say that the Israeli authorities do not recognize this group and are unwilling to send representatives to examine the Tigray's eligibility to make aliyah under the Law of Return.

"This is unfair. If they don't want Jews here, why do they continue to encourage aliyah from North America and the former Soviet Union?" a Jewish Agency official told Ynet. "I'd like to believe this isn't because of their skin color. The olim from Ethiopia want to bring their families here. Non-Jews should not be allowed to immigrate, but the Tigray's eligibility must be looked into."

Rabbi Avraham Shai, who heads the association of Tigray Jews in Israel, said: "We started acting in light of the Interior Ministry's idleness. We have relatives who have been left behind without any assistance and without anyone paying any attention to them.

"They are all Jewish and some have been left behind during Operation Moses," he added.

The Interior Ministry offered the following response: "Two representatives of the ministry have been sent to the Gondar region to examine the eligibility of the Falash Mura to make aliyah. According to the instruction of Interior Minister Eli Yishai, they will also look into the Tigray's eligibility."