A new Ministry of Aliyah and Integration program to encourage aliyah to Israel does not include the remaining Ethiopian Jews waiting in transit camps for approval to immigrate to Israel.
According to data from the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, 6,000 Jews from around the world have immigrated to Israel since the onset of the current war with Hamas in October 2023. Some of those have enlisted in the IDF, and there has been an uptick in new immigration files opened in France, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. However, those figures exclude the thousands of Jews in Ethiopia waiting to come to Israel. Since the formation of the new coalition government, the most right-wing in Israel's history, immigration from Ethiopia has been stalled.
Minister of Aliyah and Integration Ofir Sofer and Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich, both from the Religious Zionist Party, have allocated 170 million shekels ($47 million) to encourage aliyah since the outbreak of the war. The new plan, called "Af al pi chen" (Hebrew for "nevertheless,") includes monthly rent assistance of 2,000 shekels ($552) for immigrants who choose to settle in the Galilee, Negev, and Judea and Samaria (the Biblical name for the West Bank), as well as full rent coverage for young families, job placement, and educational assistance for children.
However, this plan neglects one group – Ethiopian Jewry. There are thousands waiting in camps in the Ethiopian cities of Addis Ababa and Gondar, many of whom have been waiting for many years. These emigrants are required time and again to prove their Jewishness and their connection to the Jewish people.
Last summer, the Ethiopian community held widespread protests demanding that the remaining Jews in Ethiopia be brought to Israel. In August, Brig. Gen. (res.) Harel Knafo was appointed to lead a taskforce to examine continued immigration from Ethiopia. However, Knafo has been serving in reserve duty since the beginning of the war, and there has been no action taken on behalf of those waiting to come to Israel.
Many Ethiopian Israeli soldiers have been killed since the beginning of the war, and many of them have first-degree family members whose immigration to Israel has not yet been approved.
Organizers at the Headquarters for the Campaign for the Immigration of Ethiopian Jews, which led many of last year’s protests, say they are furious. "We are good enough to defend the country, but not enough for our brothers and sisters to come to Israel," said Surafel Alamo, a campaign manager with the organization. "Thousands of families who sent their sons and daughters, including soldiers, police officers, and civilians serving the country, demand to bring their families. The Minister of Aliyah and Integration is forsaking our brothers and sisters."
Alamo is frustrated that the government’s "Af al pi chen" program "only addresses privileged Jews who can immigrate regardless," while Ethiopian Jews are excluded from the program. According to Alamo, 1,226 individuals are waiting to make aliyah in Gondar and Addis Ababa, including those who have already been officially recognized as eligible for immigration. "Minister Ofir does nothing about it. We are good enough to defend the country, but not for our brothers and sisters to come to Israel," said Alamo.
The Ministry of Aliyah and Integration did not respond to a request for comment.
This article was translated from Hebrew by Marina Levy.
