Bring Ethiopian Jews home

Joseph Feit correctly points out that there is a valid and well-accepted history of welcoming Ethiopian Jews into the recognized Jewish community (“Spanish Conversos and Ethiopian Jewry,” August 5). Although one can find a reason to reject and turn our backs on the Jews stranded in Ethiopia, the real task is to seek legitimate reasons for welcoming them into our midst.

The Jews of Gondar and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia are living as Jews. When my wife and I visited the Jewish community of Gondar in July, we were moved by the fact that for regular the daily mincha service, the synagogue was filled with over 1,100 men and 700 women. 70% have first-degree relatives living in Israel. The Jews of Ethiopian origin already welcomed on aliyah were deemed Jews; their close family in Ethiopia must also be considered Jews.

The challenge for us in Israel and the Diaspora is to sustain our fellow Jews while they wait for the Israeli government to issue aliyah visas to them. They live in one-room shacks with neither plumbing nor electricity and have little to eat! The North American Conference on Ethiopian Jewry (NACOEJ) feeds nearly 1,900 children a day for sic to eight weeks as part of a kaitana (day camp) program. We give them a boiled potato, hard-boiled egg, banana and roll. My wife and I were pained to see many of the children dividing their food so that they could take some home for dinner.

We need to petition the Israeli government passionately to implement the wise policies that Feit suggests – and we all must accept the responsibility to care for Ethiopian Jews while they wait for permission to make aliyah. RABBI JEROME M. EPSTEIN President, NACOEJ