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September 18, 2008
Green Light for More Falash Mura
New York
JTA Wire Service
Israel will allow additional Ethiopians to petition for aliyah under the special circumstances afforded the Falash Mura. Without specifying a number, Israel’s Cabinet decided Sunday that the petitioners must meet three key criteria: They must be listed on a 1999 census of the Falash Mura in Ethiopia; have been living for at least a year in the Ethiopian city of Gondar, where Jewish aid groups have provided services; and have relatives in Israel who can submit formal petitions on their behalf. At least 1,400 Ethiopians are expected to meet those criteria, and possibly as many as 8,700. The move follows months of pressure on the Israeli government by advocates of Ethiopian aliyah, including American Jewish federation executives. Several months ago, Israel’s Supreme Court recommended that the government check the eligibility for aliyah of an additional 1,400 or so Falash Mura but did not order the government to do so. The Falash Mura are Ethiopians who claim links to Ethiopians whose Jewish ancestors converted to Christianity a century ago to escape economic and social pressures, but who now are returning to Judaism and petitioning to immigrate to Israel. On Sunday, the Cabinet ordered the Interior Ministry, which historically has been slow to verify the eligibility of Ethiopian petitioners for aliyah, to begin the verification process by Jan. 1. Those found eligible will be brought at a rate of up to 100 per month, the Cabinet decision said. A total of 16,095 Ethiopians have immigrated to Israel since the Cabinet decided in February 2003 to bring additional Ethiopian olim.
Tel Aviv Stock Exchange Drops Sharply
The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange opened sharply down, reacting to the financial crisis in the United States. The exchange plummeted Monday morning after the U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers announced it would file for bankruptcy. The drop, echoing markets around the world, follows smaller losses after last week’s U.S. governmental takeover of mortgage banks Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Both the TA-25 and TA-100 indices dropped more than 2 percent.
Israelis Warned to Leave Sinai
Israel’s Counterterrorism Bureau warned Israelis to leave the Sinai Peninsula immediately. Monday’s warning came after what the bureau said was concrete information about a plan by Hezbollah and local terror groups to kidnap Israelis and take them to Gaza. A travel advisory suggesting that Israelis could be in danger in the Sinai has been in effect for several weeks. But this warning is more stark, urging Israelis in the Sinai to leave and those planning to travel there to change their plans. The Israeli Defense Forces on Sunday ordered all soldiers currently serving in the military—whether conscripts, reservists or career officers—as well as civilians employed by the military, not to travel to the Sinai. Terrorists are said to be most interested in kidnapping and holding for ransom Israeli military personnel. Israelis can not be prevented from traveling to the Sinai, for example by closing the Taba Crossing, since there is a peace agreement with Egypt.
This story reprinted courtesy of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.