MS-603: Rabbi Marc H. Tanenbaum Collection, 1945-1992. Series D: Internationalional Relations Activities.Activities. 1961-1961 1992 Box 58, Folder 4, FFalashas,alashas, 1978-1979,1978-1979, 1985.1985. 3101 Clifton Ave, Cincinnati, Ohio 45220 (513) 221-1875 phone, (513) 221-7812 fax americanjewisharchives.org 3 CD 3 THE AMERICAN MITT8& 0 January , 1985 (vi~ FAX January 10) .. date a ~re .Tan . bawn/Geor9e ·Gruen :s to Q, from M. Berna Resnikoff c subject The new Ethio ia 3 There ha been so much news, controversy, misinformation and wr gling with-respect to the rescue operation. of Ethiopia Jews t~at it was decided to devote so~e time to c refully study the matter. The meth d chosen was ~o solicit and re- ceive an invitation t join a 9roup ·of local and " foreign correspondent ,who were taken on a day-lonq tour of installations created f9r Ethiopian Jews · that took place on Ja uary 6. We visit d absorption centers, reception centers, we spoke to ewish Agency offic1als, to absorp- tion center directors ~ducators, social workers, psychiatrists and do~ ors. We were free to speak to any a~d all Ethiopian , provided, of_ course, that there was a common language We visited classrooms, assorted ulpanim for different levels, we observed baby cli'nics, syn~qogues, dining ro m balls, assembly rooms and even stockrooms. There we e no apparent obstacles to seeking any and al~ informati the only limitation being that of language. · • One of t e principal findings of this trip is that thi·s is, by f r, the most difficult absorption of any group of Jews. The arrivals have an 80% illiteracy . ·rate, which is exacer ated by a lack of knowledge of l anguages, as well un amiliarity with Western culture. There needS·to be new pproaches, · new methods, new teach- ·ing skills, new . books to cope with the 'problems . Some of these· problems are reflected in the fact that people have to be taught how to use electricity, stoves, and refrigerators (ev n the matter of helping them · understand what goes nto the refriqerator and what goes into the closet) In addit on, a good number of people have come to this country ith illnesses and diseases with which Israeli doctors have no familiarity except throuqh textbooks. The fear f the unknown, the strangeness, the need for major ad ustments are compounded by the fact that while most f the immigrants are .religious (reflected in the obs .rvance of Sabbath and kashrut) they are aubjected to rilbbinical rulings concerninq • . • 2 M. Tanenbaum/G. Gruen - 2 - January 7, 1985 the necessity for rec nfirmin9 their Jewishness , which reconfirmation .some o them regard as an affront. As for n ers, there are some 9,000 in· absorption ·centers, w th some· 1,soo already gone . Adding those who are n Youth Aliya inst~llations and others, estimates at the present are in the neiqh­ .borhood of 14, 000. D ffere~t age groups present Qifferent problems. · ounq children, unacco~panied by parents or familie , suffer the addi ti·onal 'tension of aloneness. Young dults are not accustomed to co-ed education and W stern methods. · While attempts a. r e made to accotnodat to cultural habits (-for example, Ethiopian absorption enters have ~ore wide-open spaces than absorption cente s normally do) the .. immigrants nevertheless suffer f om alienation. Old~r people are experiencing difficul y learning a new language. Food is also a proble and the kitchen staff continue to experiment in prov din.<J the kind of food most cul- . turally accept~ble t9 ~tniopians. ~ In the Sbrption center, one is ~truck by such positives as leanliness, a . good student-teacher .ratio, bright living uarters, well-stocked inventories and wholesome fopd. n the cente~ we visited, we found Ethiopians who ad been the.re for two days and others who were there for two yea.rs. It would seem that be­ cause of need for add ti(:,nal training, or for otj'ier coro­ pelling reasons, the bsorptiQn center. is qenerous in deciding when to send th~ inunigtants on to absorbing ·local communities. P of e5sional trainin9 also takes place there, for thos who show special capabilities. Especial y difficult to learn are activities in the ·banks; Kupat H lim, class homework, homemaking and the like •. Still, wit in a xnonth following arrival, Ethiopians Gtart clas es with the intention of spending a full y~ar in the ab orption cent.er before <Joing on. On the elementary sch ol level, children study in the centers themselves. t the high school level, wherever and as soon as possib e, the center sends these youngsters out to regional high chools, where they con.tinue their studies together with young people in the ne~ghborhood. • • • 3 M. Tanenbaum/G. Grue - 3 - January 7, 1985. ty study is not out of the quest~9n · for those lified. Lovin9 ttention· 1s lavished in. the nursery, · where infants,. plagu d with a variety of diseases, are tended by traine nur~es. One could not help observe the care wi which even diapers are changed, and even nurses aide 9ivin9 children rides on swings. Even the most harden d journalists could not help but ·. be impressed with th s kind of professional care and attention. At a re t home in a southern community, ori9~nally set up as a rest home for soldiers and sailors under the au pices of 1:he Soldiers~ Welfare League, arrangements have been completed for the ·re­ ception of' all olim irect from the airport. ~he in- tention is for th~ be accomodated at· this receptio~ locale for the first 48 hoUJ;'& after ~rival, . during which time they are ed ·(with special attention. beinq giv~n for the diet o people Who ware starvi~9 or near - starving), bathed, i sued new clothing, pocket money, and an' identity card Whenever posslble, .they are helped in locating family ers who arrived before them and are sent directl to rejoin their families . .Special attention is given t those children who arrived without their families (arou d 10\) • ... Less th lOt ~~~ sent direct~y to hospit~ls with assorted illnes es, and bother s• are sent to hospitals later on, s various medical oon4itions are diagnosed • . There w s a rather serious fl.~p at ~- . center to which we h d to make a rather .lengthy .detour when it turned out t at the newly arrived olilll refused to meet with the pre s. They were not to ~e se•n and · many loe~ed themselv sup in their rooms. · This turned out to De fruatratin to many journalists, who .responded ·to their disappoin · nt by converting beh~vior that i~ ­ frequently agqressiv to behavior that waa ·frequently rude. It was first et out that the olim refused to be interviewed beoau e they were fearful for the lives and safety of fami ly members left behind. · But·when we spoke to some of the Ethiopian staff members, it turned out that the olim ·re entea the press. As Qne Ethiopian Jew interpreted it t .. us, . aYou are not interested in us, you are only interest d in yourselves. and y~ur story. Otherwise, how could you do such a thing ahd print ·the story which stopped he planes fr9m coming? We can't 0 trust you • · · " · ~ .. 4 - 4 - M. Tanenbaum/G. Grue January 7, 1985 From a press happening" point of view, the day was not exac ly .a success. I happened to be standing right next o the E~iopian staff members b~'ing interviewed, an I could clearly hear whisp~rings of an offical prompt 9 them. But, to be fair~ the prompting might have een nothing more than helping the staffers underst d the ~ebrew questions snapped at them. The ove iding conclusion of tpe day is that Israelis, of di ferent professions,with different responsibilities, ~e esent.ing different interested institutions, are do g a tremendous job with care, diligence, flair and imagination in an area for which there is little or n precedent. simultane us with. the field visit described above, data was colle ted from rea·ponaible sources regarding the politic 1, administrative,'reli9ious and pUblicity issues nvolved. This is a summary of our findings. •operatio Moshe• had the misfortune of being one of the b st-known· secrets. Almost anyone· in Israel with an i.ntereet in the Ethiopians knew, at one point or anoth r, that a dramatic rescue operation was underway. .. .. Those who shared the secret as a result of their official and profess! nal responsibility ~ere allowed to · acknowledge the prese ce of Ethiopian Jews in Israe1. This "policy" included Jew sh Agency personnel and the press. -Both could talk or wr te about the •absorption" of Ethiopian "Jews in Israel. They could not discuss the "immiqration" of those Jews. As su h, th~ Jewish Agency Board of Governor s, including UJA leaders were warned not to speak about the · operat.i~n to eave Eth opian Jews, but were told .that they could acknowledge th~ absop tion of Ethiopians in Israel. For the fundraisers, this was not an ideal situation. • • • 5 . ' . , .• ; ..~,. ··~ .. • • ::" ... - .. "·.1.1 ·:· . .. ........... - 5 - In additi n, publicity reqa~ding the Ethiop~ans chansed with the weath r. In recent years,- Israel's military censor has almost tot lly prohibited any mention of . · · · · Ethiopians in the pre s •. More recently, the censor began to relax his resulati ns and Isra~li.newapapers started reportins events invo vin9 Ethiopians in Israel. Freq~ently, those stories told of the hardships suffered by.