THOUSANDS OF ETHIOPIAN JEWS STILL STRANDED IN ETHIOPIA AS LAST FLIGHT SET TO LAND

7,500 Ethiopian Jews still stuck in the country, approximately 70% have “first-degree relatives already living in Israel.”

A mere 14 Ethiopian Jews are aboard the last approved aliyah flight from Ethiopia, which is scheduled to land in Israel on Tuesday night. Some 7,500 Ethiopian Jews are still living in both Gondar and Addis Ababa.

“Until a new government is formed after the September 17 elections, no new decision can be made [to bring the remaining members of the community], we have to wait,” explained A.Y. Katsof, the head of The Heart of Israel, who has dedicated his life to bringing Jews back to their homeland. “It’s really sad and it’s not understandable.” Despite the government’s unanimous resolution 716 in 2015, under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to bring the remaining Jews of Ethiopia to Israel, the decision has been stalled over and over again with claims that it’s because of budgetary claims. Speaking to The Jerusalem Post, Katsof said that the Jewish communities in Gondar and Addis Ababa are living in dire conditions and with pillars of the community already living in Israel, “they are falling apart.” “When you see how they are living, with no water, no electricity, no toilets or sanitation and how they work so hard for just $1 a day,” he said. “You can’t imagine the conditions they are living in unless you see it for yourself.” Read more...