I first became aware of the plight of Ethiopian Jewry while I was director of community relations at the Cleveland Jewish Federation in the mid-1970s. Naim was a key figure in advocating for the airlift of more than 14,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel on May 24-25, a heroic effort dubbed Operation Solomon. Three chief rabbis of Israel have ruled that Ethiopian Jews should be resettled in Israel. While there was the possibility of a galvanizing rescue of Ethiopian Jews, mirroring the bold actions of Israel’s government during Operations Moses and Solomon in 1984 and 1991, respectively, Israel chose to do virtually nothing. PJCHoward M. Rieger was president/CEO Jewish Federations of North America, 2004-2009, and is a volunteer with Struggle to Save Ethiopian Jewry.

Source: Ethiopian News August 16, 2023 18:44 UTC