Written by Hayley Nagelberg (Hagalil)
Many of you may be familiar
with “Operation Moses” or “Operation Solomon," but what do you know about
“Operation Dove”?
The Israeli “Law of Return”
states that anyone who is a quarter Jewish - meaning that he or she has at
least one Jewish grandparent - can make aliyah. So what happens when people claim they WERE Jewish, or who
USED to be Jewish but converted in order to avoid persecution?
Operation Dove’s Wings,
completed this past August, brought over 7,800 Falash Mura to Israel. These people, like the Beta Israel,
practiced Judaism years ago; however unlike the Beta Israel, they accepted
conversion to Christianity.
Israeli political heads
debated for years whether to allow this group of Ethiopians to make aliyah. The eventual conclusion was that if
they could trace their Jewish Identities through their mothers’ side, they
could come to Israel. This
decision was based on the fact that Judaism teaches that Jewish lineage is
derived from the mother’s side. In
addition, there is a concept, “zera yisrael”, which holds that if you have a
relationship to the Jewish faith, you are welcome in Israel. If they qualify for entry, when these
Ethiopians reach Israel, they are required to undergo a conversion process to
Orthodox Judaism.
While this ruling seems to be
clear and fair as to who is welcome, it has been fraught with many
problems. As the process of review
and admission has taken many years, new children have been born to these Ethiopians
waiting to make aliyah, and these children may not fit the criteria that have
been established for entry to the Jewish state. Siblings have been split up because they have different
fathers; and others have been reunited, but only after years of protest.
Setting aside the controversies
that have taken place before the Operation began, there is even more
controversy as it comes to an end.
First, some members of the Beta Israel community feel it is not right
that these Ethiopians were allowed to immigrate. They do not think of them as Jews in the same respect as
they consider themselves. They
feel that the Israeli government was too lenient, and now will find that there
are many more Ethiopians claiming to be Jews. The new protocol stipulates that Ethiopians wishing to
immigrate must apply individually, have some form of family in Israel apply for
them, AND be able to trace back their matrilineal lineage. Some people feel that even with these
steps in place, Ethiopians will claim to be people they are not.
For the Falash Mura who
worked so hard to get to Israel, they too are faced by many of the problems
typical of new immigrants. They
feel they are not accepted; they have had to adjust so many of their customs
and ways of life that they don’t feel comfortable in Israel.
Another group still
struggling is the Falash Mura who were denied entrance to Israel. They agreed to learn the Jewish ways
[again] in their country, and held out hope for years that they would be
allowed to make aliyah. Now they
are left with new Jewish faith in a country that doesn't support their
beliefs. Some of them still have
family by their side, but for others, their family is in Israel.
Since 2010, hundreds of
Ethiopians have come over to Israel each month as part of Operation Dove. Although their road to the Promised
Land has not been easy, they have come freely. This past August 28th the last 450 olim came to
Israel, thus ending the Operation.
Now there are over 7500 new Israelis, making their way as Jews in the
Jewish land. And yet, the challenges associated with Operation Dove remain a
persistent challenge of our times.
Hayley Nagelberg is a junior at the
Golda Och Academy in West Orange New Jersey. She works with both Israel Clubs at her school
(Israel club and Israel advocacy club). She is also her USY chapter's IA and
the Hagalil Hechalutzim chairperson for the year.
