After the overthrow of Emperor Halle Selassie in 1974. the Jewish population. caught in the crossfire of warring factions. declined still further. Moreover. like other Ethiopians. they are victims of the drought and famine that has crippled the Horn of Africa and other regions of the continent in recent years and that recurred with a vengeance in 1983. The Jews are eager to make allyah to Israel but it is illegal for any Ethiopian to emigrate. Many have trekked through the Simian Mountains of western Ethiopia. to refugee camps in the Sudan. where they feign Christianity in an effort to obtain better treatment. Food and medical supplies are scarce in the camps. and the refugees suffer from malnutrition and a variety of debilitating diseases. A large number of the Jews who are still in Ethiopia will not be able to leave without assistance because they are too young. too old. or too sick for the rugged journey to the Spdan. I was part of a study mission that visited Ambober. one of the Ethiopian Jewish villages last August. I returned from the trip deeply concerned about the extreme hardship faced by the Jews as well as other Ethiopians and their inability to emigrate freely. The vivid reality of viewing the harsh effects of the drought and malnutrition
Keywords matched
emigrate refugee refugees