The Jerusalem Post - The Jerusalem Post Magazine
Waiting… hurting… hoping
A Falash Mura member’s long struggle to make aliyah from Ethiopia
There is a popular Talmudic saying: “There is no simcha (joy) without strife.” The miraculous saga of the repatriation of an ancient tribe of Israel is not without its fair share of suffering and sacrifice. This story is just one of hundreds, describing the trials and tribulations of the Ethiopian Jewish community.
Tezalu Molla Jember (her name includes that of her father and grandfather, as is the custom in Ethiopia) is a Falash Mura, descendants of Jews who were converted to Christianity. In 2004, her parents and eight brothers and sisters were given permission to come to Israel and make aliyah, under the Law of Return, as third-generation descendants of Jews. But because Tezula was in the latter stages of pregnancy at the time, she and her husband Adane were told to wait until her baby was born, and only then to come and join her family here.
Yet when she applied for aliyah in 2005, she was told that due to budgetary concerns, the quotas were filled and she would have to wait.
And so she waited. And waited. For nine years she longed to be with her loved ones, but no permission was granted. She now had seven children; a son had died from an illness that more than likely would have been successfully treated in Israel. Four of the children had married, and Tezula was told that they must stay behind; only her 3 unmarried children could accompany their parents to Israel. This was a shock to her, but she was determined to come anyway.
Finally, in 2013, she received an invitation to come to the Israeli Consulate in Gondar and fill out the necessary forms for aliyah. She rushed to the consulate and filed, but she and her family were again denied a place on the flights. In 2018, she again was told to file, and again turned away.
Last year, she received a letter stating that she is no longer eligible to come to Israel because she was a fourth-generation descendant of Jews and the Law of Return only went as far as third-generation relatives. This despite the fact that her siblings – who now live in Ashkelon, Petah Tikva, Jaffa and other places – have the exact same status as her.
And so Tezalu waits; she is down, but not defeated. Her brother affirms, “She has waited for 17 years, and she will wait another 17 years if she must. She will not abandon her dream of coming to Israel.”