JERUSALEM, Israel – Israeli President Isaac Herzog called on leaders to quickly bring Ethiopia’s remaining Jews to the Holy Land as a bloody year-long civil war in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region continues to threaten their lives.
“Thousands are still waiting to make aliyah (immigrate) to Israel, and some of them are threatened and in a worrying situation. We must continue to act to bring them over to Israel quickly,” Herzog said Thursday during a speech marking Sigd, an ancient Ethiopian holiday dedicated to celebrating the return to Jerusalem after exile.
The Ethiopian government declared a nationwide state of emergency on Tuesday and rival Tigray forces are threatening to topple the capital Addis Ababa.
The war began in November 2020 after a political falling-out between the Tigray forces that long dominated the national government and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s current government. The UN says the conflict is marked by “extreme brutality,” killing thousands and displacing millions. The government says the rebels pose a “grave and imminent danger” to Ethiopia’s existence.
Israeli officials believe at least 7,000 Jews are remaining in Ethiopia and many of them live in the Tigray region. Since December, Israel has airlifted 2,000 Jews out of Ethiopia and brought them to the holy land, but activists say more needs to be done.
The process of bringing Ethiopian Jews to Israel has encountered repeated delays and many wait decades before they can immigrate.
Immigration Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata, herself a native Ethiopian, has vowed to move quickly on the project.
On Thursday, Israel’s Foreign Ministry urged Israelis to avoid traveling to Ethiopia amid the escalating violence. The United States is also telling Americans to flee the country.
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