Resolution Adopted by the CCAR
Freedom for Ethiopian Jewry
Adopted by the 102nd Annual
Convention of
the Central Conference of American Rabbis
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, June, 1991
WHEREAS, concerns of the Beta Yisrael
have been uppermost on our minds during the
period of crisis and war in Ethiopia,
and
WHEREAS, Rabbis David
Ibn abu Zimri, Esriel Hildesheimer, Ovadia Yosef, and
Solomon B. Freehof have all fully declared
Jews from Ethiopia to be benei berit
, and
WHEREAS,
Operation Solomon, the stunning, momentous, and dramatic airlift of
over
14,000 Ethiopian Jews
succeeded brilliantly, preceded by Operations Moses and Sheba,
and
WHEREAS, the State of Israel and advocacy groups such as the
North American Conference
on
Ethiopian Jewry, the American Association for Ethiopian Jews, and the
American
Rabbinic Network of
Ethiopian Jews have worked diligently to fulfill the
mitzvah
of pidyon
shevuyim
, redemption of the
captives,
THEREFORE BE IT
RESOLVED, that the Central Conference of American Rabbis commend the
President of the United States, the
State of Israel and its President, Prime Minister
and Knesset members, and all involved in the airlift
of Ethiopian Jews of May 24-25,
for
this dramatic act of freedom for our people, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we seek the full
integration into the religious, social,
cultural, and educational life for these brothers and sisters
of our people; and
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED, that the institutions of Reform Judaism in Israel be
commended
for their efforts at
social integration and kelita
and
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED, that if there are Jews still languishing in Addis Ababa, the
Gondar Province, or other locations
in Ethiopia, efforts to secure their freedom
continue with the support of the world Jewish
community.