Conflicts and Crises Driving Surge in Aliyah
Published on: 18.5.2023
By: David Parsons, Vice President & Senior Spokesman
Join the urgent efforts to bring Jews home from Ethiopia, India and Russian-speaking lands
This is turning into an amazing year for Aliyah. Over 18,600 new Jewish immigrants arrived in Israel in the first quarter of 2023 alone. That is a jump of 24% over the same period in 2022 – which was already the best year for Aliyah in over two decades. But the excitement over rising immigration to Israel is also tempered by concerns over several crises around the globe now driving the increase in Jews returning to their ancestral homeland.
Much of this surge in immigration to Israel has been sparked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In the 15 months since that conflict erupted in February last year, over 100,000 olim (newcomers) have landed in Israel – more than 80% of them Russian-speaking Jews.
The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem has been actively involved in this urgent Aliyah, sponsoring hundreds of flights for Jews coming from Ukraine, Russia, the Baltic states and other former Soviet republics, while also assisting with rescue efforts in Ukraine, especially of elderly Holocaust survivors, as well as the critical integration phase for these war refugees.
So far this year, supporters of the Christian Embassy have funded nearly 1,000 Aliyah flights while also helping us assist another 1,500 Jewish immigrants with other stages of their move to Israel. This includes the ICEJ sponsoring a planeload of 155 Ethiopian Jews who arrived in March.
The Ethiopian Aliyah also is turning into a case of emergency Aliyah once more, as is the return of the Bnei Menashe community from northeast India.
Ethiopian Aliyah slowed by conflicts, delays
In 2015, Israel’s government decided to resume the Ethiopian Aliyah by agreeing to bring a final 9,000 members of this ancient Jewish community still stuck in transit camps in Addis Ababa and Gondar. So far, some 6,750 of these eligible immigrants have been flown to Israel, with the ICEJ sponsoring roughly half of those flights.
However, the Ethiopian Aliyah has often been slowed by unforeseen circumstances both in Israel and Ethiopia, such as the repeated elections in Israel, the coronavirus pandemic, and drought, famine and civil war in Ethiopia.
Welcoming Ethiopians
Recently, the Jewish Agency for Israel started bringing the next 1,000 Ethiopian Jews as part of its “Rock of Israel” airlift, with the ICEJ welcoming 155 of these newcomers on our latest sponsored flight in March. But Ethiopia’s government then stopped more flights due to the sudden civil war in neighboring Sudan. That delay is now over, and JAFI hopes to bring the rest of this group in coming weeks, while more of the remaining Ethiopian Jews could come over the next year or so.
However, latest reports indicate riots between Muslims and Christians have broken out in the Gondar region where many of these Ethiopian Jews are still living, and three men waiting to make Aliyah to Israel were just shot and killed – innocent victims of the spiraling violence. Another Ethiopian Jewish boy was wounded. Thus, the Israeli government is facing pressure to take urgent action by bringing the last Ethiopian Jews to Israel.
With your support, the Christian Embassy can be there to help bring these Ethiopian Jews home. We are giving high priority to meeting this urgent need and trust you will join us!
Bnei Menashe in sudden crossfire
Meantime, there are similar reports of recent clashes between Hindu and Christian tribes in northeast India that are endangering the Bnei Menashe community – who like the Ethiopian Jews have been recognised as “Sons of Israel” and thus are being allowed to make Aliyah.
Over the past decade or so, several thousand members of the Bnei Menashe community, a remnant of Chinese Jews who claim descent from the tribe of Manasseh, have immigrated to Israel. The ICEJ has assisted with many of their flights. The remaining community of around 5,000 Bnei Menashe are still awaiting permission to make Aliyah to Israel, but the ones in the Manipur region are facing violent attacks from Hindus lashing out at the Kuki ethnic minority, which consists mainly of Christians but also this small Jewish remnant.
Bnei Menashe caught in the crossfire
Caught in the crossfire of this ethnic/religious conflict, several Bnei Menashe have been killed and at least ten more are missing after fleeing into the forests. Two of their synagogues have been burned, and up to 180 Bnei Menashe families have lost their homes and belongings in the widespread fires and looting. Hindu rioters have even been heard yelling at them: “Go back to Israel where you belong!”
There are urgent calls in Israel for the government to rescue the Bnei Menashe from the midst of these violent riots in India, and plans are being drawn up to bring many of them over the coming months. The ICEJ stands at the ready to help with the soon return of this ancient Israelite community to the Land of Israel, which they have longed to reach over many generations. So, please partner with us in the urgent Aliyah of the Bnei Menashe.
The Time to Act is Now!
Whether it is the Russia-Ukraine conflict, religious riots in Ethiopia, or ethnic clashes in India, now is the time for Christians to stand with the Jewish nation and people by bringing these sons and daughters of Israel home as soon as possible.
Over the coming weeks and months, the ICEJ will be engaged in pre-Aliyah activities, ground transportation, rescue flights and urgent integration of Jews from Ethiopia, India and the former Soviet republics. We invite you to be a part of helping to regather these Jewish communities in Israel.
Please give towards the ICEJ’s Aliyah efforts today!
衝突和危機推動歸回以色列地激增
發表於：18.5.2023
作者：大衛柏森斯，ICEJ副總裁兼高級發言人
加入將猶太人從埃塞俄比亞、印度和俄語國家帶回家的緊急努力
對於阿利亞來說，今年將是非凡的一年。 僅在 2023 年第一季度，就有超過 18,600 名新猶太移民抵達以色列。 這比 2022 年同期增長了 24%——這已經是 阿利亞二十多年來最好的一年。 但是，對以色列移民增加的興奮情緒也因對全球幾場危機的擔憂而有所緩和，這些危機正在推動越來越多的猶太人返回他們先祖的家園。
俄羅斯入侵烏克蘭引發了以色列移民的激增。 自去年 2 月衝突爆發以來的 15 個月裡，超過 100,000 名 olim（新移民）登陸以色列地——其中 80% 以上是講俄語的猶太人。
耶路撒冷國際基督徒大使館一直積極參與這一緊急的 Aliyah，為來自烏克蘭、俄羅斯、波羅的海國家和其他前蘇聯共和國的猶太人提供數百次航班贊助，同時還協助在烏克蘭開展救援工作，特別是老年大屠殺倖存者， 以及這些戰爭難民的關鍵融入階段。
今年到目前為止，耶路撒冷國際基督徒大使館的支持者已經資助了近 1,000 次 Aliyah 航班，同時還幫助我們協助另外 1,500 名猶太移民完成他們移居以色列的其他階段。 這包括 ICEJ 贊助了 155 名 3 月份抵達的埃塞俄比亞猶太人的飛機。
埃塞俄比亞的 Aliyah 也再次成為緊急 Aliyah，瑪拿西之子社區從印度東北部返回也是如此。
埃塞俄比亞的阿利亞因衝突和延誤而放緩
2015 年，以色列政府決定恢復埃塞俄比亞的Aliyah，同意將這個古老猶太社區的最後 9,000 名成員帶到亞的斯亞貝巴和貢德爾的臨時營地。 到目前為止，這些符合條件的移民中約有 6,750 人已飛往以色列，ICEJ 贊助了其中大約一半的航班。
然而，埃塞俄比亞的阿利亞經常因以色列和埃塞俄比亞的不可預見情況而放緩，例如以色列的反覆選舉、新冠病毒大流行以及埃塞俄比亞的乾旱、飢荒和內戰。
歡迎埃塞俄比亞人
最近，以色列猶太機構開始接送下一批 1,000 名埃塞俄比亞猶太人，作為其“以色列之石”空運的一部分，ICEJ 在 3 月份的最新贊助航班上歡迎了其中的 155 名新移民。 但由於鄰國蘇丹突然爆發內戰，埃塞俄比亞政府隨後停止了更多航班。 這種延遲現在已經結束，JAFI 希望在未來幾週內將這群人的其餘部分帶到這裡，而更多剩下的埃塞俄比亞猶太人可能會在明年左右到來。
然而，最新的報導表明，穆斯林和基督徒之間的騷亂已經在許多埃塞俄比亞猶太人仍然居住的貢德爾地區爆發，三名等待前往以色列的 Aliyah 的男子被槍殺——不斷升級的暴力事件的無辜受害者。 另一名埃塞俄比亞猶太男孩受傷。 因此，以色列政府面臨著採取緊急行動將最後一批埃塞俄比亞猶太人帶到以色列的壓力。
在您的支持下，耶路撒冷國際基督徒大使館可以在那裡幫助這些埃塞俄比亞猶太人回家。 我們高度重視滿足這一迫切需求，相信您會加入我們！
瑪拿西之子社區突然遇到交火
與此同時，也有類似的報導稱印度東北部的印度教和基督教部落最近發生了衝突，這些衝突正在危及瑪拿西之子社區——他們像埃塞俄比亞猶太人一樣被公認為“以色列之子”，因此被允許成為 Aliyah。
在過去十年左右的時間裡，瑪拿西之子社區的數千名成員移民到以色列地，該社區是自稱是瑪拿西部落後裔的中國猶太人餘下的人。 ICEJ 協助了他們的許多航班。 剩下的大約 5,000 名 瑪拿西之子社區仍在等待允許將 Aliyah 帶到以色列，但曼尼普爾地區的社區正面臨來自印度教徒的暴力襲擊，他們猛烈抨擊 Kuki 少數民族，該少數民族主要由基督徒組成，但其餘也有少數猶太人。
瑪拿西之被捲入交火
在這場種族/宗教衝突的交火中，數名瑪拿西之子被殺，至少還有 10 人在逃入森林後失踪。他們的兩座猶太教堂被燒毀，多達180 個 瑪拿西之子家庭在大範圍的火災和搶劫中失去了家園和財產。 甚至可以聽到印度教暴徒對他們大喊大叫：“退回屬於你的以色列！”
以色列緊急呼籲政府從印度的這些暴力騷亂中解救 瑪拿西之子人，計劃是正在擬定在未來幾個月內帶來其中的許多人。ICEJ 隨時準備幫助這個古老的以色列社區盡快返回以色列土地，這是他們幾代人都渴望到達的地方。 所以，請在 瑪拿西之子緊急的 Aliyah 中與我們合作。
現在是行動的時候了！
無論是俄烏衝突、埃塞俄比亞的宗教騷亂，還是印度的種族衝突，現在是基督徒與猶太民族與猶太民族站在一起，盡快將這些以色列兒女帶回家的時候了。
在接下來的幾星期和幾個月裡，ICEJ 將參與 Aliyah 前的活動、地面運輸、救援飛行以及來自埃塞俄比亞、印度和前蘇聯共和國的猶太人的緊急融合。 我們邀請您參與幫助重新聚集以色列的這些猶太社區。
請為 ICEJ 今天的 Aliyah 努力付出！