ETHIOPIA - Two-Thirds of Migrants to Israel Identify as Christian
Two-thirds of the immigrants from Ethiopia to Israel between 2020 and 2022 identified as Christians, according to official data from the Population and Immigration Authority.
The official data was publicized by The Israeli Immigration Policy Center (IIPC) and was seen by The Jerusalem Post.
The reason for this high number identifying as Christians, is that their aliyah is considered a humanitarian act of family reunification.
“At this time, the State of Israel must fulfill its mission in accordance with the Declaration of Independence and the commitment to ensure Israel is a place for all Jews, and swiftly bring those eligible for Aliyah who face an immediate threat to their lives.”
“Many are descendants of Ethiopian Jews on their mother’s side, meaning they are Jewish according to Halacha (Jewish law) as ruled by prominent [late chief rabbis], Rabbi Ovadia Yosef and Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu.” They added that in “some cases,” those who wish to make aliyah “are descendants of forced converts, who underwent pressures in attempts to change their religion, yet they maintained circumcision and marriage within the community. Nevertheless, all of them undergo a halachic conversion, so there is no question about their Jewishness.”
-www.jpost.com, 21 August 2023
Arno's Commentary
Jews in Israel are well-positioned to make determinations regarding a person being Jewish or not. Doubtless, this is a painstaking and difficult task.
We realize that Ethiopia is a poor, underdeveloped country with a per capita GDP of only $2,300 (2021). Life expectancy stands at 64.9 years. To be permitted to enter Israel is like “heaven.”
From a prophetic outlook, we know that many nations will seek to associate with Jews: “Thus saith the Lord of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you” (Zecheriah 8:23).
Arno Froese is the executive director of Midnight Call Ministries and editor-in-chief of the acclaimed prophetic magazines Midnight Call and News From Israel. He has authored a number of well-received books, and has sponsored many prophecy conferences in the U.S., Canada, and Israel. His extensive travels have contributed to his keen insight into Bible prophecy, as he sees it from an international perspective.
