Less than 0.05% of Ethiopians live in Tel Aviv

The below article is being reprinted from the Jerusalem Post, written by Staff writers there.

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In honor of the Sigd holiday, celebrated by Ethiopian Jews to commemorate their acceptance of the Torah, the Central Bureau of Statistics published data about the Ethiopian community in Israel on Sunday.

Jewish Ethiopian children in Gondar, Ethiopoia.
Photo: Courtesy of Dr. Arthur Eidelman

According to statistics, most of Israel's 119,000 Ethiopians live in the central and southern parts of the country, especially in urban areas in which Jews constitute less than one-third of the population. Less than 0.05% of the community resides in Tel Aviv-Yafo.

Statistics were also compiled concerning education in the Israeli Ethiopian community, showing that the rate of those eligible for high school matriculation certificates has risen by six percent in the last ten years - thus reducing the gap between Ethiopian and native Israeli students, whose matriculation eligibility rate stood at 55% in 2008.

The dropout rate, however, was found to be lower among Israeli Ethiopian students than among their native Israeli counterparts - 1.54% and 1.78%, respectively.

Of the Ethiopian Jews living in Israel today, 19.3% of them made aliya before 1989's Operation Moses, 46.5% of them made aliya during Operation Solomon in the previous decade and 34.2% made aliya between 2000 and 2008.

The bureau's report showed that a very high percentage of Ethiopians in Israel marry into their community, men more so than women - 93% and 85%, respectively, averaging out at 89%. The percentage of divorced Israeli Ethiopian couples proved to be only slightly higher than the divorce rate in the general population.

In 2008, concluded the report, 2,183 babies were born in Israel to women of Ethiopian origin.

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Ethiopians living in Israel are among the most vulnerable members of society. The Hope For Israel Relief Fund seeks to reach out to this community by supporting them in various humanitarian needs. If you are thinking about donating to Israel to support the Ethiopian population we would ask that you consider using The Hope For Israel Relief Fund, so that you can be sure that your money is being used to support ministries that are owned and operated by the believing community in Israel.

For more information on how you can help please visit http://www.thehopeforisrael.org/donate