VOA标准英语2011--Ethiopian Jews Settle Into Life in Israel

Ethiopian Jews Settle Into Life in Israel

 

Israel is marking the 20th anniversary of a massive airlift of Ethiopian Jews called Operation Solomon. The arrival and integration¹ of tens of thousands of Ethiopians into Israeli society have presented major challenges and brought many lessons.

Early morning at the Beit Canada Absorption Center in Ashkelon, one of 16 in the country that are new arrivals' first home. Recent immigrants from Ethiopia are studying Hebrew. They are called Falasha Mura, Ethiopian Jews whose ancestors converted to Christianity but who have chosen to return to Judaism. They have been granted the same right of return to Israel that Jewish law gives all Jews.

More than 80,000 Ethiopian Jews have immigrated² to Israel in the past three decades - 15,000 of them in a three-day airlift 20 years ago called Operation Solomon. They now total 120,000.

Gadi Yamharan was one of them. He currently works with the privately³ funded Jewish Agency that manages the complicated process of immigration and integration.

"I take them to the Ministry⁴ of Interior, to the banks, to the Ministry of Absorption. I accompany them through all the procedures," said Yamharan.

Smoothing assimilation

Recent immigrants from Ethiopia to Israel are studying Hebrew in the early morning at the Beit Canada Absorption Center - one of 16 in the country that are new arrivals' first home - in Ashkelon, Israel, November 2011.

The young adults learn more quickly than their elders. This group is already speaking Hebrew.

"It was very hard [in Ethiopia], but in Israel it's easy. I am happy here," said one young woman who immigrated.

The children go to public schools in Ashkelon during the day. Afterwards they come here for activities, like skills development and sports.

The director of the program, Leah Golan, said the center aims to provide a comfort zone.

"It's really a holistic⁵ approach, very culturally sensitive, in order to make sure that after two years in the absorption center, moving and becoming part of the Israeli society will be as smooth as possible. And it's never smooth. It's always very, very challenging," said Golan.

Adapting to a new life

Yamharan said many immigrants are coming from rural areas in a developing country to the urbanized life of a developed state.

"When they come they find it difficult, whether the language or the culture, even the weather, everything is hard for them," he observed.

Although there are many success stories in the Ethiopian community, rates of unemployment and poverty remain higher that in the general society. Golan, whose parents emigrated from Romania, said there also is discrimination, though that is changing.

"Today I think there is a much more healthy attitude towards people coming from different backgrounds, first of all respecting the differences, and then understanding that each of the colors in the mosaic⁶ are entitled to get their own color, but at the same [time] create one society," said Golan.

Israeli officials plan to wind down this program in a few years after the remaining Ethiopian Jews have arrived. Although great efforts are being made to help them adjust, for some immigrants it may take generations to really feel at home.

1 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

2 immigrated   

v.移入( immigrate的过去式和过去分词 )；移民

参考例句：

• He immigrated from Ulster in 1848. 他1848年从阿尔斯特移民到这里。 来自辞典例句
• Many Pakistanis have immigrated to Britain. 许多巴基斯坦人移居到了英国。 来自辞典例句

3 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

4 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

5 holistic   

adj.从整体着眼的，全面的

参考例句：

• There is a fundamental ambiguity in the use of word "whole" in recent holistic literature.在近代的整体主义著作中，“整体”这个词的用法极其含混。
• In so far as historicism is technological,its approach is not piecemeal,but "holistic".仅就历史决定论是一种技术而论，它的方法不是渐进的，而是“整体主义的”。

6 mosaic   

n./adj.镶嵌细工的，镶嵌工艺品的，嵌花式的

参考例句：

• The sky this morning is a mosaic of blue and white.今天早上的天空是幅蓝白相间的画面。
• The image mosaic is a troublesome work.图象镶嵌是个麻烦的工作。