The Last Migration of the Falashas

Israel has announced plans to bring in the last 18,000 Ethiopian Jews, perhaps beginning as soon as next week. The Ethiopian Jewish community, known as Falashas, has been around for centuries. Its origins are uncertain, and it could have originated in anything from conversion during one of Judaism's missionary phases to some element of the Diaspora that simply wound up in Ethiopia. Israel has previously airlifted thousands of Falashas to the Jewish state in Operations Moses, Joshua, and Solomon. This time, however, Ethiopia is saying they don't see the need for such a mass migration when they can just emigrate normally.

I should also add here that Ethiopian Jews face a lot of discrimination within Israel. In addition to racism, many practices of Ethiopian Jews are unacceptable to the orthodox rabbinate that dominates Israel's official religious life. Stuff I've read in print, for example, discusses a number of humiliating procedures they must go through to get their marriages recognized. So these people might be escaping poverty, but there's still a hard road ahead.