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From: steinber@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU (Louis Steinberg)
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: Re: A query to "Dvar Torah"
Message-ID: <4157@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU>
Date: Mon, 4-Nov-85 16:20:24 EST
Article-I.D.: topaz.4157
Posted: Mon Nov  4 16:20:24 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 5-Nov-85 07:28:55 EST
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Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
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> Dave Rabinowitz hplabs!hp-pcd!daver:
> This is the basis of one of the principal objections to the Falashas being
> Jewish.  They had been cut off from the "mainstream"(s) of Judaism for many
> centuries and thus were unaware of the various aspects of "oral" law which
> have developed since

Actually, this is not true.  Questions about their Jewishness are NOT
based on the form of Judaism they practice.  As far as I know, the
situation is the following: the official rabbinate holds that there is
enough probablility that the Falashas are Jews that they strongly support
efforts to bring them to Israel (even to the extent of violating
Shabbat if needed to do so).  However, there has been so much turmoil
and disruption in that part of the world (Ethiopia) that for any given
person who claims to be a Jew there is some residual doubt as to
whether he really is, or is just someone who got mixed up with the
Jews without benefit of conversion (or someone whose ancestor in the
female line was such a person).  Thus, they have been requiring a dip
in the mikveh to remove all such doubt.  I have read reports of a compromise
whereby the rabbinate has agreed to accept an investigation into the
background of an individual, carried out by Ethiopian leaders, instead of
the mikveh.

Of course, none of the above should be regarded as a "psak halacha".
See your local halachik authority before you take any action that depends
these issues.