I cannot recommend this book. I'd like to let the author of the hook by simply saying that as an atheist the "question" of what constitutes a "real Black Jew" are alternately insulting or meaningless but in the end the prose and approach are what did me in. ( )

This book by one of the leader of the American Association for Ethiopian Jews (AAEJ) provides an important perspective on the political maneuverings that culminated in the dramatic airlift in 1991 of more than 14,000 Ethiopian Jews from Addis Ababa in a single day. It also provides and interesting look at the world of American Jewish philanthropic organizations and their relationship to Israel and Israeli politics and policy.

The book is not – as the author makes clear from the outset -- a comprehensive account of the controversial origins and history of the Ethiopian Jews, their sufferings in the turmoil of post World War II Ethiopia, and the series of dramatic rescues that brought virtually the entire community to Israel in the 1980s and 90s. Readers interested in broad accounts should look to a number of other books: Steve Kaplan's *The Beta Israel: Falasha in Ethiopia* and David Kessler's *The Falashas* for the long and controversial history; Stephen Spector's *Operation Solomon* and Mitchell Bard's *From Tragedy to Triumph* for the broader story of the rescue of the Ethiopian Jews.

Instead, Lenhoff provides a consummate insiders account of the AAEJ’s successful and sometimes controversial campaign for the return of the Falasha to Israel under the law of Aliyah. Lenhoff's memoir powerfully conveys the passion for justice that drove him and other members of the organization to tirelessly do the mundane work of grassroots organizing, and shows how the organization acted as a gadfly to reluctant Israeli and American policy makers, goading them to notice and ultimately take action to rescue the long suffering Black Jews of Ethiopia. As such, the book is an inspiring and at times even gripping account of the power of grassroots activism.

But the strength of a memoir that trades on insider’s knowledge can often place limits on its analytical reach, and that is the case here. The book allows us to understand Lenhoff and the AAEJ, but is much less successful in its representation of the motives of other key players in the story. Lenhoff seems quite fair even when he is highly critical of other individuals and organizations. But based on this book alone, the reader is not given the means of judging Lenhoff’s claims about the role of the AAEJ. Similarly, at some points in the book, Lenhoff suggests that the AAEJ’s story has some broad lessons for understanding the nature and function of grassroots activism. But, immersed in the particularities of his own experience with the AAEJ, Lenhoff never identifies exactly what those lessons might be.

In short, this book provides a valuable but incomplete and very particular perspective on a much bigger story. ( )

Black Jews, Jews, and Other Heroes is a mildly tedious book about a fascinating subject. Howard Lenhoff missed an opportunity to reach a broad audience when he intentionally focused on the poisonously dull “development of the infrastructure” of the American Association for Ethiopian Jews.

Telling the story of the Ethiopian Jews from the perspective of the American volunteer organization that did much to rescue them is an interesting take on the subject. Using the history of the AAEJ as a framework for the story of the Ethiopian Jews would have been fine, and perhaps this is what Lenhoff intended. But the narrative gets bogged down in administrative minutia at the expense of the bigger story.

Apparently intended to suggest that the AAEJ could be used as a model, several dozen references to the AAEJ as a “grassroots” organization undertaking “grassroots” efforts are salted throughout the early part of the book. These references feel like they were added later, perhaps at an editor’s request to try to appeal to a broader audience. They peter out as the story gets going, which only leaves another thematic loose end.

The major problem with Black Jews is that it presupposes a level of familiarity with the subject that is well beyond that of a general audience. Reading the book from cover to cover, including the appendixes, allows the reader to piece together a general history of the Ethiopian Jews, or “Falasha.” There have been black African Jews in Ethiopia since biblical times. When the modern state of Israel was formed and welcomed all Jews to return and claim citizenship, a controversy arose over whether the Falasha were “real” Jews entitled to Israeli citizenship. The issue concerned whether the Jews in Ethiopia were descendants of Abraham, and therefore entitled to citizenship, or descendants of converts. In the 1970s, religious and government leaders in Israel determined that the Jews in Ethiopia were real Jews.

Then began the lengthy process of bringing the Ethiopian Jews to Israel. At first, only several hundred of the Falasha came to Israel each year, mostly through Sudan where they were refugees from government and social persecution. In the early 1980s, efforts to rescue the Falasha intensified, culminating in the spectacular “Operation Moses” airlift of over 8,000 Ethiopian Jews from Sudan. Efforts to rescue Jews remaining in Ethiopia continued through the 1980s, until the 1991 “Operation Solomon” brought over 14,000 Jews from Ethiopia to Israel in less than 36 hours.

The AAEJ was active in efforts to raise awareness of the plight of Ethiopian Jews, organize volunteers, raise money, pressure the Israeli and American governments, and even organize rescues.

Black Jews would have been substantially improved by providing such a thumbnail sketch early on. Instead, it launches directly into details about Lenhoff’s experiences in Israel that brought the Ethiopian Jews to his attention. Distracted by basic questions such as “Who are these Ethiopian Jews?” and “Why do they want to come to Israel?” it is difficult to track the narrative thread of these loosely organized anecdotes. The story develops substantially in later sections of the book, when Lenhoff switches to a more straightforwardly chronological presentation.

In the absence of a general history about Ethiopian Jews and their immigration to Israel, Lenhoff’s book is worth wading through. Hopefully someone will undertake a comprehensive treatment of this worthwhile subject.
( )

Black Jews, Jews, and Other Heroes: How Grassroots Activism Led to the Rescue of the Ethiopian Jews

Howard M. Lenhoff; © 2007/5767 Howard M. Lenhoff and Gefen Publishing House, Ltd, Jerusalem. 324pp; ISBN: 978965229365-7.

Early in this book Howard Lenhoff interrupts his narrative with a discussion of what constitutes history. It is a particularly apt discussion because, as is said of journalists, in this book Howard Lenhoff is writing a first draft of history. As he also makes clear, this is not the story of how the Jewish population of Ethiopia, the Falasha, was rescued, although it is an important part of that story. The struggle to accomplish this rescue, carried out over decades through the work of many individuals in many places, was as complex an effort as any battle, military campaign, or war – so it is perhaps appropriate that as I read Howard’s account I remembered the words of the Duke of Wellington,

“The history of a battle is not unlike the history of a ball. Some individuals may recollect all the little events of which the great result is the battle won or lost; but no individual can recollect the order in which, or the exact moment at which they occurred, which makes all the difference…But if a true history is written, what will become of the reputation of half of those who have acquired reputations, and who deserve it for their gallantry, but who, if their mistakes and casual misconduct were made public would not be so well thought of?”

It is to the author’s credit that he states simply he is telling the story of “how grassroots activism led to the rescue of the Ethiopian Jews,” in the form of the American Association for Ethiopian Jews (AAEJ), which he helped found in 1974. This book delivers that story while also citing many other works that address other aspects and elements of the story as seen and experienced by others – from individuals to government agencies.

As I read the book I had the feeling that I was actually sitting at a kitchen table as Howard Lenhoff – aided by former U.S. Refugee Coordinator officer Jerry Weaver – recounted the tale, complete with digressions, interruptions, some meandering, but always with a determination that the whole truth be told. In a similar interest of full disclosure, I should point out that during my own U.S. Foreign Service career I served as the Embassy Refugee Officer in Kinshasa dealing with the refugees in then-Zaire (again the Congo today) as they sought to escape an ongoing civil war in neighboring Angola. I was also familiar with Ambassadors Lyman and Horan, actually serving as one of the latter’s intelligence briefers during his time as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs before his posting as Ambassador to Cameroon, and these contacts left me with very positive assessments of both. I am also happy to say that nothing in Howard Lenhoff’s account of the role played by these two men in this effort on behalf of the Falashas has caused me to alter those opinions.

The author suggests that the efforts of the AAEJ as told in this book could present the reader with a model for activism. However, while it captures the required enthusiasm and persistence demonstrated by Howard Lenhoff and his many collaborators, it is not as written a “how-to” book. The discerning reader may even find in its pages a revelation that may have escaped several of our current presidential candidates – the often-hard reality that the politicians, officials, and bureaucrats in government are locked in a symbiotic relationship with the activists, agitators, and general political troublemakers outside of government. The former frequently need the latter to keep them focused on issues that really are of importance to society at large – and the latter need the former because for all of their energy and commitment, they lack both the legislative authority to make new laws and the executive power to make the government act.

This book also makes clear the importance of one other essential ingredient for making anything happen in the world at large – money. Ultimately, individuals, corporations, governments, and all organizations have one sure way of identifying and demonstrating what is important to them and that is to spend money to obtain it or to accomplish it. All of the good intentions and wishes in the world were not enough to help rescue Ethiopia’s Jews until the AEJJ and people like Howard Lenhoff, Jerry Weaver, and others demonstrated that it was important enough to them to spend money on actually achieving that goal.

As Howard Lenhoff noted early in this work, “Black Jews, Jews, and Other Heroes” is not the story of the rescue of the Falasha. Nevertheless, the story told here is an important contribution to the telling of that story. Anyone wanting to know the whole story of that rescue, whether scholar or general reader, will need to read this book along with the many other works generously cited in its pages in order to come close to knowing this story. ( )