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Operation Solomon was a life-saving operation, a 'living honor,' but the drama of the rescue is being lost in the boredom and uncertainty of life in absorption centers. Four immigrants from Ethiopia tell their stories. The writer, a journalist for the Amharic newspaper Yezareyetu Ethiopia (Ethiopia Today) in Addis Ababa for 15 years, came here on Operation Solomon and is currently living in an absorption center in Lod.
Last Sunday I hurried to the central bus station in Tel Aviv and took the first bus to Nazareth. The purpose of my journey was to visit friends who came in Operation Solomon and now live in the absorption center near the city. Since I had no way of reaching the absorption center, I took a taxi. Instead of talking, the driver showed me his 10 fingers. Ten shekels for an immigrant is exorbitant. I paid, murmuring inside.
I met some of my friends and shouted "Shalom!" I always use the word, since it sounds like the Amharic word Selam. We chatted on different subjects, especially on the great Operation Solomon, an operation that enabled us not only to come to our ancient homeland, but to reunite with our families already in Israel.
I was directed to one of my friend's rooms. This lady was an accountant in Ethiopia. I entered. But her eyes were on her diary and she read the events of the past year. When she looked up, her eyes were full of tears. I did not want to ask why she was so sad. We exchanged our cultural greetings. I felt her tears on my face. I put some leading questions to her concerning the promising life in Israel.
She cleared her voice. "My dream was to be in Israel. That dream has come true. But now I have another dream - to find a job and live by myself. To be free from this boring absorption life. This place is isolated.
"Some people do not hesitate to tell and congratulate us that caravan houses are built for us. I prefer a nomadic life. Some advise us to buy apartments, and say we should not be afraid of the mortgage because it can be covered by our grandchildren. All our advisers are...