The tribe's survival with tradition intact was near-miraculous. They start from way behind. Almost all arrived illiterate, which made it hard to find work. Fathers, who were often a generation older than their wives, were not raised to be go-getters. Not surprisingly, only about 12 percent of E.J. students make it through 12th grade, compared with 45 percent of other Israelis.
Dropouts are on the rise, followed by youth gangs and petty crime.
They have to belong to something. Rabbi Micha Odenheimer of Jerusalem has a better idea. This requires more than more money. Natan Sharansky, head of the Ministerial Committee on Absorption, shows little grasp of the danger or the opportunity, and his constituency resents extra aid given other immigrants. A council of Israeli industrialists, alarmed by Ethiopian suicides in the Israeli Army, is willing to help with job training and work opportunities but needs coordination.