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Introduction
It was a mission for the storybooks, smuggle thousands of Ethiopian Jews out of a country ravaged by famine and civil war. A desperate cry for help reveals a lost community of Jews in Ethiopia. Almost immediately, the mission took on the status of myth. Everyone came out looking good. The Jewish state, which stopped at nothing to bring its people home. The Mossad agents, who risked their lives to save fellow Jews. And the Ethiopian Jews themselves, who trekked thousands of miles across the desert in the hope of reaching Zion. It's a good story, but it's also incomplete, because this version leaves out the broken promises, the secret agreements, and the tenacity of an ancient community in the face of unimaginable danger. So what really happened to bring Ethiopian Jews to Israel?
Origin stories of the Ethiopian Jews
No one is entirely sure how Jews ended up in Ethiopia. Some claim they're from the tribe of Dan, who made their way to Africa sometime during the First Temple period. Others say they are the descendants of Egyptian or Yemenite Jews. And some will tell you that they're the children of the Israelites who accompanied the son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba back to Ethiopia. No matter their origin, Ethiopian Jews are proud of their heritage, which is why they call themselves the Beta Israel. A house of Israel in the mountains of East Africa, preserving an ancient form of Judaism.
Ethiopian Jewish beliefs and rituals
In our consciousness we have, who is a Jew, what is a Jew? And never we stop to see Ethiopian Jews from their perspective, from their language, from their paradigma [paradigm].
Because of their near total isolation from other Jewish communities, they believed that they were the only Jews in the world. Some didn't even know that the First Temple had been destroyed. They continued to observe Shabbat, keep kosher, celebrate Jewish holidays, circumcise their sons. For over a thousand years, the Beta Israel practiced their faith freely.
Christian persecution of Beta Israel
But when Christianity swept through Ethiopia, the Beta Israel's newly Christian neighbors tried everything to destroy the Jewish community. Massacres, forced conversions, enslavement, isolation. And they gave the community an ugly nickname, one that has followed them to this day, falasha, stranger, invader. It's an ironic slur for a community that had lived in Ethiopia since before Christianity even existed. And yes, it's a slur, because it was explicitly meant to remind them of their status as an unwanted other.
But the Beta Israel fought back. Their history is rich with legends of Jewish power, like the story of the mighty Queen Judith who sacked Christian kingdoms. And though there is no explicit evidence for the legend of a Jewish monarchy in Ethiopia, the historical record is clear on one thing, the Beta Israel were mostly autonomous until they lost a major battle against their Christian neighbors. And eyewitness described the battle as the Beta Israel's Masada, a reference to the mountain fortress where Judean rebels made their doomed last stand against Rome. The Beta Israel warriors chose death over slavery or forced baptism, but those that remained clung to their faith. They prayed to return to Jerusalem and make sacrifices in the Beit HaMikdash. This vision sustained them over the next three centuries of persecution.
Ethiopian Jewish delegation walks to Israel
Today, we think of Zionism as a political movement, but the global Jewish community has been yearning for Zion since the first exile. In 1855, a small delegation of Beta Israel put those prayers into action. They trekked through the desert until they reached Jerusalem. Once they arrived, this small group was greeted by a council of Jerusalem's rabbis. It was supposed to be a meeting of equals, instead to the Beta Israel's surprise, the meeting ended with a strange declaration. After some discussion, the rabbis pronounced the Beta Israel to be, quote-unquote, "Authentic Jews."
It's not a meeting between, sorry to say, black and white, or between new immigrant and veteran. This is a meeting between two categories, two models of Judaism. And we don't say that he authentic and he more authentic, this is, we are human beings.
This was the first time, though sadly, not the last, that the Beta Israel community was forced to confront the fact that even their fellow Jews might see them as strangers. Despite this odd reception, the rest of the Beta Israel community was determined to reach Jerusalem, but their next journey ended in disaster. Many Jews died en route from starvation and disease. Jerusalem seemed farther away than ever, but then a Frenchman came to visit.
Joseph Halevy visits Ethiopia
See, when the first Ethiopian Jews arrived in Jerusalem, prominent rabbis began calling attention to this unknown community. Who were these Jews isolated for centuries, practicing Judaism in the East African mountains? So a Jewish organization sent a representative to Ethiopia. At first, the Beta Israel dismissed him, afraid he was a Christian missionary sent to trick them, but they changed their tune when he mentioned Jerusalem. Halevy returned home impressed by the Beta Israel's profound faith. When he asked his organization to send more resources to Ethiopia, they declined. Sure, the rabbis in Jerusalem said the Beta Israel were, quote-unquote, "Authentic Jews," but they still saw them as different from other Jews.
Ben Gurion and diplomacy with Ethiopia
Now, that their curiosity was satisfied, most Jewish organizations moved on. But not everyone shared this apathy. In 1923, one of Halevy's students teamed up with Beta Israel leaders to establish a Jewish school in the Ethiopian capital. Boys and girls alike flocked to the school, eager to soak up as much knowledge as they could. Some even left their villages to study in Europe and Jerusalem. Previous generations had tried and failed to make it home to the Promised Land. Finally, it seemed that the Beta Israel's moment had arrived. For over 20 years, the Beta Israel studied, prayed, and waited for the opportunity to come home. But the Promised Land was busy fighting for its life. The new state of Israel was already surrounded by enemies and buckling under a tidal wave of Jewish refugees.
Two former American vessels carrying nearly 4,000 Jewish refugees arrive at the port of Haifa, Palestine. Jammed like cattle on the rusty craft, the fugitives end their bleak voyage which began at a Black Sea port.
Ben Gurion knew that the Ethiopian emperor didn't want any Jews leaving the country. So because he wanted to maintain good relations with Ethiopia, he didn't insist that the Beta Israel be allowed to come home. But no one asked the Beta Israel what they wanted, so they took matters into their own hands.
Ethiopian Jews begin escaping to Israel
Some young, healthy Jews made the grueling trek to Israel, but not everyone could risk the 2000 mile journey. Anti-Jewish persecution was getting worse. The Beta Israel were caught between two very bad choices, stay put and suffer or walk to Israel, risking death with every step. Beta Israel leaders begged the emperor to do something about the constant persecution. He didn't, so they turned to any Jewish organization that would listen, and some did, sort of. Jewish institutions sent money and doctors, they established schools and agricultural settlements. But Ethiopian Jewish leaders had had enough of these half measures. They wanted one thing and one thing only, to return to Zion, but Zion didn't want them. Some in the Knesset believed that these poor immigrants would be a drain on Israel's resources. Others were concerned that the Beta Israel weren't really Jews. In 1973, Israel's minister of interior even tried to deport the handful of Ethiopians who had braved the dangerous journey to Israel.
Why you telling me that I'm not Jewish? And the third generation, they are very proud. They know who I am, they know I am Jewish, I know I am I never can feel inferior about my identity, about my masoret [tradition].
Sephardic Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef's declaration
It was only when Israel's Sephardic Chief Rabbi declared the Ethiopian Jews to be fully Jewish that the tides began to turn.
Two years later, the Jewish state officially adopted the position that Ethiopian Jews were indeed Jews, and entitled to citizenship. And not a moment too soon. Things in Ethiopia were getting dark. Emperor Selassie was deposed in 1974. His replacement banned all minority religions, including Judaism. Ethiopian Israelis watched the situation deteriorate with growing alarm. They insisted that world Jewry and the state of Israel take action. American Jews matched their efforts. So Israel sold weapons to Ethiopia's new leaders, hoping they'd allowed the Beta Israel to immigrate. But when news of the arms deal leaked, the Ethiopians backed out, afraid of alienating their Arab allies.
Persecution of Ethiopian Jews
The Beta Israel were now stranded in an increasingly hostile country. Boys as young as 12 were taken from their families to serve in the army. Jews were harassed, monitored, and tortured for the information if they tried to leave.
Activist Ferede Aklum and Mossad hatch a plan
Things were bleak, but the Beta Israel had an advocate. Ferede Aklum spent years trying to raise awareness of his community's plight. The Ethiopian government was not a fan, so he fled to Sudan, where he contacted the Mossad.
He had a crazy idea. He'd bring Jews to Sudan, the Mossad would take it from there. Easier said than done.
When Israelis decided that the Ethiopians were indeed Jews, one of the 12 lost tribes of Israel, they realized that they're gonna have to smuggle 20,000 people out of East Africa, a region almost universally hostile to Israel. It was an almost impossible task.
The Beta Israel trek to Sudan
The Beta Israel walked through the African desert for months. Their route became a graveyard. Thousands fell to disease, starvation, and horrific violence. Parents buried children, sisters buried brothers. And then grieving, orphaned, and exhausted, they kept going. There was nothing left for them in Ethiopia. If they could just make it one more step, one more mile, one more day, they'd reach the Promised Land at last.
They had one more challenge before they could reach Israel, they had to survive the Sudanese refugee camps. But Sudan was Israel's enemy, so the Mossad had to figure out how to smuggle thousands of people out of a hostile country without anyone noticing.
Mossad's abandoned resort operation
They found their solution in an unlikely place, an abandoned resort on the coast of the Red Sea. What happened next is the stuff of Hollywood thrillers. No, literally, there's movies about this. Mossad agents set up a fake diving school on the Sudanese coast. The wealthy tourists who flocked their had no clue that their friendly European instructors were smuggling thousands of Jewish refugees out of the country on rubber boats. The mission wouldn't have gotten off the ground if not for Beta Israel operatives, like Ferede Aklum, who volunteered for a highly dangerous job. The refugees couldn't walk from Ethiopia to the Sudanese resort without instantly blowing the Mossad's cover, so they waited in Sudanese refugee camps for fellow Beta Israel to lead them to the diving school under the cover of darkness. At times, it seemed that the only thing keeping the mission going was a heavy dose of Israeli chutzpah. An Israeli politician blew the Mossad's cover, forcing the team to abandon the resort in the middle of the night.
I will not rest for a while, until all our brothers and sisters from Ethiopia will come safely back home.
The Israeli agents that remain in Sudan were smuggled out of boxes labeled, "US diplomatic mail." The Mossad had to find a place to transport the Beta Israel by air.
8,000 Ethiopian Jews arrive in Israel by air
8,000 Ethiopian Jews arrived in Israel this way.
After 2000 years, a dream has come true. They have arrived in the Promised Land.
Ethiopian Israelis successfully pressure government
But many more Beta Israel remained in Ethiopia, which was now racked by famine. Only the young and strong could make the trek to Sudan. Once in Israel, they became known as orphans of circumstance, separated from their families back in Ethiopia. But they weren't helpless. With the support of the larger Ethiopian Israeli community, they pressured the Israeli government to bring their families home. The Israeli government finally okayed the mission. For 36 hours, Ethiopian Jews, American Jewish activists, and Israeli pilots worked nonstop to airlift more than 14,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel.
Beta Israel's contribution to the story
Today, the story of the Ethiopian Aliyah is presented as a triumph, proof of the Mossad's cleverness and daring, of the Israeli government's insistence on bringing every Jew home. But this version of the story leaves out the contribution of the Beta Israel themselves. They organized and protested. They reached out to the Mossad and led their fellow Jews through the desert. They sacrificed everything to make it to the Holy Land.
So yeah, this is a story of courage, of endurance, of deep faith and love for the Jewish homeland, of struggle, and hardship, and sacrifice. It's also a story of the struggle for Jewish unity. Three communities had to work together. The Beta Israel did everything in their power to come home. North American Jews advocated tirelessly on their behalf. Israeli agents risked their lives behind enemy lines for their fellow Jews. In a way, the real story of the Ethiopian Aliyah started thousands of years ago, and it's one that we're still writing today.
Reflections on Israeli society
Beta Israel members want Israel to give them a visa to immigrate, but some in Gondar have been waiting more than 20 years.
This isn't an easy story to write, Jewish identity is complicated. And Israel isn't a perfect country, the Jewish state is still figuring out how to build a society that embraces all Jews without discrimination, disparities, and racism. Meanwhile, thousands wait in Ethiopia for their chance to come home, their opportunity to write their own story in the Jewish state.