Before Israel was established, there were five waves of Jewish immigration. The First Aliyah began in 1882, and the Fifth Aliyah ended in 1939. But after Jewish leaders declared Israel independence in 1948, several more waves of immigration occurred in Israel. Those aliyot began with the Yemenite Aliyah, and continues with the Ethiopian Aliyah. Yet the Ethiopian Aliyah will be quite different that the Yemenite Aliyah. What is the great adventure of the Ethiopian Aliyah? Let’s find out.
What Happens During the Ethiopian Aliyah?
Before the Aliyah to Israel from Ethiopia, the Ethiopian community had been in Ethiopia for thousands of years. Some believe that Ethiopian Jews come from the ancient tribe of Dan. Ethiopian Jews had, and still do have, specific practices. For example, Ethiopian Jews do not fast on Shabbat. That can force them to make a difficult decision when the holiday of Yom Kippur falls on Shabbat.
Many of the Ethiopian Jews lived in small communities and towns. In fact, in many cases, towns were either only Jewish or Christian. While there were often no documents, such as birth certificates, there was no reason that an Ethiopian Jew would live in an Ethiopian Christian town and vice versa. In this outlet, we can understand how Ethiopian Jewry and its community developed.
But the community was also a very isolated community. So isolated in fact, some didn’t know that the State of Israel was established! The Ethiopian Jewish community always prayed to coming home to Jerusalem.
The Israeli government began working to bring Ethiopian Jews to Israel before 1986…
When the government begins to learn about Ethiopian Jewry, they decide to start a project along with Mossad, Israel’s secret service organization. Mossad agents went to Ethiopia to begin preparing the Jewish community for coming to Israel. Everything is done in secret.
Ethiopian Jews would have to walk with all of their belongings from their homes to camps in Sudan. This was hundreds of miles. They had to walk most of the journey in the nights of the weeks it took. It was dangerous for them to walk during the day because they could come under attack from various authorities, they could dehydrate from the heat, or they could lose their way along the route to Sudan. Imagine walking all that way with everything you find valuable on your back! It wasn’t easy!
From Sudan in 1986, Mossad agents flew thousands of Ethiopian Jews to Israel. They had to take out the chairs in order to seat everyone! Again, they operated completely at night. The planes flew out under the radar so not to get caught. The new immigrants settled throughout Israel, and immediately became Israeli citizens.
This happens again in 1991, and again done completely in secret!
Ethiopian Jews in Israel
Despite thirty years passing since the Ethiopian Aliyah, it has not always been easy for Ethiopian Jews in Israel. They have faced hardships with poverty, absorption, and education. Yet, some have become fully immersed into Israel. They have became lawyers, politicians, musicians, activists, and educators. We can see Ethiopian Israelis in City Halls, the Knesset, the music industry. Two famous Ethiopian Israelis make up the musical duo Café Shachor Hazak. The groups produce music that address issues that the Ethiopian community faces.
The Museum of Jewish Peoplehood in north Tel Aviv has a new exhibit that explores the different aspects, challenges, and achievements Ethiopian Jews face in the thirty years in Israel.
Well- Known Ethiopian Israelis
Adisu Massala is a former Israeli politician of the Labour party, and later the One Nation Party. He was the first Ethiopian Israeli in Knesset. Massala was born in Gondar province, Ethiopia in 1961. He studied social work and mechanical engineering at Bar Ilan University.
Pnina Tamano- Shatais lawyer, politician and former member of Knesset. She is also a former journalist on Channel 1 from 2007 to 2012. She was the first Ethiopian- Israeli female presenter. Tamano- Shatais was born in Wuzaba, and moved to Israel when she was three. She is active in the movement to combat racism.
Tahounia Rubel is a model, born in Gondar, Ethiopia. She moved to Israel when she was three years old. After finishing her army service, she began her work as a model. She was the first Ethiopian Israeli to win the show HaAch HaGadol, Israel’s version of ‘Big Brother.’
What can we learn from the great adventure of the Ethiopian Aliyah?
The great adventure of the Ethiopian Aliyah may or may not be over. But what we can learn is that a. Judaism is not just one strand of beliefs, it’s not one color, it’s not just one answer. We can learn how to embrace one another despite our differences and because of our similarities. The arrival of the Ethiopian Jews to Israel is our opportunity to do just that: to become one unified nation.
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