Black Jews, Jews, and other heroes : how grassroots activism led to the rescue of the Ethiopian Jews

Seldom has a small grassroots organization polarized American Jewry as did the American Association for Ethiopian Jews (AAEJ) and seldom has a grassroots organization been so successful. How were five governments persuaded that it was to their interest to allow the threatened Jews of Ethiopia to fulfill their dream of rejoining their brethren in Israel? From 1974 through 1991, active AAEJ members demonstrated that it was possible to rescue black Jews from Africa. They enlisted the support of college students, American Rabbis, editors of the Jewish press and other Zionists. Lenhoff's memoir provides many untold stories behind this historic drama: How Israeli Ethiopian Jews and Americans Jews worked secretly to rescue over 1,000 Ethiopian Jews. How Jerry Weaver masterminded Operation Moses - the first mass exodus of black Africans as free people - not as slaves. How two gutsy American women set up a situation allowing Israel to rescue 14,000 Ethiopian Jews in one day of Operation Solomon. There is more: the intrigues in Israel between the politics of religion and the Law of Return; the daring heroic adventures of courageous Ethiopian Jews as they trekked from Ethiopia to Sudan. These are the stories of activists who challenged the establishment and won! Black Jews, Jews, and Other Heroes is written from the first-hand experiences of one of the AAEJ's three Presidents, scholar-activist Howard Lenhoff. Lenhoff and Gefen Publishing House are especially pleased to present also as part of this book, the untold story of righteous gentile," Jerry Weaver. Renowned photojournalist Ricki Rosen documented Israel's rescue of 15,000 Jews from Ethiopia during the historic Operation Solomon airlift. Thirteen years later, she searched for and photographed the same Ethiopian Jews now settled all over Israel. This is an inspiring story of remarkable transformations. Rosen's compelling photos portray dramatic scenes of the mass exodus of the Ethiopian Jews-thousands wrapped in white robes heading towards the Promised Land, like the biblical Exodus from Egypt. Her contemporary photos are poignant portraits of these Ethiopians radically transformed by their Israeli experience. Children in rags have grown up to be proud Israeli soldiers, malnourished babies have developed into fashionable teenagers, and mothers who lost children to starvation and disease have given birth to new families. Rosen's insightful images take us on a journey from the mud huts of Africa to the skyscrapers of Israel, from the exotic and traditional to the ultra-modern. We see an ancient lost tribe become the newest Israelis, and we travel with them from exile to the Promised Land. Photographer Ricki Rosen has been published in every major international magazine, including on the covers of the New York Times Magazine, Time, Newsweek, People, and Figaro, and featured in numerous books and exhibitions. She began her career in New York and has been based in Israel for the last seventeen years. The photos are accompanied by an introductory essay by writer Micha Odenheimer, whose reporting from Ethiopia, as well as founding the Israel Association for Ethiopian Jews, have made him one of the most important activists for Ethiopian Jewish immigration and integration.

from Falasha To Freedom Is An Autobiographical Saga Of One Of The Pioneers Of Operation Moses And The Ethiopian Community's Integration Into Israeli Society.

Falasha, Defined As Stranger Or Landless, Was Used As A Derogatory Name For Ethiopian Jewry. Shmuel Yilma Was Born In 1968, The Second Of Seven Children, In An Agricultural Village Of Approximately Thirty Families. Together With His Family, He Was Among The First Jews To Leave Ethiopia Via Sudan In March 1980, Opening Up What Was To Become Operation Moses.

Upon Arrival In Israel At The Age Of Eleven, Armed With Only A Meager Education And No Prior Knowledge Of Hebrew, Shmuel Graduated With Full Academic Matriculation, Earning A Ba In Educational Administration And Is Currently Studying Towards An Ma In Educational Counseling. He Joined Israel's Elite Paratroop Regiment Where He Became The Second Ethiopian To Win Officer's Epaulets. In Recognition Of His Exemplary Service As Head Of Reconnaissance Training, He Won The Commander-in-chief's Prize - Presented To Him By Chief Of Staff Ehud Barak On Independence Day 1991.

Today, Married With A Child, Shmuel Is The Deputy Director Of The Association For The Advancement Of The Ethiopian Family And Child In Israel, An Agency That Strives To Ease The Culture Shock Among Ethiopian Immigrants, While Providing Scholastic Enrichment And Role Models For Ethiopian Youth.

Relates the stories of 18 Jewish men and women who were imprisoned in Ethiopia in the 1970s-80s for smuggling Jews over the border to Sudan on their way to Israel. After the revolution in 1974, officials in the Mengistu regime sought out young Jews in order to draft them into the army and send them to almost certain death on the battlefield; therefore, attempts to smuggle Jews out of the country were stepped up. The men and women whose experiences are retold here either volunteered or were asked to help in the smuggling operation. They were eventually caught, tortured, and imprisoned for aiding Jews to leave the country. They all succeeded in emigrating to Israel after their release. (From the Bibliography of the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism) Samuel, daughter of a Holocaust survivor and wife of an Ethiopian Jew, recounts the story of her husband's childhood in a small Ethiopian village, his dream of exodus, his dangerous journey, his marriage to the author, and finally, the arrival and settlement of his large extended family in Israel. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Samuel, daughter of a Holocaust survivor and wife of an Ethiopian Jew, recounts the story of her husband's childhood in a small Ethiopian village, his dream of exodus, his dangerous journey, his marriage to the author, and finally, the arrival and settlement of his large extended family in Israel. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR This book describes the process of immigration as experienced by children and their families, and the efforts made by Youth Aliya to absorb them into Israeli society. The book focuses on the latest group of Jews arriving from Ethiopia, and provides some insights into their way of life. A therapist treats the Ethiopian exodus to Israel (1984-96) in the context of the history of an Israeli social service agency for immigrant families, and personal and theoretical perspectives. Lacks an index. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR Personal Stories Shed Light On The Struggle Of The Ethiopian Jews On Their Long Road To Irael. As Told To Baruch Meiri And Rachamim Elazar. Kefi She-supru Ishit Le-varukh Meʾiri ṿe-raḥamim Elʻazar ; Katav Barukh Meʾiri.