A celebration marking four decades since Israel’s Operation Moses rescued Ethiopian Jews by bringing them to Israel was held by the government in Jerusalem this past week.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer praised the Ethiopian community for their contributions to Israel as government officials, community members, and Mossad officials commemorated the 1984-1985 operation.
Sofer said that Operation Moses was a major asset for immigration to Israel, coming to fruition through the righteousness, sense of responsibility, and creativity of IDF soldiers, Mossad agents, Jewish Agency personnel, and the immigrants themselves.
Following the flight of Ethiopians from famine and the Ethiopian Civil War, almost 8,000 Jews were flown in secret from Sudan to Israel over several weeks. Hundreds died from attacks and disease during the march of hundreds of kilometers over difficult terrain and conditions.
According to the Aliyah and Integration Ministry, some 3,073 families were rescued in the operation. Many of those rescued were minors, with a third being children under the age of 10, and another quarter being ages 11 to 20. Only 4% of those rescued were over the age of 71 at the time.
Veterans of Operation Moses
According to the ministry, there are 6,617 Operation Moses veterans who still live in Israel today, and who have given birth to 7,645 children. One of the most common names given to the children was that shared by the great Jewish lawgiver and the operation that brought them to Israel – Moses. Another popular name was that of their new home – Israel.
The city with the most Operation Moses immigrants is Netanya, followed by Petah Tikva, Ashkelon, and Hadera.
Netanyahu noted that the celebration came as Ethiopian-Israeli hostage Avera Mengistu was freed from over a decade in Hamas captivity.
“Thanks to the military pressure we exerted on Hamas, and with the important support of President [Donald] Trump, we were able to bring home many hostages, Avera among them,” he said.
“We have always believed, we have always stood by our goal – and, thank God, we succeeded,” Netanyahu said. “Avera is with us again, and we will help him and the rest of the hostages returning to Israel to rehabilitate, to return to life as free people in our country. This is an event of freedom that almost touched this date of the 40th anniversary of Operation Moses, a great event of freedom, of coming out of slavery to redemption.”
The effect of October 7 on the Israeli Ethiopian community
The Aliyah Ministry and Integration Ministry shared that 33 members of the Ethiopian-Israeli community had died since the October 7 Massacre, some of them falling in battle against Hamas.
Netanyahu said that the Ethiopian community has been heroic for taking their place on the front lines defending Israel.
Sofer said that “the story of the Ethiopian community is the story of all Israeli society.”
“The second and third generations are on the front lines of the war, leading the ranks of the IDF, catapulting the Israeli economy forward and symbolizing the uniqueness of Israeli society – a story that has no equal in the history of nations, which is the source of the strength of the State of Israel and the unimaginable vision of the return to Zion,” said the minister.
Netanyahu swore to continue in the advancement of Ethiopians in the Jewish state, and to fight against discrimination and racism.
“We will continue to spread the wonderful Zionist story of the Beta Israel community,” the prime minister said.