SPL04011 – From Tragedy To Triumph: The Rescue of Ethiopian Jewry
Instructor: Mitchell Bard, Ph.D.
Many people know that Israel brought thousands from Ethiopia and Sudanese refugee camps in airlifts in the 1980s and 1990s. Even today, more Ethiopians who claim to be Jews are hoping to reach Israel, but the Israeli government has been slow to bring them. What is the reason for this reluctance? This lecture will answer why it took so long, how Israel managed to secretly rescue thousands when it decided to act, and what has impeded the remaining Ethiopian Jews from being welcomed to Israel. It will also look at how the Ethiopian Jews have integrated into Israel and the challenges they face.