"From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia I will bring My worshippers, the daughter of My dispersed ones and they shall bring My offering." - Zeph. 3:10

Facts

Immigration to Israel

In 1908, chief rabbis of 45 countries officially recognized the “lost tribe” as truly Jewish.

In 1984-85, in Operation Moses, 8,000 Ethiopian Jews (Beita Israel) were secretly air-lifted to Israel through Sudan. Four thousand died on route to Sudan and 15,000 were left stranded.

In 1991, in Operation Solomon, 14,000 were air-lifted from the capital, Addis Ababa, in 36 hours.

Today, nearly 120,000 Ethiopian Jews reside in Israel. However, 19,000 Falasha Mura (Jews who converted to formal Christianity in times of persecution in generations past) still remain trapped in refugee camps in Ethiopia, waiting to join family members in Israel. But time is running out. While agencies decide if they are qualified to immigrate to Israel, many are dying of disease and starvation.

As of 2012, it is estimated that in Gondar there are 8,000 waiting to make Aliyah. 6,000 of these are eligible to come to Israel and the other 2,000 are in process. 3,000 are waiting in Addis Ababa, with no plan o bring them at this point. Another 3,000 in Tigray are waiting with no plan to bring at this stage due to budget restraints. Israel wants to bring 250 per month and hopefully all 6,000 up to the middle of 2013. The Jewish Agency has taken over from NACOEJ (North American Conference for Ethiopian Jewry).