Ingathering of Exiles: From Ethiopia to Israel

You might have heard of the Beta Israel, the community of Israel’s Ethiopian community. In this episode, Noam Weissman tells their story - not only their rich Jewish heritage and history, but also the story of how they got to Israel, in Operation Solomon, and their integration into Israeli society over the last thirty years. It’s thrilling, inspiring, but also complicated, and difficult at times. In other words, it’s a microcosm of the entire state of Israel, and the Jewish community the world over. ~~~~ Unpacking Israeli History is generously sponsored by Alan Fisher and Barbara Sommer, and Jon and Rachie Teller. ~~~~ Learn more about Unpacked: https://jewishunpacked.com/about/ Visit Unpacked on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/unpacked Teaching about this topic? Check out our relevant educator resources here: https://unpacked.education/unpacking-operation-solomon-30-years-later/ ~~~~ Sources https://www.timesofisrael.com/after-backlash-barkan-winery-says-ethiopian-workers-to-work-as-usual/ https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/05/11/10-key-findings-about-jewish-americans/ft_2021-05-11_jewishkeyfindings_01/ https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-32813056 https://www.britannica.com/topic/Beta-Israel https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-history-of-ethiopian-jewry/ https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/timeline-of-ethiopian-jewish-history https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/who-are-the-ethiopian-jews https://minorityrights.org/minorities/beta-israel/ https://tamidnyc.org/passover-around-world/ https://www.timesofisrael.com/outcry-as-barkan-winery-shuns-ethiopian-workers-over-doubts-of-their-jewishness/ https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1996-07-29-1996211101-story.html https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/ethiopian-jewry-no-longer-a-lost-tribe/ https://www.jpost.com/opinion/op-ed-contributors/rabbi-ovadia-yosef-and-the-ethiopian-jews-328178 https://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/sites/default/files/public/halakhah/teshuvot/19861990/saltzman_ethiopian.pdf https://www.aish.com/sp/so/My-Treacherous-Journey-across-the-Ethiopian-Desert.html https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-israel-lifts-sweeping-ban-on-ethiopian-israeli-blood-donations-1.5483820 https://www.timesofisrael.com/ministry-lifts-ban-on-ethiopian-blood-donations/ https://www.enp.org.il/en/background.php https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kebra_Nagast https://www.torahmusings.com/2017/12/rav-ovadya-yosef-whether-ethiopian-jews-need-reconvert/ https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/05/11/10-key-findings-about-jewish-americans/ft_2021-05-11_jewishkeyfindings_01/ Lewin-Epstein, Noah; Cohen, Yinon (18 August 2019). "Ethnic origin and identity in the Jewish population of Israel". Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. 45 (11): 2118–2137. Steven Kaplan, "A Brief History of the Beta Israel", in The Jews of Ethiopia: A People in Transition ~~~~ Unpacked is a division of OpenDor Media