BROTHERS - II



Running parallel but separate from Operation Brothers, another top secret mission, called Operation Moses, airlifted 8,000 Ethiopian Jews from Sudan between November 1984 and January 1985. Named after the Jewish biblical figure, Moses - who led the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt – the mission began shortly after a devastating famine swept through Ethiopian, threatening the survival of the local Jewish community. Those who survived the arduous journey by foot, through the deserts of Ethiopia and Sudan, were airlifted to Israel in a complex and clandestine operation that was the result of close cooperation between the Israel Defense Forces, the Mossad, the United States Embassy in Khartoum, and Sudanese State officials.

When word leaked out to the press, and under pressure from other Muslim countries, Sudan blocked further flights, leaving many behind. In the United States, all 100  senators signed a secret petition to President Ronald Reagan, asking him to have the evacuation resumed. Vice President George Bush then arranged a follow-up mission called Operation Joshua, also known as Operation Sheba. In 1985, around 600 Jews were located and transported to an Airbase in southern Israel.

In 1991, Ethiopia was coming to the end of a long civil war, and the government was close to being toppled. Rebels claimed control of the capital Addis Ababa a short time later, and the situation of the Beta Israel took top priority in Israel. The Likud government of Yitzhak Shamir authorized a special permit for the Israeli airline, El-Al to fly on the Jewish Sabbath. On Friday, May 24th, 1991, and continuing non-stop for 36 hours, a total of 34 El-Al jumbo jets and Hercules planes, having removed the seats to accommodate the maximum number of Ethiopians, began a new chapter in the struggle for the freedom of Ethiopian Jewry.

Operation Solomon, named for the biblical king, from whom perhaps Beta Israel drew their lineage, ended almost as quickly as it began. Timing was crucial, since any delay by Israel could have allowed the rebels to hold the Jews as bargaining chips with Israel or the United States. A total of 14,324 Ethiopian Jews were rescued and resettled in Israel, a modern exodus of impressive strategy. Operation Solomon rescued nearly double the number of Jews as were saved during Operation Moses and Joshua, and it did so in a mere fraction of the time.

In December 2012, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to bring to the Jewish State the few thousand Jews remaining in Ethiopia. Nicknamed Operation Dove’s Wings, the plan sought to fly a few hundred each month to Israel, gradually increasing the numbers each month. In August 2013, the final two flights brought the numbers of new immigrants from Ethiopia to approximately 8,000.

“The Jewish community of Ethiopia is one of the oldest in the world, with roots reaching back to the times of King Solomon and Queen Sheba.   For thousands of years this community has been yearning for Zion. By completing the Journey of Operation Dove's Wings, we close the circle on a journey that began 3,000 years ago," said Chairman of The Jewish Agency, Natan Sharansky, as he welcomed the new immigrants.



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