Modern Miracle – Trek from a Village in Ethiopia to the Knesset in Israel

I made Aliyah (immigrated to Israel) from Canada in 1983. The move was fairly simple except for a freak March snowstorm which delayed our EL AL flight from Montreal. As mundane as the move was, I felt I was part of the fulfillment of the ancient prophecy of the ingathering of the exiles.

Synagogue in the Rural Village of Wolleka – Courtesy of Wikipedia

The following year I witnessed an even greater miracle of this ingathering. The “Beta Israel” community had been located in rural villages in Ethiopia. They traced their roots to the tribe of Dan. Representatives from the Chief Rabbinate of Israel investigated their customs and laws and decreed they should be brought home to Israel under the Law of Return.

Because the political situation in Ethiopia was so volatile, these Ethiopians were not allowed to officially leave the country. So a clandestine operation was set up by the IDF called Operation Moses. and many Ethiopians made the dangerous trek through the desert to Sudan where they were secretly airlifted to Israel. 8000 people were eventually airlifted to Israel.

Her is a story of how a young teen age boy set out from his village in Ethiopia to walk to Israel… and eventually became a member of the Knesset – Israel’s Parliament!