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At 500,000, they outnumbered the Christians and Muslims around them, calling themselves Beta Israel. Though they lived in Ethiopia, their hearts were in Israel. Their daily rituals included praying and reading from the Torah. The Jewish community was not made aware of the existence of Ethiopian Jews until recently. For centuries, Ethiopian Jews were recognized by the people around them, their African neighbors calling them Falashas - meaning "the alien ones; the invaders." In the 4th Century, the Axum dynasty spread Christianity throughout Ethiopia. This remained Ethiopia's main religion until the 7th Century, when Islam became the more dominant religion. This also separated Ethiopia from the other Christian nations of Africa. Ethiopian Jews, or Beta Israel, had a certain independence until the 13th century under the Solomonic Empire. There would be fighting for the next centuries between Beta Israel and other tribes. Beta Israel's last battle was fought in 1624 against Portuguese-backed Ethiopians. They were defending their freedom. The Ethiopian Jewish men and women fought to the death. It is said they would have rather died then been taken prisoner. Beta Israel was unsuccessful in this battle. Their enemies took all surviving Jews and forced them into slavery, baptism, and denied them the right to own land. Their enemies also burned any and every form of Beta Israel literature in an attempt to completely erase their existence from Ethiopia. Ethiopian Jews would not be heard from again until 1769 when a Scottish explorer, James Bruce, came upon them near the Nile River. Bruce estimated there were about 100,000 of them at the time. In 1947, Ethiopia did not take part of the United Nations Partition Plan. In 1955, the non-governmental Jewish Agency of Israel began building schools and a teacher's seminary for the Beta Israel in Ethiopia. Then in 1956, Ethiopia and Israel established a consular relationship and in 1961, the two establish full diplomatic ties. The situation was positive between the two nations until 1973 when Ethiopia along with several other African nations violated the diplomatic relations with Israel under the threat of an Arab oil embargo. A short time later, Ethiopia's new Emperor, Mariam, began a Marxist-Leninist dictatorship and over the next several weeks, 2,500 Ethiopian Jews were killed and 7,000 were left homeless. Mariam's reign was a huge threat to Beta Israel and anti-Semitism was spreading throughout the land. In 1977, Israel's Prime Minister, with the permission Mariam, began to send for Ethiopian Jews to come to Israel. This was the beginning of the emigrations of Ethiopians Jews to Israel. Between 1977 and 1984, more than 8,000 Ethiopian Jews moved to Israel. In the early 1980's, the practice of Judaism and teaching Hebrew became forbidden in Ethiopia. On November 18th, 1984, Operation Moses began and over the next six weeks, nearly 8,000 more Ethiopian Jews were brought over to Israel. In 1985, President Bush and CIA began Operation Joshua, which brought another 800 Ethiopian Jews to Israel, this time from Sudan. Even though these operations brought Beta Israel to Israel, there were still conflicts. One of the biggest problems was separation. Many families were being separated and left behind. The move to Israel was bittersweet for several families who were afraid of never seeing their loved ones again, and many committed suicide as a result of separation anxiety. Many children were in danger of growing up without their parents. However, in 1990, came Operation Solomon. Operation Solomon, also called The Fulfillment of a Dream, began after an agreement was reached between Ethiopia and Israel. Operation Solomon sought to not only bring more of Beta Israel to Israel but to reunite families. Operation Solomon, named after King Solomon from biblical times, brought more Ethiopian Jews than Operation Moses and Operation Joshua, and in less time. Today, there are approximately 36,000 Ethiopian Jews residing in Israel and efforts are currently underway to bring over the remaining 2,100 Jews that wish to move to Israel.

Source: Righteous Jews Honored by Falasha Supporters, AAEJ Press Release, 1981

Source: Israel Association for Ethiopian Jews (IAEJ). Written by the staff of PRIMER - Promoting Research in the Middle East Region. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/ejhist.html#top

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