Monument to Ethiopians who died en route to Israel dedicated at Mt. Herzl
More than 4,000 Ethiopian Jews died in Sudan in 1970s and 80s while trying to reach Israel.
By Ayanawo Farada SanbetuA monument commemorating the more than 4,000 Ethiopian Jews who died in Sudan while attempting to reach Israel was dedicated at Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem on Wednesday.
"Finally, we will have a place of mourning," said Uri Rada, who fought for years to have the monument erected. "We will be able to commune with the memories of our loved ones in a dignified place."
Thousands of Ethiopian Jews immigrated to Israel via Sudan in the 1970s. In 1984, Operation Moses airlifted thousands more who had been residing in camps in Sudan. However, that operation was halted after the fact that Jews were immigrating to Israel via Sudan was reported in the media.
While residing in Sudan, the Ethiopians were robbed, murdered and raped, and suffered from hunger and disease. More than 4,000 died and were unable to obtain a Jewish burial.
Rada, a 40-year-old Kiryat Gat resident, moved to Israel in 1984 and began fighting for the establishment of the memorial the following year. "Many families were wiped out, and they have no memory in this world," he said.
In some cases, people disappeared during the trip through Sudan, and their relatives still do not know their fate. In other cases, children lost parents en route and arrived alone, or vice versa. "They received no psychological treatment in Israel, and they still walk about bearing the trauma, even though two decades have passed," Rada said.
The fact that the monument is located at the official state cemetery on Mount Herzl pleases him. "I think erecting the monument alongside the heroes of the nation and the man who envisioned the state, Theodor Herzl, honors the memory of our loved ones who died in Sudan," he said. "This is a thank you to the Jews of Ethiopia who died en route to Zion, while dreaming of Zion."
The dedication ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Absorption Minister Ze'ev Boim and Ethiopian kessim (religious leaders). The latter said prayers for the dead in Ge'ez, the Ethiopian language. Olmert and Boim praised the Ethiopian Jews for their devotion to the Zionist dream, noting that they often had to flee in the dead of night, leaving their property behind.
The annual state memorial for those who died in Sudan will take place this year on May 16.
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The Falachas are treated by dogs by the jews in israel; they have no idea of the hell they face one they arrive there. Soon enough they wish they were back in Ethiopia.
this problem of neglect is not only in israel or just one place Jews need help in the world. My wife left with another man to move to Toronto.. Mr. wonderful 5 times better than me soon deserted them ...cleaned out the apartment ...cleaned out the bank account ...left the children sitting in an empty suite...that is where my wife found them when she returned from work that night. Bad enough. The family contiued to disintegrate ...my daughter 14 years old at the time wrote me a letter and told me of the problem.. I wrote back to her and told her of a jewish agency she could go to to get help... In her words"they shunned me." She to this day will have nothing to do with her heritige G-d or anything spiritual.after all these years she just now told me the source of her contempt and bitterness.there is more but we will leave it at the point of this article.neglect/intended/unintended is the same thing anywhere.Shame on us. Any wonder they entertain suicidal thoughts.
Wouah, you would be happy in Arizona or Nevada. You seem to love conspiracy theories. Though I agree for an investigation to understand why. Maybe the first step could be to listen to these brothers/sisters tell their stories.
Now that they have a memorial how about a state investigation to find out who was responsible for their deaths. Was it the fault of the Mossad who told them to leave their villages? Was it the Israeli government hungry for some good international press at the cost of Jewish lives? Let's call for an inquiry!
The ethiopians were brought to Israel for three reasons: 1) to increase the number of cheap labor 2) to eliminate arab workers in Israel 3) to increase the number of "jewish" people Actually most Falaschia are not real jews: most of them pretend to be such, in order to escape from that hell named socialist republic of Ethiopia. This is the truth, like it or not.
IHEARD FRM THE BBC RADIO THAT ISRAELAID AGENCY OFFER AN TO THE SOMALI REFUGES IN CAMPS AT KENYA X THANKS A LOT U ISRAELIS U HELPED US WHILE WE R IN WAR ND HUNGER WL NEVER FORGET THAT FOR SURE THAT WL TO MAKE GOOD ND SRONG RELATIONS BETWEEN OUR TWO NATIONS X HELP US INSIDE THE COUNTRY OR IN OUTSIDE X DONT HESITATE X THANKS ND BRGDS
This is a great stepping stone, this homage to the Jewish Race' oldest community. Unfortunately it masks the reality of the Jewish states continual shabby treatment of this section of our heritage. Why must these true jews become converts to a european "bastard" type of Judaism. they are the true Jews and worship and continue a pure type of Judaismfrom the 1st temple period. How rediculous to see a Ethiopian jew wearing "penguin "uniform!
I never knew that so many, 4 thousand Jews died in 1980's? I guess it shows how important it was for Jews to finally stand up and go back to their homeland because of such treatment before the Holocaust and after. I still can't believe that in 1980's the world watched 4 thousand Jews being murdered, but then again the world is still watching today when over 200,000 people are being murdered in Sudan.
The story of this exodus MUST be written. Efforts MUST be undertaken to compile a registry of our lost brothers. Their names have to come back to the surface and not be forgotten.