"To win, to see in the light of your face"
(Avigdor Hameiri / Over the top of Mount Scopus)
The story of the State of Israel is a wonderful story that seems miraculous. In light of a shared historical past, ideological consciousness and yearning to return to the homeland, in 1948 the Jewish State was established, a national home for Jews from all over the world. The history of the founding of the state is interwoven with stories of heroism and fighting for Diaspora Jews, who in faith, blood, sweat, tears and resourcefulness worked for its establishment.
In the Israeli chronicle, a place of honor was preserved for Ethiopian Jews, who added to the writings of history a layer of heroism, determination and unbearable costs of loss and bereavement. Ethiopian Jewry reflects the epic of a community that continued to adhere to Torah and Jewish tradition despite the difficulties and challenges, strived to change its destiny and began marching towards Zion - Jerusalem. The heritage and personal memory of the community are part of the collective memory of Israeli society as a whole. The arduous journey to Eretz Israel, in which some 4,000 people lost their lives in the deserts of Sudan and in refugee camps, expresses Zionist, social and educational values.
Aliyah from Ethiopia to Israel stems from longing and longing for Jerusalem, a city that symbolizes their Jewishness for members of the Ethiopian community. Therefore, in the late 70s, the news of a possible way out of Ethiopia heralded the closeness of redemption among the community, and led to a mass and hasty exodus from the country, out of a yearning to realize their dream.
The escape route was difficult and dangerous. Groups, individuals, families with children and elderly people faced the forces of nature, had to make do with little food and had to move quickly, sometimes without sleep, along narrow mountain routes, deserts, ravines and rivers. The journey involved falls, injuries and illnesses, severe shortages of vital resources, uncertainty and a constant need to hide from predators, government soldiers and road robbers.
The immigration of Ethiopian Jews to Israel in the 80s and 90s is described and told in terms of a journey that was accompanied by loss and disaster. Although the journey took place in the previous century, it is evident in the identity of the members of the community.
Memorial Day for those who perished in Sudan was symbolically designated on the 28th of Iyar, Jerusalem Day, a day that celebrates the unification of the city of Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty and symbolizes the faith and yearning of Ethiopian Jewry to fulfill their dream of immigrating to the Land of Israel and reaching the holy city - Jerusalem.
This Memorial Day is an opportunity for all of Israeli society to become acquainted with the act of leadership, determination, heroism and sacrifice that this journey entailed.
In recent years, there have been more and more commemorative and commemorative projects and activities, centered on a state memorial ceremony on Mount Herzl.
But this is not enough – we must intensify educational and public relations activities in various ways, in order to familiarize ourselves with this wonderful Zionist, Jewish and Israeli story.
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