Ethiopian Jewry | Israel Phenomenology | Unpacked

- This week, we look at one of Israel’s most distinctive communities - the Jews of Ethiopia.
While the story of their rescue from Ethiopia has become a well-known tale of daring, bravery and sheer Israeli chutzpah, there’s far more to know about Ethiopian Jews than this event.

We trace the origins of this group, unpack the different terms associated with the “Beta Israel” (as the community refers to itself), and discuss why there are many Ethiopians still waiting to come to Israel.
We also dive into the whole megillah of who is a Jew, and touch on the difficult subject of racism in Israeli society, as we discuss the ongoing (and sometimes bumpy) integration of Ethiopian Jewry into Israeli society.

Let us know what you think of this episode in the comments below.

Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:10 Who are the Ethiopian Jews?
00:35 What is the difference between Beta Israel and Falasha?
01:19 History of Ethiopian Jews
02:06 Ethiopian Jewish traditions
02:44 Ethiopian Jewish return to Israel
04:48 Questions of Jewishness and the Israeli Law of Return
05:39 Operation Moses and Operation Solomon
06:30 Process of integration in Israel and discrimination
08:56 Outro

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Credits:
- GPO: Moshe Milne, Tzvika Israeli, Nati Harnik, Nathan Alpert, Kobi Gideon, Einat Anker, Zoltan Kluger
- AAEJ
- Commons Wikimedia: Yair Aronshtam, Mushki Brichta, אמיליה כהן, Harvey Sapir, דוג'רית, אורי פרדניק
- Flickr: Marco Verch

About Unpacked: We provide nuanced insights by unpacking all things Jewish. People are complex and complicated — yet we’re constantly being pushed to oversimplify our world. At Unpacked we know that being complex makes us more interesting. Because of this, we break the world down with nuance and insight to drive your curiosity and challenge your thinking.

#Israel #Culture #Education

[marie-lanna]

My family was forced to changed to Christianity and recently I found out I was an Ethiopian Jew, I am so happy!

[כרמלנחושתן]

I'm Jewish (half Ashkenazi and half Yemeni) from Israel,
My father was a soldier that took part in the Solomon oroperation! Very very proud to say so😁😁😁

[DIOBrando-rycy]

As a Jewish Ethiopian I am happy to see that our story has been shared more and more on YouTube in recent years 😍😁


Peace and love to all minorities and everyone else, be proud of yourself ☮️ ⁦❤️⁩

[ToriHalfon]

Wonderful video! My husband is Israeli, and he always glows about the Ethiopians he was in the army with; how patriotic they are, how dedicated to Israel; what wonderful people and friends they are.
It makes me cry to see the news footage of the people coming off the planes and kissing the ground having arrived in Israel. As an American, I can hardly imagine the harrowing lives they had trying to escape persecution. There are some very good movies that tell the story and help us to understand and empathize. I’m so proud that they have found a home in Israel. Our people are beautifully diverse!

[Rana-eofl]

I’m a saudi muslim girl and i did the dna and i found out that i’m 27% ethiopian jewish it’s so interesting learning about this part of my ethnicity!!

[jesuslord]

I am Eritrean from agew tribe and recently i took DNA test which is surprisingly told me am 54% Ethiopian Jew. Very interesting.

[messit]

Thank you so much as a Jewish Ethiopian who was born in Israel and my whole family was born in Ethiopia. I just watched a video of someone wondering about Ethiopian Jews and what their origin is. And it was hard for me to explain in English ! so I shared this excellent video that sums it all up into a nice, short video !! ~

[lelo]

I live in US I’m Ethiopian and my mom’s and her family are Jewish I just don’t like the ignorance towards Ethiopian in Israel but still have the blood and I’m happy

[raerae]

Kudos sis, as an ethiopian jewish i was waiting to see if you will make the mistakes most people make but you were perfect 👌 0 mistakes, loved the video and the thorough research keep it up ❤❤❤

[mulualemseble]

I am proud to be a Jew from Beta Israel

[nathanpankowsky]

Well said, our Ethiopian brothers and sisters are among the greatest contributions to our society here in Israel. They are very humble and strong and it is my hope that there will be a lot more injera in Israel!

[JK-hqvi]

Jews, from any tribe, from any racial, ethnic or national background, are my cousins from the dozens. Most Jews I know feel this way. This was a wonderful video. Thank you, mishpucha. All the best.

[Nitzpitz]

I remember the group of rescued Ethiopian Jews my kibbutz helped to integrate. It was fascinating as this was the first time I came in contact with black people. As a child it was weird coming in contact with children looking so different and speaking another language, but somehow we got along just fine. It is still a precious memory. I was proud of my country that they were saved from hunger and war.

[MichalAnnStrahilevitz]

Best summary of the Ethiopian Jewish story I have seen anywhere. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

[cliphound]

Shalom to you! The Ethiopian Jew and Beta - Isreal communities have overcome so much ♥ The story of their Aliyah to Isreal is epic story. The sheer chutzpah on Isreal's art is amazing too! The Red Sea Diving Resort was besed on the Mossad agents smuggling Ethiopian Jews out of Sudan!

[btspavedtheway]

as an ethiopian jew i love this video 🥺

[uzielboniche]

This video made me cry. All jews will be in Eretz Yisrael someday ❤

[LuckyBadger]

Thank you so much for this! I'm blessed to live in a majority Ethiopian neighborhood, and they are the most beautiful, graceful, and friendly people I've ever met. Most definitely a wonderful addition to Israel!

[aklilubelay]

I encourage you to look at Ethiopian history. The first African country that won a war against the Europeans.

[elonaackerman]

I am so proud of our people ! ❤️ It’s incredible to see how almost identical we all are despite of diaspora !