Ethiopia to Israel: Secret Journeys

Isolated from much of Judaism for centuries and now discriminated against in Israel today. This is the story of an ancient Jewish community commonly known as Falasha Jews – primarily from Ethiopia – and the secret, politically controversial smuggling operations that brought them from Sudan to Israel in the 1980s. In the late 20th century, the Falasha Jews (also known as Beta Israel) faced persecution and famine, prompting significant emigration to Israel.

However, Israel was not recognised by Arab and many African states – so countries like Ethiopia and Sudan couldn’t be seen openly to help Israel boost its population. So the Mossad and the CIA conducted the secret Operation Moses to transport thousands of Ethiopian Jews from refugee camps in the Sudanese desert. When these missions were discovered, they caused huge political fallout in Sudan. Furthermore, the Falasha Jews who did arrive in Israel have found themselves marginalised and still face challenges integrating into Israeli society today.