The Secret History of Ethiopian Jews

The story of the Beta Israel’s return to the Land of Israel is one of broken promises, secret agreements, and the tenacity of an ancient community in the face of unimaginable danger. While the origin story of Ethiopian Jews remains unclear, their courage, faith, and love for the Jewish homeland, along with the daring of the Mossad and the activism of North American Jews, resulted in the return of thousands of Jews to Israel. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:48 Origin stories of the Ethiopian Jews 01:34 Ethiopian Jewish beliefs and rituals 01:49 Christian persecution of Beta Israel 03:09 Ethiopian Jewish delegation walks to Israel 04:27 Joseph Halevy visits Ethiopia 06:06 Ben Gurion and diplomacy with Ethiopia 06:17 Ethiopian Jews begin escaping to Israel 07:36 Sephardic Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef’s declaration 08:04 Persecution of Ethiopian Jews 08:51 Activist Ferede Aklum and Mossad hatch a plan 09:46 The Beta Israel trek to Sudan 10:16 Mossad’s abandoned resort op