The operation, which began in December 2020, has concluded with the arrival of a few hundred members of the Ethiopian Jewish community on Thursday; Herzog: This is a moment that tugs at the heartstrings, reminding us that our mission to bring the remaining members of the community waiting to make aliyah is far from over.
December 3, 2020, Israel began Operation ‘Tzur Yisrael’, which highlights the mission of transporting 2,000 members of the Ethiopian Jewish community to Israel. On Thursday, approximately 300 more Ethiopian Jews arrived at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, concluding this several-month operation to help thousands make aliyah (“going up”).
Tamano-Shata, who arrived in the Jewish State during Operation Moses when she was a little girl, said, “This is a journey that is well underway, but far from complete. I am grateful for the honor of successfully leading Operation Tzur Yisrael. However, Israel’s mission to ensure the aliyah of the remaining Jews in Ethiopia is not over.”
Operation Moses occurred in late 1984 and concluded in early 1985. It was a clandestine operation that lasted seven weeks and resulted in the arrival of over 8,000 Jews from Sudan.
Jewish Agency Chairman Yitzchak Herzog said, “The final Operation Tzur Yisrael arrived today, reuniting countless families after far too many years apart. This is a moment that tugs at the heartstrings, reminding us that our mission to bring the remaining members of the community waiting to make aliyah is far from over.”
The Ethiopian community in Israel is comprised of over 135,000 people.
