For more than 50 years there were successful endeavors that allowed 92,000 Ethiopian Jews to make Aliyah to Israel. By 2020, there were 145,000 first- and second-generation Ethiopian Jews living in Israel with 8,000+ Ethiopians waiting to make Aliyah and be reunited with family members who had already made Israel their home. 

 In late 2000, the Israeli government approved a plan for the immediate Rescue Aliyah of 2,000 Ethiopians, who are blood descendants of Jews, by Spring 2021. December 2020 saw four flights bringing over 1,000+ Ethiopian Jews to Israel, many able to celebrate the ending of a hard year by embracing family members in the Land of Israel, some with no family, seeking community amongst their fellow Jews. 

Even with this aggressive Ethiopian immigration plan there will still be over 6,000 Jews unable to make Aliyah. These remaining Jews still in Ethiopia live in harsh conditions, having left behind their homes and villages for the major cities of Addis Ababa or Gondar to wait, sometimes for years. The communities in these two cities maintain a strong Jewish identity, live a Jewish lifestyle, and carry out Jewish rituals as part of daily life in this ongoing limbo. 

The primary focus of the waiting community, as well as their family members living in Israel who are fighting publicly and politically to bring their loved ones on Aliyah, is family reunification. 

We will continue our Rescue Aliyah Outreach to the Ethiopian Jews as long as there are governmental campaigns in place like Operation Zur to bring them home to Israel. Your faithful prayers and generous donations have helped make these dreams a reality. 

Source: Jewish Agency for Israel – Rescue Aliyah Materials December 2020