MY FAMILY
THE BETA ISRAEL CURRICULUM
Teachers should then explain:
In the years and decades following the Red Sea disaster of 1862, many Ethiopian Jews attempted their own journeys to Jerusalem; most were initially unsuccessful. Rabbi Dr. Sharon Shalom tried his own hand at this journey for the first time in 1980, when he was a young boy, still known by the Ethiopian name “Zaude.” In the passage below, Rabbi Dr. Shalom describes how he and his friend Mesphin Iasu, “decided to do what every Ethiopian Jew dreamed of doing: to make aliyah, to go up to Jerusalem.”76
Teachers should then read aloud the following passage (or ask student to read to themselves):
TEXT 3: Rabbi Dr. Sharon Shalom, From Sinai to Ethiopia p. 9 |
My friend Mesphin Iasu, of blessed memory, and I decided to do what every Ethiopian Jew dreamed of doing: to make aliyah, to go up to Jerusalem, which was our term for Eretz Yisrael. At dawn, without saying a word to our parents, we two children awoke and left our village of Irer in the Godolo region, on our way to the Promised Land. This decision was the climax of many stories we had heard from our fathers and mothers. Mesphin and I began to run. We didn’t know in which direction to go. We only knew that we had to run, and we believed that if only we ran far enough, in the end we would reach Jerusalem. In the afternoon, after we left the Godolo region, we were detained by locals from the adjoining region who suspected that we were spies. Mesphin managed to escape from prison, but I remained behind… [When I was released from prison I walked back to] my village. My family had no idea where I had been. They were afraid that I had been devoured by animals or harmed by evil spirits. I arrived exhausted and panting heavily, but unharmed. For me, this was a first attempt. Although it ended in failure, I held onto the vision of reaching Jerusalem, postponing it to another, more successful opportunity. |
Members of the Beta Israel awaiting interviews during Operation Solomon. Credit: Dov Goldflam
After reading, students should reflect on the words “although it ended in failure, I held onto the vision,” and relate back to the Starter thought experiment about the hopeful young swimmer’s 50-length dream.
76 Shalom, From Sinai to Ethiopia, 9.