Unit 8: BACKGROUND OF OPERATION BROTHERS: 1975-1979

MY FAMILY
THE BETA ISRAEL CURRICULUM

BACKGROUND OF OPERATION BROTHERS: 1975-1979

 Students should be asked to read the following text:

 As Graenum Berger, founder of the American Association for Ethiopian Jews (AAEJ), wrote in his memoir: “1975 turned out to be an important year for the Ethiopian Jewish cause.”¹¹⁴

This was no ordinary year in Ethiopia, at all. In 1974, Emperor Haile Selassie and his government had been overthrown by the military. Some hoped the political shift would ease the situation of the Beta Israel and reduce the seeming urgency of immigrating to Israel.¹¹⁵ But with the coup d’etat, Ethiopia erupted into a civil war that lasted from 1974-1991 and brought heavy violence and famine.

The Israeli Knesset ruled in April 1975 that the Law of Return granting automatic citizenship to Jews – or anyone with a Jewish grandparent – now applied to Ethiopian Jewry. And yet, surprisingly, “the issue of Ethiopian Jews was not discussed at the Jewish Agency conference in Israel in June 1975,”¹¹⁶ a few months later. The State of Israel said that it was “exploring all possible avenues for getting the Ethiopian Jews out of Ethiopia,”¹¹⁷ but it soon became clear that the efforts needed to extract the Beta Israel exceeded the capacity of the Israeli government. In other words, the only way to succeed in this mission was through aid from organizations like the American Association for Ethiopian Jews (AAEJ).

Having read this information, students should be asked why they think the Israeli government did not make the immigration of Ethiopian Jewry to Israel a top priority – at least in 1975?

After fielding student ideas, teachers should say:

At this point, the Beta Israel was already getting ready. The community hoped its chance to make aliyah would soon come. Ethiopian Jews who had studied in Israel were teaching Hebrew to other members of the Beta Israel, as they prepared to evacuate and make the journey to Israel. Many awaited their turn for months, and many more waited years. Various reasons were given for the delay in 1975. Some blamed the volatile political situation in Ethiopia, and the dangers it posed, while others believed Israel and world Jewry did not see the Beta Israel as an urgent priority. The Beta Israel needed the Israeli government’s help – but to get that, they needed help from non-governmental sources first.

For the American Association for Ethiopian Jews (AAEJ) led by Graenum Berger, the Beta Israel was the top priority, and these efforts catalyzed a global movement on behalf of Ethiopian Jews. Between 1975-1977, the AAEJ (and many volunteers) launched media campaigns to pressure the Israeli government to put the Beta Israel at the top of its agenda – and these efforts worked. In 1977, then-Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin ordered the Shin Bet (Israel’s Internal Security Agency) and the Mossad (National Intelligence Agency) to plan operations to bring Ethiopian Jews to Israel. And upon assuming office later in 1977, Prime Minister Menachem Begin famously said: “Bring me the Ethiopian Jews!”¹¹⁸

 Now, teachers should bring the students attention back to the list of words presented in the Starter:

• BETA ISRAEL’S DESIRE TO RETURN TO ISRAEL
• WELFARE OF THE BETA ISRAEL
• POLITICAL WILL IN ETHIOPIA
• POLITICAL WILL IN THE U.S.
• POLITICAL WILL IN ISRAEL
• FINANCES
• LOGISTICS
• PRESSURE FROM LOBBY GROUPS

 Teachers should now ask, pointing at the list of words:

 Having learned about the plight of the Beta Israel during the Civil War, look at these words again. Why do you think the Israeli government finally decided to make Ethiopian Jewish immigration a priority?

Teachers should then explain:

 Rabin set into motion a chain of events: at the prime minister’s instruction, the Mossad struck a deal with Ethiopian dictator Mengistu Haille Mariam. Simply put, the Israelis would give the Ethiopians weapons, if the Ethiopians let the Israelis bring the Jewish community back to Israel in return.¹¹⁹

 Teachers should repeat this final sentence: The Israelis would give the Ethiopians weapons, if the Ethiopians let the Israelis bring the Beta Israel to Israel in return.

 They should then ask their students:

 Do you think there are limits to the financial or moral “cost” of helping those in need? In other words, is there any act you think would be “unacceptable” or “immoral” in such a situation?

 Teachers should now explain:

 Two groups of Beta Israel were airlifted to Israel in 1977. The first group included 59 men, women, and children; they were followed by another 62.¹²⁰ That was the total: 121 Ethiopian Jews were rescued in 1977, and “no Ethiopian Jews were rescued in all of 1978.”¹²¹ Israel’s Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan admitted that there was a problem: “Israel was supplying weapons to Ethiopia in exchange for Jews,”¹²² but Ethiopian dictator “Mengistu decide[d] to cancel the deal due to pressure from Arab states.”¹²³

At this point, the students should be asked to debate:

 What do you think of Dayan’s decision to reveal that Israel had made deal to supply Ethiopia with weapons in exchange for the release of Jews? Do you think were any moral problems in this decision?

 Teachers should now explain that due to this decision, the majority of the Beta Israel were forced to remain in Ethiopia, as fears mounted for their welfare and safety. Students should then be asked to read the following: 

 After reading this letter, students should be asked how these words make them feel – and the asked how they think the author of the letter felt in writing these words. Then, teachers should explain:

 The American Association for Ethiopian Jews (AAEJ) recognized both the urgency of the situation and the severity of the delays. In response, Graenum Berger (head of AAEJ) and his soon-to- be appointed successor, Howard Lenhoff, lobbied the Israeli government harder. Berger and Lenhoff pledged that, come what may, they would help the Beta Israel community complete the journey to Israel.