{"id":31352,"date":"2024-01-09T16:55:23","date_gmt":"2024-01-09T16:55:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/?page_id=31352"},"modified":"2024-01-09T17:11:15","modified_gmt":"2024-01-09T17:11:15","slug":"unit-8-background-of-operation-brothers-1975-1979","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/unit-8-background-of-operation-brothers-1975-1979\/","title":{"rendered":"Unit 8: BACKGROUND OF OPERATION BROTHERS: 1975-1979"},"content":{"rendered":"

MY FAMILY<\/span><\/a>
\nTHE BETA ISRAEL CURRICULUM<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

<\/a>BACKGROUND OF OPERATION BROTHERS: 1975-<\/u>1979<\/u><\/h3>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Students should be asked to read the following text:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>As Graenum Berger, founder of the American Association for Ethiopian Jews (AAEJ), wrote in his memoir: \u201c1975 turned out to be an important year for the Ethiopian Jewish cause.\u201d114<\/sup><\/p>\n

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\u00a0Israel and reduce the seeming urgency of immigrating to Israel.115<\/sup> But with the coup d\u2019etat, Ethiopia erupted into a civil war that lasted from 1974-1991 and brought heavy violence and famine.<\/p>\n

The Israeli Knesset ruled in April 1975 that the Law of Return granting automatic citizenship to Jews \u2013 or anyone with a Jewish grandparent \u2013 now applied to Ethiopian Jewry. And yet, surprisingly, \u201cthe issue of Ethiopian Jews was not discussed at the Jewish Agency conference in Israel in June 1975,\u201d116<\/sup> a few months later. The State of Israel said that it was \u201cexploring all possible avenues for getting the Ethiopian Jews out of Ethiopia,\u201d117<\/sup> 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).<\/strong><\/p>\n

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 \u2013 at least in 1975?<\/em><\/p>\n

After fielding student ideas, teachers should say:<\/em><\/p>\n

At this point, the Beta Israel was already getting ready. The community hoped its chance to make aliyah <\/em>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\u2019s help \u2013 but to get that, they needed help from non-governmental sources first.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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 \u2013 and these efforts worked. In 1977, then-Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin ordered the Shin Bet (Israel\u2019s 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: \u201cBring me the Ethiopian Jews!\u201d118<\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Now, teachers should bring the students attention back to the list of words presented in the <\/em>Starter<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • BETA ISRAEL\u2019S DESIRE TO RETURN TO ISRAEL <\/strong><\/li>\n
  • WELFARE OF THE BETA ISRAEL<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • POLITICAL WILL IN ETHIOPIA <\/strong><\/li>\n
  • POLITICAL WILL IN THE U.S. <\/strong><\/li>\n
  • POLITICAL WILL IN ISRAEL <\/strong><\/li>\n
  • FINANCES<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • LOGISTICS<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • PRESSURE FROM LOBBY GROUPS<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong>Teachers should now ask, pointing at the list of words:<\/em><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/em>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?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Teachers should then explain:<\/em><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/em>Rabin set into motion a chain of events: at the prime minister\u2019s 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<\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong>Teachers should repeat this final sentence<\/em>: The Israelis would give the Ethiopians weapons, if the Ethiopians let the Israelis bring the Beta Israel to Israel in return<\/em><\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/em>They should then ask their students:<\/em><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/em>Do you think there are limits to the financial or moral \u201ccost\u201d of helping those in need? In other words, is there any act you think would be \u201cunacceptable\u201d or \u201cimmoral\u201d in such a situation?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong>Teachers should now explain:<\/em><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/em>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<\/sup> That was the total: 121 Ethiopian Jews were rescued in 1977, and \u201cno Ethiopian Jews were rescued in all of 1978.\u201d121<\/sup> Israel\u2019s Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan admitted that there was a problem: \u201cIsrael was supplying weapons to Ethiopia in exchange for Jews,\u201d122<\/sup> but Ethiopian dictator \u201cMengistu decide[d] to cancel the deal due to pressure from Arab states.\u201d123<\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n

    At this point, the students should be asked to debate:<\/em><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/em>What do you think of Dayan\u2019s 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?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong>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:<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
    Letter from Beta Israel member awaiting aliyah <\/em>in Ethiopia (1978)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    \u201cI cannot find the words to express the extremely terrible situation of the [Jews here]\u2026 They are at death\u2019s end and do not know how to escape the situation\u2026 There was a belief in their heart that with troubles like there are now, the nation of Israel and the Jews of the world will arrive to help them. They are waiting for this to happen every day. But now they despair and lack hope. Against their will they are enslaved by their neighbors. Those who flee their homes to save their lives are without food or clothing. Lost is the nation of Jews who kept the Laws of the Torah and the Jewish tradition. And this is so sad that it happens precisely now when the State of Israel exists.\u201d124<\/sup><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    \u00a0<\/em>After reading this letter, students should be asked how these words make them feel \u2013 and the asked how they think the author of the letter felt in writing these words. Then, teachers should explain:<\/em><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/em>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.<\/strong><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    114<\/td>\n114 Graenum Berger, Rescue the Ethiopian Jews! A Memoir 1955-1995,\u00a0<\/em>(John Washburn Bleeker Hampton Publishing Company, 1996), p. 47.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    115<\/td>\nIbid, pp. 48-49.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    116<\/td>\nIbid, p. 51.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    117<\/td>\nIbid, p. 62.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    118<\/td>\nSee Seth Frantzman, \u201cBring me the Ethiopian Jews,\u201d\u00a0The Jerusalem Post<\/em><\/a>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    119<\/td>\nShalom, From Sinai to Ethiopia<\/em>, p. 71. Graenum Berger argues in Rescue the Ethiopian Jews! A memoir, <\/em>however, that Begin did not do nearly close to enough in the years to come.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n\n
    120<\/td>\nShalom, From Sinai to Ethiopia, 71.<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    121<\/td>\nBerger, Rescue the Ethiopian Jews! A memoir, 1955-1995 77.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    122<\/td>\nShalom, From Sinai to Ethiopia, 71.<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
    123<\/td>\nIbid.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    MY FAMILY THE BETA ISRAEL CURRICULUM BACKGROUND OF OPERATION BROTHERS: 1975-1979 \u00a0Students should be asked to read the following text: \u00a0As Graenum Berger, founder of the American Association for Ethiopian […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":30932,"parent":0,"menu_order":80,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-31352","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/31352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31352"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/31352\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}