Rescuing Ethiopian Jewry: A Defining Moment for Israel and the Jewish People

After so many months of demonstrations across Israel, efforts solely revolved around judicial reform, PM Netanyahu and his cabinet, and the so-called delicacy of Israeli democracy, this week Israel is facing protests of a much, much greater meaning than the months preceding. After years of increasing military and militant clashes and horrific violence in Ethiopia, today we face a profound urgency to rescue the Ethiopians of Jewish descent and to bring them safely home to Israel. 

But so far only 200 of the nearly 4500 Ethiopian applicants for aliyah have been rescued, and approximately 100 of those rescued were Israeli citizens. Last week, a joint operation of the Prime Minister and the Jewish agency succeeded with one rescue mission, but it remains unclear what steps are underway to save those left behind. Protesters in Israel, many of Ethiopian descent, are comparing the swiftness of rescue afforded Ukranian Jews during the recent Russian invasion, and decrying the difference in Israel’s response to Jews of Ethiopia. 

The comparable rate of rescue is troubling, but what is most concerning is every moment that hangs in the air as thousands of lives hang in the balance of our inaction. The Right of Return is inclusive across the varied halachic status of those waiting for rescue in Ethiopia, and the obligation to save a life is above and beyond the scale and scope of any disagreement on labels and status. Any question as to the specific heritage of newcomers to Israel can be addressed after everyone has safely arrived. 

From the Talmud (Sanhedrin 37), we know that “whoever saves a life, saves the entire world”. As the people of the nation of Israel, we have an unparalleled obligation and opportunity to singularly and swiftly rescue every single applicant and to save the entire world, many times over. 

And once we have completed the entirety of this critical rescue, the nation of Israel will have facilitated the return of thousands of Jews and Jewish descendants to their homeland, an enormous undertaking and achievement, both for the sake of the nation and for the future of the Jewish people. The comprehensive rescue of Ethiopian Jews will also increase  trust, compassion and hope amongst the millions of disheartened Israelis looking for examples and actions of hopefulness and progress in Israel. 

There are only gains in fully engaging and succeeding in this rescue, for every individual that needs rescuing,  And without acting, with any continued hesitation or indifference, the losses will be incalculable.