Operation Moses: The Untold Story of the Secret Exodus of the Falasha Jews from Ethiopia

by Tudor Parfitt

Book by Parfitt, Tudor

143 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Harm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative on an incredibly interesting topic; a modern Exodus of a special Jewish community unknown to many. But not very entertainingly written.

[Ilan Sonsino · Rating 5 out of 5]

For many years, the Falashas, a black tribe of Jews in Ethiopia, were persecuted because of their cultural and religious differences from other groups in the area. The situation for the Falashas became so bad that many of them were starving and ill by the 1980's. In 1985, the Israeli government decided that immediate action was needed in order to save the Falashas. Operation Moses tells the story of the Israeli secret service agency's mission to sneak thousands of Falasha Jews out of persecution in Ethiopia and bring them to Israel, just as Moses had led the Jewish people out of an enslaved life in Egypt into Canaan about 3,500 years earlier. The operation involved a difficult and dangerous journey over a period of several months, an unusual and daring route throughout Africa, and an exciting airlift. The result of the mission was sweeter than anything the Falashas could have ever imagined.
I enjoyed Operation Moses for two main reasons. First, I can relate to this story of persecution of African Jews because my dad and his family were Jews in Africa who fled persecution in the late 1950's. Also, the story of the Falashas and their rescue is very meaningful, as it describes their terrible suffering, the courage and heroism of many people, and the strong desire of an entire group of people to their homeland.