Ethiopian Jews in Israel or Beta Israel are immigrants and descendants of the immigrants from the Beta Israel communities in Ethiopia. To a lesser extent, the Ethiopian Jewish community in Israel also includes Falash Mura, a community of Beta Israel who had converted to Christianity over the course of the prior two centuries, but were permitted to immigrate to Israel upon returning to Israelite religion—this time largely to Rabbinic Judaism.Weil, S. 2016b “The Complexities of Conversion among the ‘Felesmura’”. In: Eloi Ficquet, Ahmed Hassen and Thomas Osmond (eds.), Movements in Ethiopia, Ethiopia in Movement: Proceedings of the 18th International Conference of Ethiopian Studies. Addis Ababa: French Center for Ethiopian Studies, Institute of Ethiopian Studies of Addis Ababa University; Los Angeles: Tsehai Publishers, Vol. 1 pp.435-445.
Most of the community made aliyah in two waves of mass immigration assisted by the Israeli government: Operation Moses (1984), and Operation Solomon (1991). Today, Israel is home to the largest Beta Israel community in the world, with about 177,600 citizens of Ethiopian descent in 2024, who mainly reside in southern and central Israel.
History First wave (1934–1960) The first Ethiopian Jews who settled in Israel in modern times came in 1934 along with the Yemenite Jews from Italian Eritrea.Greenfeld, Yitzhak (2011). The Chief Rabbinate of the Land of Israel and the Jews of Ethiopia during the British Mandate. Haberman Institute for Literary Studies. pp. 191–198.
Second wave: (1961–1975) Between 1963 and 1975, a relatively small group of Beta Israel moved to Israel. They were mainly men who had come to Israel on a tourist visa, and then remained in the country.
In 1973, Israel's Sephardi Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, cited a rabbinic ruling of the Radbaz, Rabbi Azriel Hildesheimer, and two former Ashkenazic chief rabbis of Israel, Abraham Isaac Kook and Isaac Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog, declaring the Beta Yisrael Jews according to Halachah. He said: "It is our duty to redeem them from assimilation, to hasten their immigration to Israel, to educate them in the spirit of our holy Torah and to make them partners in the building of our sacred land....I am certain that the government institutions and the Jewish Agency, as well as organizations in Israel and the Diaspora, will help us to the best of our ability in this holy task..., the Mitzvah of redeeming the souls of our people...for everyone who saves one soul in Israel, it is as though he had saved the whole world. In 1974, Ashkenazi Rabbi Shlomo Goren also ruled that the Ethiopian Jews are a part of the Jewish people and this had already been established by Chief Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook.
In April 1975, the Israeli government of Yitzhak Rabin officially accepted the Beta Israel as Jews for the purpose of the Law of Return (which grants all Jews the right to immigrate to Israel).
From 1975 onwards, the majority of the Ethiopian Jews made aliyah under the 1950 Law of Return. Several undercover rescue missions were organized by activists and Mossad agents to get them out of Ethiopia.
Third wave: (1975–1990) Operation Brothers
November 1979 – 1983: Aliyah activists and agents in Sudan, including Ferede Aklum, urged the Beta Israel to come to Sudan where they would be taken to Israel via Europe. Jewish Ethiopian refugees from the Ethiopian Civil War in the mid-1970s began to arrive at the refugee camps in Sudan. Most Beta Israel came from Tigray, which was then controlled by the TPLF, which often escorted them to the Sudanese border.Gerrit Jan Abbink, The Falashas In Ethiopia And Israel: The Problem of Ethnic Assimilation, Nijmegen, Institute for Cultural and Social Anthropology, 1984, p. 114 Many chose to immigrate to Israel at this time to flee the civil war, the specter of famine during and after the war, and the hostility faced by Ethiopian Jews. In 1981, the Jewish Defense League protested what it felt was "lack of action" in rescuing the Ethiopian Jews by taking over the main offices of HIAS in Manhattan. 1983 – March 28, 1985: This immigration wave was in part motivated by word of mouth reports. In 1983, the governor of Gondar region, Major Melaku Teferra, was ousted as governor and his successor removed restrictions on travel.Mitchell G. Bard, From Tragedy to Triumph: The Politics Behind the Rescue of Ethiopian Jewry, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002, p. 137 Beta Israel began to arrive in large numbers and due to poor conditions in the camps, refugees began dying of disease and hunger. It is estimated that between 2,000 and 5,000 were Beta Israel.Bard, From Tragedy to Triumph, p. 139 In late 1984, the Sudanese government, following the intervention of the United States, allowed 7,200 Beta Israel to leave for Europe. They immediately flew from there to Israel. The first of two operations during this period was Operation Moses (original name: "The Lion of Judah's Cub"), which took place between November 20, 1984, and January 20, 1985, during which time 6,500 people immigrated to Israel. A few weeks later, the U.S. Air Force evacuated the 494 Beta Israel refugees remaining in Sudan to Israel in Operation Joshua. The second operation was mainly carried out due to the intervention and international pressure of the United States.
Fourth wave (1990–1999)
1991 (Operation Solomon): In 1991, the political and economic stability of Ethiopia deteriorated as rebels mounted attacks against, and eventually controlled, the capital city of Addis Ababa. Worried about the fate of the Beta Israel during the transition period, the Israeli government, together with several private groups, secretly prepared escape plans. Over the course of 36 hours, a total of 34 El Al passenger planes, with their seats removed to maximize passenger capacity, flew 14,325 Beta Israel directly to Israel. Dr. Rick Hodes, an American doctor working in Ethiopia, was the medical director for Operation Solomon. 1992–1999: In the years following Operation Solomon, smaller and more gradual waves of migration continued. These included the Qwara Beta Israel, a subgroup residing in the northwestern Ethiopian region of Qwara, many of whom had been previously left behind. With the assistance of the Jewish Agency and Israeli government, most members of this community were brought to Israel by the end of the decade.Weiner, Justus Reid. "The Struggle for Ethiopian Jewry". *Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs*, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2000. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
Falash Mura (1993–present) 1993–present: From 1993 onwards, an irregular emigration began of Falash Mura, which was and still is mainly subjected to political developments in Israel. These immigrants are required to convert from Christianity to Judaism.Weil, S., 2016. "The Complexities of Conversion among the 'Felesmura'". In: Eloi Ficquet, Ahmed Hassen and Thomas Osmond (eds.), Movements in Ethiopia, Ethiopia in Movement: Proceedings of the 18th International Conference of Ethiopian Studies. Addis Ababa: French Center for Ethiopian Studies, Institute of Ethiopian Studies of Addis Ababa University; Los Angeles: Tsehai Publishers, Vol. 1 pp. 435–445. Link
2018: In August 2018, the Netanyahu government vowed to bring in 1,000 Falasha Jews from Ethiopia. 2019: In April 2019, an estimated 8,000 Falasha were waiting to leave Ethiopia.Times of Israel rabbi-of-8000-stranded-ethiopian-jews-fights-to-complete-their-exodus/ Times of Israel April 25, 2019 2020: On February 25, 2020, 43 Falasha arrived in Israel from Ethiopia. 29 November 2020 - 12 July 2023: Operation Tzur Israel (Rock of Israel). The operation was implemented in two phases with the goal of facilitating the immigration of 5,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel, most of whom had close relatives already living there. The first phase, which ran from 28 November 2020 until March 15, 2021, brought 2,000 Ethiopian immigrants to Israel. The second phase, which began on June 2, 2022, brought another 3,000 immigrants, and concluded on 12 July 2023. 2021: March 11: Operation Tzur Israel brings 300 Ethiopian Jews to Israel. March 15: The first phase of the operation concludes, with 2,000 immigrants brought to Israel. November 28: The Israeli government approves the resumption of immigration for the remainder of the community from Ethiopia. 2022: February 2: The Israeli Supreme Court issues an interim order halting the immigration of 3,000 Ethiopians with close relatives in Israel, while hearing an appeal alleging many of them had faked their claims of Jewish ancestry. March 15: The Court lifts the interim order. June 1: Second phase of operation begins with an airlift of 181 immigrants. 2023: July 12: Operation Tzur Israel concludes with a final flight of 130 immigrants. 2024: In April 2024 61 Ethiopian Jews made Aliyah sponsored by ICEJ.ICEJ 61 Jews go Home As of April 2024, the president of the aid group Struggle to Save Ethiopian Jewry (SSEJ) estimated that some 13,000 people were still waiting.amid-dimming-hopes-this-year-in-jerusalem-jews-ethiopia-prepare-worlds-largest-seder 16 April 2024Struggle to Save Ethiopian Jewry (SSEJ) website In response to a ruling from the Sahedrin calling on all Jews in galat to go up to Israel, a letter of 30 December 2024 from rement of Jews in Sudan and Ethiopia who have declared their willingness to go up to Israelsanhedrin-just-called-all-jews-to-move-to-israel 2025: Jewish Population in Ethiopia is 100 As recently as September 2025, Israel approved plans for the immigration of an additional 2,000 Ethiopian Jews, bringing hope to some of the families still waiting. September 2025 7,000 [estimated in Ethiopia] This figure was cited in a September 2025 op-ed in The Jerusalem Post, based on "official estimates". Another Jerusalem Post piece mentioned "roughly 7,000" waiting as of that month.Jerusalem Post "Jewish families in Ethiopia have been forgotten by Israel, they must be brought home - opinion" september 14,2025 According to the World Jewish Congress website: "Aliya: Since 1948, 50,700 Ethiopian Jews have emigrated to Israel"World Jewish Congress website on Ethiopian Jews accessed 9 October 2025
Integration and socioeconomic status
The integration of the Ethiopian Beta Israel community into Israeli society initially involved significant socioeconomic and educational challenges. Many immigrants arrived with relatively low levels of formal education and came from rural areas of Ethiopia, making the abrupt transition to a developed and industrialized society particularly difficult. Although disparities with the wider Israeli Jewish population still remain, they have been narrowing as educational attainment and other socioeconomic indicators continue to improve. Various programs, including the Ministry of Education’s “New Way” initiative, have sought to further narrow these gaps.
One area in which substantial progress has been recorded is Bagrut attainment among students of Ethiopian descent. In the 2023/24 school year, 93.7% of 12th-grade students of Ethiopian descent took the matriculation exams, compared with 95.1% of students in the Hebrew education system overall. In the same year, the rate of eligibility for Bagrut certificates among students of Ethiopian descent equaled the rate among all Hebrew speakers for the first time, after a cumulative increase of 12.5% since 2017/18.