In Jerusalem, Commemorating the Bravery of a Pioneering Generation of Ethiopian Israelis

This blog was originally published to the Jewish Federations Of America website in honor of Jerusalem Day on May 8. Read it on their website »

-Amber Massey

I, like many other Jews in the Diaspora, had heard about the famed Israeli Independence Day, with its numerous fireworks, and barbecues. In fact, it sounded very similar to Independence Day celebrations in America. However, it wasn't until I arrived to Jerusalem for the first time almost two months ago that I learned about another national holiday – Jerusalem Day. What's even more unknown about this day, even in Israel, is the Ethiopian Jewish cultural significance of the day, as it is the date chosen to remember Ethiopian Jews who perished during their journey from the heart of East Africa to Israel during the mid-1980’s.

This memorial day was given yet greater significance when it was bestowed as a formal, national day of remembrance by the Knesset. The day is marked by a somber ceremony at the Memorial for Ethiopian Jews on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, held in the presence of the President of Israel, and often attended by the highest dignitaries, including the Prime Minister, Supreme Court Justices, and ministers of the Israeli government.

Ethiopian Israelis visit the memorial at Mt. Herzl

"Why is the Remembrance Day held on Jerusalem Day?" someone asked me after I informed them of my plans to attend the ceremony on May 8.  Why? I didn't have an answer for her, since I am neither Ethiopian nor Israeli. However, I did recall a conversation I had with an Ethiopian-Israeli not too long ago. Being both of African descent and hailing from two different sides of the world, we were curious about each other's unique cultural experiences in the Diaspora. Then, the discussion moved to Jerusalem, and what it meant to be here, the land of our ancestors of whom we mention during prayers every Shabbat. It was one of those rare and honest interchanges that connected two strangers, fluent in two different languages, from two different cultures to a singular perspective: that our connection to the land was not necessarily influenced by the philosophies of Theodore Herzl; that our "Zionism" was less a political construction, and more a spiritual one based on prophesy and a promise... a promise of return to the Promised Land, to Zion, to Jerusalem. To be here in Jerusalem, to feel the Jerusalem stone beneath our feet as we prayed at the Kotel, to breath the mountainous air of Mount Zion – just to be here was a blessing that only a few generations ago was an impossibility or just a dream.



Ethiopian Israelis face challenges, but are
immersed in all aspects of Israeli life

And so, there is no better day than Jerusalem Day to remind the new generation of Ethiopian-Israelis of the dream and strength of their elders, and of their responsibility to continue their own path to success by striving to overcome the social and economic challenges their communities faces here in Israel. These youth – they are paving the way for their communities and for Jews of African descent across the Diaspora who still hope and pray to see Jerusalem.

The multicultural significance of this community's presence in Israel is why I am choosing to stand with the community at Mount Herzl on Wednesday, and what will continue to inform my work with the Ethiopian National Project (ENP) this summer. My connection to the progress of Ethiopian-Israelis is intertwined with the hopes I have for my own family – my little cousins, my future children and grandchildren, for the children and grandchildren of my friends who are Jews of Color in the United States and in Israel. I hope that the next generation of Jews around the world can experience a Diaspora that knows that being a Jew breaks all color barriers, that each community within Israel has faced their own unique struggles, and that the face of success in Israeli society can be  black, tan, white, and any shade in between. I'm sure those who have worked and died to get here would want nothing less than equal opportunity in Israel, and I'm glad to help an organization that is dedicated to making my ancestral home a more inclusive, balanced, and diverse place to live.