“Decades ago, Ethiopian Jews left their homes in the dead of night.  They went to the Land of Israel.  They went to Jerusalem.  They organized secretly, in small groups, left all their belongings behind and began their own exodus to Jerusalem.

They marched for long weeks, sometimes longer, with babies on their backs, children holding their grandparents’ hands.  They went north, toward the horizon, in the direction of the Land of Israel.  They suffered from hunger.  They were robbed and attacked.  Four thousand members of the community were unable to realize their dream and were buried along the way to the Land of the Patriarchs.  I think that this is a marvelous story the expresses the longing of generations of Jews, who – in Europe, Asia and Africa – dreamed of returning to the Land of our fathers.

The story of the Ethiopian community’s desire to return to Jerusalem is the essence of our people’s dreams and prayers.  Today, I meet members of the Ethiopian community throughout the country.  I see their integration into the IDF, in the schools and universities, in the media, the arts and every aspect of our lives.  True, there are still difficulties and I am aware of them; we will continue to act to reduce and overcome the difficulties.  We will continue to act to properly absorb all members of the community in all walks of life.  The State of Israel is committed to advancing the Ethiopian community and vanquishing, once and for all, the phenomenon of discrimination.

The Remembrance Day for members of the Ethiopian community who perished en route to Israel was set for Jerusalem Day and for good reason.  This is the day our capital was liberated from the yoke of foreign occupation, the day on which we were united with the eternal city of the Jewish People.  No day is more fitting for us to remember the members of the community who perished en route to Jerusalem, those who so much believed in the dream – to the point that they were ready to die for it.

Next year in the rebuilt Jerusalem!”

(PM’s Media Advisor)