After thousands of years of praying for Jerusalem, Ethiopia’s Jews began arriving in Israel in the late 1970s. Their immigration received extensive media coverage, and became the stuff of legends. The way they were brought there is an integral part of Israel’s heroic legacy, even if the actual heroes of the journey were dropped from the narrative. The tales of pain and suffering, of people dying of hunger, thirst, and disease en route or in Sudan’s refugee camps are forgotten. Gone are the stories of those who left entire lives behind to fulfill the dream of coming to Jerusalem. The story of their journey is a painful secret, rarely shared, even in the Ethiopian community. As they tell their tale for the first time, they open many wounds and raise the question they never dared ask: Was it worth it?

After thousands of years of praying for Jerusalem, Ethiopia’s Jews began arriving in Israel in the late 1970s. Their immigration received extensive media coverage, and became the stuff of legends. The way they were brought there is an integral part of Israel’s heroic legacy, even if the actual heroes of the journey were dropped from the narrative. The tales of pain and suffering, of people dying of hunger, thirst, and disease en route or in Sudan’s refugee camps are forgotten. Gone are the stories of those who left entire lives behind to fulfill the dream of coming to Jerusalem. The story of their journey is a painful secret, rarely shared, even in the Ethiopian community. As they tell their tale for the first time, they open many wounds and raise the question they never dared ask: Was it worth it?