Who Are the Ethiopian Jews and What Responsibility did/does Israel Have Towards Them?
I never had such a huge mosquito bite until I went to the Middle-East. I spent the summer before my senior year traveling around Israel with hundreds of other American and British youth. We participated in the touristy sight-seeing and received the religious exposure that I expected. What stood out most to me, besides the mosquitoes, was an activity we did during the last days of our trip. The activity focused on the black Jewish population of Israel. We learned about the roots of black-Israeli culture and how Ethiopian Jews came as refugee immigrants, bringing a fascinating history with them. I had been unaware that throughout history there had been Jewish kingdoms on the African continent. Before I realized it, I had become fascinated with the Jews of Ethiopia and their history. I learned that a decade earlier the Ethiopians had been airlifted from Africa to Israel, but I did not understand why Israel felt an obligation to do so. I also learned about religious groups and people who d
