From Adwa to Jerusalem: Ethiopian Jews’ Journey of Pride in Israel

By Dr. Shmuel Legesse and Jonathan Takele

The story of Ethiopian Jews is one of survival, faith, and a longing for Zion that spanned centuries. Known as Beta Israel, our community carried Jewish tradition across generations in the mountains of Ethiopia, praying daily for the return to Jerusalem. That dream became reality in the late 20th century, when tens of thousands were brought to Israel in daring rescue missions. But the story does not end with arrival. The greater challenge is ensuring that Ethiopian Jewish culture and faith do not disappear, but live, flourish, and enrich the Jewish homeland.

Ethiopian Jews practiced a form of Judaism rooted in the Torah and biblical tradition. Guided by our spiritual leaders, the Kesim, we preserved holidays such as Sigd, a day of fasting, prayer, and renewal that centers on the covenant between God and Israel. Today, Sigd is recognized as a national holiday in Israel, reminding all Jews of the timeless longing for unity and Jerusalem. Our rituals, songs, and prayers carry echoes of an earlier Judaism, offering Israel a living connection to the biblical past. To let these traditions fade would be to lose a vital part of the Jewish mosaic.

Too often, Ethiopian-Israeli youth are told that their cultural symbols set them apart. But those very symbols most visibly the green, yellow, and red of the Ethiopian flag are not marks of difference but of pride. In 1896, under that flag, Ethiopian fighters led by Emperor Menelik II defeated European colonizers at the Battle of Adwa. That victory, one of the most significant in African history, was not won by emperors alone but by local farmers and communities, including Ethiopian Jews. Those colors came to embody independence and dignity. For Ethiopian Jews, they are reminders that just as we resisted foreign domination in Africa, we preserved our faith in isolation for centuries. They are symbols not of separation, but of resilience and belonging.

This history should inspire the next generation. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, of blessed memory, taught: “The test of faith is whether I can make space for difference. Can I recognize God’s image in someone who is not in my image?” Ethiopian Jewish culture challenges Israel to live by that truth. And as Baruch Tegegne, one of our community’s great leaders and an early champion of Aliyah, once said: “We did not come to Israel empty we came with Torah in our hearts, faith in our souls, and pride in who we are.”

For us, this story is also personal. Jonathan’s father, Takele Ashnafee, was a courageous Ethiopian Jewish activist who gave his life in the struggle for Zionism. He was killed by communist forces in Ethiopia for recruiting women and children to attend local Jewish schools, daring to dream of Jerusalem and mobilize his community toward it. His sacrifice is a reminder that the Jewish people’s return to their homeland was not abstract, it was paid for in blood, faith, and courage. That legacy now lives on in his son Jonathan’s work in the Knesset’s Human Resources Department, where he focuses on recruiting and supporting professionals to succeed inside Israel’s legislature.

For many Ethiopian-Israeli youth, however, the path to belonging is not easy. They are caught between two worlds an ancient African-Jewish tradition and a modern Israeli society that prizes uniformity. Some feel “too Ethiopian” to be fully Israeli and “too Israeli” to fully connect with their parents’ culture. The temptation is to hide heritage to fit in, or worse, to see it as a source of shame. Yet the answer is not assimilation but integration with pride. When young people embrace their Ethiopian roots, they enrich Israel.

Consider Lieutenant Eden Alene, who rose from a modest Ethiopian-Israeli family in Jerusalem to represent Israel on the world stage as the country’s first Ethiopian Jew at Eurovision. Singing in Amharic and Hebrew, she embodied the possibility of being fully Israeli while carrying Ethiopia in her voice. Or Captain Avi Yalo, who grew up in a struggling immigrant neighborhood but chose service as his path. Today, he is a decorated IDF officer, mentoring Ethiopian youth and reminding them that their ancestors’ resilience—whether at Adwa or in Gondar—runs in their blood. These examples show that our heritage is not a barrier but a bridge: from Africa to Israel, from ancient Torah devotion to modern achievement.

For the next generation, heritage must be reframed not as an obstacle but as a source of strength. When young people celebrate Sigd, wear traditional Ethiopian dress, or carry the colors of Adwa, they are not rejecting Israel. They are strengthening it. Their Ethiopian heritage and Israeli identity are not in conflict, they are two halves of a single strength. Schools and community institutions must affirm this truth. Israeli curricula should teach the history of Beta Israel as central to Jewish history, and mentorship programs should connect youth with role models who embody both Ethiopian pride and Israeli success.

The survival of Ethiopian Jewish culture in Israel is not only about one immigrant community. It is about the broader Jewish story. We remind the world that the Jewish people are global stretching from Europe to the Middle East, from Africa to America. We testify that Judaism is not a color, but a covenant. For centuries, we dreamed of Jerusalem. Now that we are here, the responsibility falls to Israel to honor, preserve, and celebrate Ethiopian Jewish culture and faith so that they may live for generations to come. To lose them would be to lose a chapter of Jewish history. To let them live is to ensure that Israel reflects the fullness of the Jewish people.

About the Authors:
Dr. Shmuel Legesse is an Ethiopian Israeli social activist, educator, and international diplomacy expert. He holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Yeshiva University and has represented the Israeli Knesset in global public affairs.
Jonathan Takele is a community activist and son of an Ethiopian Jew who was killed by communists for his Zionist activity in Ethiopia. He currently works in the Israeli Knesset in the Human Resource Department.