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Culture without borders. / La culture sans frontières.

The Last Jews of Ethiopia Hope to Obtain Visas for Israel

The Beta Israel community, one of the world's oldest Jewish groups, faced persecution under Ethiopia's communist regime. Over 20,000 were evacuated to Israel, but thousands remain and seek visas.


James Okonkwo
James Okonkwo
October 1, 2026  ·  1 min read
B-Empire Magazine
Brief

The Jewish community of Ethiopia, known as Beta Israel, is one of the oldest in the world, with origins believed to date back to the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon around 950 BCE.

Between the 1970s and 1990s, this community endured persecution under Ethiopia’s communist regime. Israel then organized massive evacuations, known as Operation Solomon and Operation Moses, which enabled over 20,000 Ethiopian Jews to relocate to Israel.

However, several thousand members of this community remain in Ethiopia. According to France 24, these individuals now hope to obtain visas to emigrate to Israel.

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