Ethiopia Exodus

In 1991 Ethiopia was a perilously unstable country. Civil war ensued and the Eritrean and Tigress rebels joined forces to overthrow Mengistu. With this dangerous political destabilisation, the World Jewish Organisations were concerned about the well-being of Ethiopian Jewry in that region. 

‘Operation Solomon’ was thus born. A covert Israeli military operation to airlift Ethiopian Jews and fly them to Israel. The operation was kept a secret, through military censorship. And in order to accommodate the vast numbers of Ethiopians that needed airlifting, the ELAL 747 planes were adapted. The aircrafts were stripped of all their seats. Flights that would normally carry 400 passengers were at one point carrying over 1088 passengers.

I documented one of these last exoduses. My journey began in the remote villages of Gondar in the highlands, as the last remaining Ethiopian communities prepared for their departure. Over a period of some weeks, we lived together in their mud huts as they got ready for their monumental journey to the ‘holy land’.

As the only Westerner to travel with these families on their long arduous journey from the remote highlands to the frenetic, noise riddled modern state of Israel, a very unique bond was formed with these gentle Ethiopians. Here are a selection of photographs from this incredible journey with these immensely proud, brave and remarkable individuals.