Operation Zur Israel
In September 2020, the Government of Israel approved the Aliyah of 2,000 members of the Ethiopian Jewish community to arrive in Israel by early 2021.
With the launch of Operation Zur Israel, which kicked off in earnest in December 2020, Ethiopian families were reunited in Israel after more than a decade of separation. The operation was completed in March 2021. Thank you to our partners, JFNA and Keren Hayesod, and donors around the world whose support made this incredible Aliyah operation possible.
In November 2021, the Israeli government announced its decision to approve the continuation of Operation Zur Israel, which began in 2022 and will bring thousands more Ethiopian Jews home to Israel.
“With the renewal of Operation Zur Israel, thousands of new immigrants from Ethiopia will be able to fulfill their dream and unite with their relatives in Israel after many years of waiting,” said Jewish Agency Acting Chairman of the Executive Yaakov Hagoel. “The Jewish Agency will assist the new immigrants in the process of Aliyah and with their integration in absorption centers throughout the country, in cooperation with the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration. It is our responsibility to help them as they take their first steps in Israel.”
The first group of Ethiopian immigrants arrived in Israel on June 1, 2022, on a special flight chartered by The Jewish Agency, which is coordinating with Israel’s government to reunite 3,000 Ethiopians with their families during the coming months. Read more >