Memorial Day for Ethiopian Jews

This choice indicates a desire to identify with Israelis who lost their lives in the struggle for Jerusalem and to assert a shared sense of belonging within the national narrative and collective memory.

Three years later, in 1999, the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, with support from the Jewish Agency and the Israel National Fund, established a temporary memorial near Ramat Rachel.

[3] The annual commemoration ceremony is held at Mount Herzl, Israel's national military cemetery in Jerusalem,[4] where a memorial resembling a deserted Ethiopian village displays the names of over 1,500 deceased individuals.

[5] The event includes memorial prayers and moments of reflection on the struggles faced by Ethiopian Jews, particularly the difficult conditions during their transit in Sudan.

[8] However, various institutions—including schools, universities, and community centers—have started recognizing Memorial Day for Ethiopian Jews, gradually incorporating it into the Israeli public consciousness.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, also present, promised to form a ministerial committee to address discrimination and racism, emphasizing a commitment to combat these issues.

[1] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin honored the fallen with speeches emphasizing the community's dreams of reaching Jerusalem.