1st Edition

The Ethiopian Jewish Exodus Narratives of the Journey

By Gadi BenEzer Copyright 2002
272 Pages
by Routledge

272 Pages
by Routledge

272 Pages
by Routledge

Between 1977 and 1985, some 20,000 Ethiopian Jews left their homes in Ethiopia and - motivated by an ancient dream of returning to the land of their ancestors, 'Yerussalem' - embarked on a secret and highly traumatic exodus to Israel. Due to various political circumstances they had to leave their homes in haste, go a long way on foot through unknown country, and stay for a period of one or two... Read more
1. Introduction2. The Context of the Journey3. Interviewing and Interpreting in Cross Cultural Research4. The Theme of Jewish Identity5. The Theme of Suffering6. The Theme of Bravery and Inner Strength7. The Impact of the Journey: Psycho-Social Issues8. Ethiopian Jews Encounter Israel

Biography

Gadi BenEzer is a senior lecturer of psychology and anthropology at the Department of Behavioural Sciences in the College of Management in Tel Aviv. In the last two decades he has worked as a psychotherapist and organizational psychologist with the Ethiopian Jewish immigrants in Israel. He has written extensively on Ethiopian Jews, trauma and life stories, and cross-cultural psychotherapy. His book on Immigration and Integration of the Ethiopian Jews has become the main text on the subject in Israel.

"Thousands of Ethiopian (Beta Israel) Jews arrived in Israel following a perilous journey on foot from their original villages in Gondar to refugee camps in Sudan. This difficult and lengthy journey and waiting period forms the subject of this excellent book... While geared to specialists, this book may be read with profit by anyone interested in the phenomenon of immigration and in the Beta Israel experience. Highly recommended." - Choice