JERUSALEM - The government held a memorial ceremony in honor of the 4,000 Ethiopian Jews who perished during their journey to Israel in the 1980s.
Thousands of Ethiopian Jews perished in during their journey, on foot, through the deserts of the Sudan en route to Israel. The ceremony was held at the to Ethiopian Jews at Kibbutz Ramat Rachel in Jerusalem. President Moshe Katsav, Minister of Immigration Absorption Minister Tzipi Livni, and heads of the Ethiopian community in Israel all attended.
"When you came to Israel we all shed a tear with you, but you were left to mourn those who were left behind," Livni said. "Now we stand here with you as a society... We have much to do together."
The memorial candle was lit by Tayko Alahi, who lost her parents and brother during the journey.