A Moral Obligation

The Fellowship  |  October 18, 2017

While The Fellowship was at the forefront of bringing Ethiopia’s Jews to the Holy Land on Freedom Flights, the struggle for these precious children of God does not stop once they make aliyah (immigrate). Writing at The Jerusalem Post, Yael tells of the injustice she sees when visiting Israel’s Ethiopian communities, and how it is our obligation to ensure fair treatment for all:

Deep inside the Israeli-Arab village of Abu Gosh, Youssef’s father, Suheir, stood in the mourning tent wearing a white shirt with an Israeli flag on the shoulder, with a picture of Youssef, and the words “hero of Israel.”

Surrounded by fellow Muslims and many Jews, Suheir didn’t cry, but rather spoke passionately. “My son, who was killed by a terrorist [while] protecting the Jewish town of Har Adar, is a hero and he died fighting for the right side: Israel. In this ongoing conflict, Israel is the side which stands for justice and is constantly seeking peace. I am proud of my son for giving up his life to ensure the terrorist didn’t enter that village and kill more people,” he said.

As I looked around the tent, dozens of Israeli-Arab Muslim citizens nodded their heads fervently in agreement about the terrorist murder of Youssef “Yossi” Ottman last week. Youssef was a security guard shot dead by an armed Palestinian worker he knew who was seeking to enter Har Adar.

I was speechless. And the truth is, slightly embarrassed. It was the same emotion I felt at the mourning tent of Solomon Gabaria, an Ethiopian-Israeli Border Police officer who was killed in the same terrorist attack as Youssef…