Yerusalem, a new feature documentary (based on the Israeli documentary series) brings to life the story of a long, dramatic and tumultuous journey as the Jewish Ethiopian community, also known as “Beta-Israel”, finally find their way back to Jerusalem -- the heart of the Jewish people. Yerusalem is the story of an isolated Jewish tribe who kept its faith for thousands of years even though they lived in a hostile Christian environment. This is the story of ancient Jewish traditions, of heroic actions and daring covert operations. But mainly, this is the story of a powerful religious yearning that has been passed down from father to son for countless generations. Yerusalem is the complex story of the Ethiopian Jewish community in Israel bringing the stories of the first and second generation of immigrants, rabbinical cases, Aliyah activists, Mossad personnel, ship commanders and pilots, decision-makers and many others who risked their lives to bring Ethiopian Jews to their ancestral land. Here they were required to prove their Jewishness and fight for their legitimate place in Israeli society.

Passover context: The story of Ethiopian Jewry is truly a modern-day miracle. The journey of Beta-Israel was truly from bondage to freedom and they found redemption by literally making next year in Jerusalem come true. As we say in the Seder: next year in Jerusalem.

Take a deeper look with My Jewish Learning: Ethiopian Jews in Israel