From Falasha to Freedom describes Shmuel Yilmah’s experience emigrating from Ethiopia to Israel during Operation Moses as a child. The first section briefly sets the stage for his home life in Adi-Worewa and the conflict between the TPLF and the Dergi. His uncle, Memher Feredeh, the Hebrew teacher of Adi-Worewa was imprisoned by the Dergi for his “Zionist activities” but he eventually escaped to Sudan and sent a message for his family to join him (19). Memher Feredeh became central to Yilmah’s emigration, as he supported a passage from Sudan to Ethiopia. Slowly, in small groups, Yilmah’s family and community made the trek to Sudan, risking their lives. Yilmah and his family eventually reached an absorption center in Israel. They were given Hebrew names and Yilmah started school, although the absorption process was often painful and confusing. As he became an adult, he served in the IDF and began and supported several projects supporting the absorption of Ethiopian immigrants to Israel.
The second portion of the book is written by several different people involved in Yilmah’s life and the process of immigration and absorption. They each describe their own experience with immigration and absorption and expand on the experiences of Yilmah. The final portion of the book describes Shmuel Yilmah’s eventual return trip to Ethiopia, in a group with Ethiopian Jews and other non-Ethiopians. They visit several places, including Adi Worewa. Throughout the text, Yilmah focuses on the theme of return, first to Jerusalem and then to Ethiopia later in life.
Throughout the book, Yilmah describes conversations about the desire of his community to return to Jerusalem. During their journey from Ethiopia to Sudan, Yilmah’s mother said, “We shall soon be in Jerusalem to see them. Jerusalem is waiting for us. This is not our land here. We have only been guests here for a long time, but now the time has arrived for us to go up to our own land, the Promised Land” (34). The sense of longing permeates the text. Yilmah chooses not to emphasize the need to leave Ethiopia due to danger, although it is remarked upon, instead it is very focused on the drive “to realize the ancient dream of the return to Zion and Jerusalem” (31). Interestingly, in Kadishay’s (Adis’) section in the second portion of the book, there is more exploration of the danger posed by remaining in Ethiopia. “One word or idea from a person that strayed from the dictated lines of behavior cost him his life… he was taken and publicly executed,” he wrote about the danger posed by the Mengistu army (77). While he is clear that the desire to return to Jerusalem was central, so was the fear of remaining in Ethiopia. In the first section of the book, written by Yilmah, the focus is so heavily on Jerusalem that the danger posed to them in Ethiopia is unclear.
I would like to compare the feeling of nostalgia presented to Zborowski and Herzog’s Life is With People. Both texts are permeated by a feeling of longing for a previous time. However, Yilmah’s text describes his own childhood and the sense of nostalgia for a life that he lived. Zboroski and Herzog seem to long for a culture that only exists in the memory of others. Yilmah’s focus on Jerusalem does not give the impression that he wishes that he and his community had remained in Ethiopia. In the final section of the book, when he returned to Ethiopia to visit, he wondered, “Would I be willing to come back and live there?” before quickly moving on (101). While he still invokes a sense of loss, it is always in conversation with the joy of “having fulfilled the dream of aliyah to Zion and Jerusalem” (94).
The importance of reconnecting with Israel in modern statehood is emphasized by Memher Feredeh’s Hebrew school. As a child, Yilmah is not sent to Hebrew school, instead, he attends ‘The School’ because Hebrew school was “just considered a supplementary option,” by the general education system (17). His family places more value on his secular, general education than they do on a Hebrew education that may be valuable if they were to make aliyah. As we’ve discussed in class, language is political. It is clear that education is highly valued by Yilmah, his family, and his community. Yilmah does not discuss his parents’ feelings and concerns when deciding on his educational path, so I can only infer. It does not seem like, at the time of his schooling, they were considering making aliyah in the near future. However, due to conflict in Ethiopia, emigrating became imperative. When he begins schooling in Israel, he struggles because he does not know the language of instruction. He quickly learns once special Hebrew classes begin and catches up to his regular class and excels like he did at his previous school. The emphasis on education brings to light the role of language during political strife. This is manifested in the publication of From Falasha to Freedom.
The book was originally published in Hebrew under the name הדרך לירושלים (The Road to Jerusalem) in 1995. It was republished in English in 2005. Both languages required translation because many of the conversations recalled in the book likely happened in Tigrean. I noted particularly interesting language usage in his translations of religious terminology. When his family reached Sudan and heard of Feredeh’s efforts, his father said, “May the name of the Lord be blessed now and forever, the Lord who delivers us from a strange land to bring us to the Land of Zion and Jerusalem” (54). Ideas like ‘blessed’ and ‘deliver’ are not physical so they may be harder to translate and often have an extensive background with cultural implications. In English, the term ‘deliver’ often brings to mind the Exodus and the deliverance of the Israelites. While I don’t know the original term used by Yilmah’s father, I assume that this underlying meaning is intentional and holds true in the original language. I think this brings up a question about the role of translation in anthropology.
In translation, language loses or changes meaning as not every word is easily translated. On page 26 of Myerhoff’s work, Number Our Days, she briefly mentioned her fear of not understanding the material fully and missing important parts of the meaning. Shmuel responds by commenting on her lack of knowledge of Yiddish, Hebrew, Aramaic, Russian, or Polish, suggesting that without knowledge of those languages, she will undoubtedly miss important meanings. The reader of Yilmah’s From Falasha to Freedom is likely missing the complete meaning of the words used in the original language. On the other hand, translation can be used to connect with a particular audience. In the preface, Yilmah explains his reasoning for writing the book, “I hope that all readers will draw from it a more solidly-based appreciation of what the Ethiopian Jews went through, and come to the conclusion that they deserve the same respect and acknowledgment as the other parts of the People of Israel” (8). His writing is clearly directed at his audience, and he is likely able to utilize the cultural context of language to express particular meaning and invoke particular feelings in his audience.
Throughout the text, Yilmah invokes “universally” Jewish feelings. Exile and the desire to return to Jerusalem are common themes in Jewish texts. He also references the Exodus throughout the book. His deep connection with his family and his emphasis on education are relatable to many readers. Through these themes, the reader is able to connect with Yilmah, even if they come from a very different background and speak English rather than Hebrew, Tigrean, Ge’ez, or Amharic.
I thought your comparison of Yilmah’s story to Life is With People was really interesting, and I hadn’t thought about the fact that both texts express a nostalgic feeling towards a community and location from the past despite exterior problems existing throughout that span of time. I also agree with your point that even though the Ethiopian Jewish community had such a different life experience than other Jewish communities, the themes of exile and return still permeated and reflected those “universally” Jewish feelings that are core to Jewish teachings and experience. I thought Yilmah’s story was beautifully told as he describes in detail the scary and treacherous journey to finally make it to Israel. The contrast between Yilmah and his family’s hopes and desires to reach Jerusalem and see the land of “milk and honey” versus the harsher realities of modern Israel is difficult to read as it reflects another aspect of culture as not being homogenous within a community that may be viewed as such. His stories about facing racism and bullying as he began to adapt to Israeli culture reflect a very unique instance of assimilation that’s really interesting to read about as it brings about the question of how to define Jews, Judaism, and Jewish and/or Israeli culture.
Great post and analysis, Nico! I particularly enjoyed the connection you made between this text and Life Is With People. I, too, noticed many similarities between the readings. First, I agree with what you shared about both texts being permeated with sentiments of nostalgia and feelings of longing. At times, these readings take those emotions to extremes. As a result, their narrators leave out key (and more realistic) details about the time their ethnographic study takes place, which makes me question how reliable their recount of events truly is (something we have previously discussed). In Life is With People, Herzog and Zborowski describe the relationship between individuals and the way tradition is upheld in the shtetl in rose-colored lenses. In From Flasha to Freedom, Yilmah describes leaving Ethiopia in order “to realize the ancient dream of the return to Zion and Jerusalem” (19), but, as you point out, he fails to equally acknowledge that he is doing so in order to escape danger.
I really enjoyed your comparisons to Zborowski and Herzog with From Falasha to Freedom. I would not have thought to do that after reading the book. You touch on how Shmuel struggled to integrate into Israeli culture and the implications of the question around what Jewishness is. As I read it, I think race had a lot do with the understanding of Ethiopian Jews. The Ethiopian Jews themselves even mentioned how when they got to Jerusalem everyone was white. One People One Blood touches more on this (which we will read next week), but there was at the time a strong racialization of what a “jew” (I use scare quotes was) and what the religion should look like. It would have been interesting to see more of how this notion of race and practice relates to our contemporary understanding of what Judaism is.
I really liked your commentary on From Falasha to Freedom, but I specifically really liked your point at the end about how Yilmah invoked “universally” Jewish feelings. I also picked up on this theme, and one of the most beautiful lines in the book (in my opinion) also played into this theme, stating, “We had traversed foreign states, dry land, sea, and sky, to bring to pass the ancient dream we held in our hearts.” I just saw this as such a beautiful way to tie back into the idea that being Jewish, to Yilmah and his family, was something so much deeper than a religion, it was something buried in their DNA and in who they were. This line also tied into the consistent theme of invoking the image of the Israelites fleeing bondage in Egypt, reinforcing the idea that there was an ancestral connection, linking this modern journey with the ancient journey of the Israelites. I thought this was also an interesting contrast to Zborowski and Herzog’s Life is With People, with a focus on tradition and nostalgia tied to the Shtetl and Jewish lives, whereas Yilmah focuses on a story of freedom and survival tied to ancient histories with the Israelites.
I really enjoyed your post. I appreciate the way you connected this reading to Life is With People. I definitely can see how both authors use nostalgia in their writing. While Yilmah’s desire to return to Zion and Jerusalem may have been part of those “Jewish feelings” you describe, it does romanticize the purpose of the journey. There is a lack of focus on the fact that him and his family were trying to escape a dangerous environment in Ethiopia. Of course, both can be true at the same time, but there is some feeling that his writing is playing on nostalgia and not the most accurate representation of what was going on.
The theme of return was something that really resonated with me in Shmuel Yilmah’s From Falasha to Freedom. In Hebrew class, we have often discussed how many Israelis who have immigrated from Israel often reject the term yeridah (leaving Israel), as it denotes that they have permanently left Israel. Rather, many Israelis—like my parents—believe that somewhere in their course of life, they will return. This is similar to Yilmah’s point that he learned Hebrew “in case” he made Aliyah to Israel. This demonstrates how the lingering connection to Israel and the idea of Zionism was essential. Moreover, through his deemphasis on the dangers for Jews in Ethiopia, Yilmah shows how connection to Israel is existential. Like Yilmah, many Israelis maintain a sense of belonging and hope for return, viewing their time outside of Israel as temporary. I thought that Nico’s connection to translation and Meyerhoff was very interesting in focusing on language, especially in how certain words do not carry the same significance over cultures. It highlights how translation can either bridge or deepen the gap between cultural contexts, where words like “aliyah” or “deliverance” carry rich, specific connotations in Hebrew that may lose depth in translation, reflecting how language shapes the emotional and spiritual dimensions of migration and return.
I thought your discussion of language in this text and the role it plays in anthropology was really interesting. As we’ve discussed, it’s very important for groups to be able to define themselves. However, if there are concepts essential to how a group defines itself that might translate slightly differently between languages, this would present a problem for the way that group is represented, especially in spaces where they are less likely to be. I think this is especially important in the context of the Jews in Ethiopia, as it seems like there has been a lot of deliberation from outside groups on their status. Even in the sections where Yilma describes his childhood, it is interesting to see how on page 13, he notes that at the school, older boys had warned him “not to ‘stand out’, or else as ‘Children of Israel’ we would suffer for it”. While children are likely to repeat what they hear from adults in their life, it was still interesting to me to hear how children were identifying themselves, as this might be an indication of the most salient parts of their identity if children were understanding and using those descriptors.
While reading this book and learning about Yilmah’s migration and acclimation to life in Israel from Ethiopia, I thought about many of the same themes you addressed. I found your analysis on the importance of education and language in Yilmah’s journey to be really thought provoking. Education is a privilege and it helped Yilmah survive his migration and transition into a new culture and way of life. Also, I felt very touched by Yilmah’s story, and the emotions he felt when visiting to Ethiopia after leaving. You did a great job at capturing Yilmah’s conflicting emotions of loss and joy.
Thanks for this thoughtful summary and analysis of From Falasha to Freedom. I found your comparison of Yilmah’s sense of nostalgia with the longing in Life is With People really insightful. It’s interesting how Yilmah’s nostalgia seems more about personal memory and fulfillment of a dream, while Life is With People evokes a broader cultural longing for a vanished community. I also appreciated your point about the role of translation in conveying meaning, especially how Yilmah’s use of religious language may carry connotations that resonate with Jewish readers across different backgrounds. It reminds me of Myerhoff’s concerns about understanding without linguistic fluency, and it shows how translation, though imperfect, also plays a powerful role in making experiences more accessible to diverse audiences. Your analysis really deepened my understanding of how themes like exile, education, and the return to Jerusalem are invoked to create a universally relatable narrative, even amidst the specific challenges of Ethiopian Jewish immigrants. Thanks again for sharing this!
This is a thoughtful analysis of From Falasha to Freedom, especially in comparing the themes of nostalgia and longing in Yilmah’s story and Life Is With People. The way language, education, and cultural identity intersect in Yilmah’s experience adds depth to understanding the challenges of immigration and the complexities of translation. Your exploration of how Yilmah’s personal narrative contrasts with the collective memory in Zborowski and Herzog’s work is also insightful, showing how both texts reflect the desire for connection to a homeland while navigating the realities of displacement.