A Jewish Hero That You've Never Heard Of..

A story that sheds light on the complex and layered nature of Jewish identity and the inextricable link between the people of Israel and the land of Israel.

What we believe to be a picture of a young Devekulu Ayele, alongside his grandfather in Ethiopia

Devekulu Ayele was head of the Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jewish) community of the village of Gayne in Gondar province Ethiopia. His father was the Kes (spiritual leader) of the Jews of the region. Each Shabbat, the community would gather, dressed in white, longing for Jerusalem, certain that a day would come when, as prophesied, they would fly on the wings of an eagle to Jerusalem.

When the Mengistu regime took power in Ethiopia, life for the Jews became increasingly difficult. Regime representatives arrived in the village and threatened Devekulu Ayele. As head of the village, he would be punished for any transgressions from within the community.

However, unbeknownst to the regime, Devekulu Ayele was, in fact, secretly arranging for groups of Jews to leave the village, leading them toward Sudan, from where, according to rumour, passage to Jerusalem was possible.

A number of Devekulu’s own children made this perilous journey. It would be only several years later that he would discover whether they had survived the journey andmade it to Israel.

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