The Public Campaign
The campaign operates in every arena where decisions are made: in the streets, in the Knesset, in the media, and on social networks. It is a determined, lawful, and non-violent struggle, of families fighting for the right to live together.
How we work
Demonstrations and rallies
Demonstrations outside the Knesset, the Prime Minister's Office, and government ministries across the country.
Knesset advocacy
Appeals to Knesset members, participation in committee hearings, and advancing government resolutions.
Public campaigns
Social media and public campaigns that bring the story into every home.
Media work
Articles, interviews, and investigative reports that expose the reality of waiting and separation.
Government engagement
Ongoing work with ministers, government ministries, and decision-makers.
Documentation and testimony
Collecting family testimonies and documenting the reality in Gondar and Addis Ababa.
Timeline of the campaign
The timeline is regularly updated, more milestones will be added.
2013
The campaign is founded
Volunteers who knew the communities in Ethiopia closely, together with the waiting families, found the Struggle for Ethiopian Aliyah after a declared 'end of aliyah' left thousands behind.
2014
Building support and raising awareness
The campaign widens its ranks, gathers supporters from across the country, and brings the story of those waiting to the forefront of public and media attention.
2015
Government Resolution 716: a historic achievement
The government unanimously resolves to bring the remainder of the waiting communities in Gondar and Addis Ababa to Israel. The resolution followed a broad public campaign, culminating in the campaign's participation in the cabinet meeting and a direct appeal by campaign chair Yitzhak Mola to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with the valued support of MK David Amsalem and Dr. Avraham Neguise. The resolution has been implemented only in part, and the campaign works to complete it.
2016–2019
Fighting for implementation
Demonstrations, Knesset committee hearings, and public campaigns for budgets and implementation. Groups of olim arrive, but most of those waiting remain behind.
2020–2021
Operation Tzur Israel
Following sustained public pressure, the government approves Operation Tzur Israel to bring thousands of those waiting, led by Minister of Aliyah and Integration Pnina Tamano-Shata. An important, yet partial, step, and the campaign works to complete it.
Today
The campaign continues
Thousands are still waiting in Gondar and Addis Ababa. We keep working until every family is reunited.
What we have achieved so far
- Government resolutions for continued aliyah, passed following public pressure
- Thousands of community members brought to Israel in operations approved over the years
- Placing the issue on the public, media, and political agenda
- Supporting families through reunification processes and eligibility checks