Baruch Tegegne
Encyclopedia
Baruch Tegegne was a prominent leader of Ethiopian Jews
in Israel and advocate of their immigration in the 1980s and 1990s. He lived in Israel.
came to power and executed Emperor Haile Selassie, he was engaged in various business and agronomist activities, including setting up a communal farm for Ethiopian Jews on the border with Sudan. He journeyed as a refugee to Sudan
and then on to Nigeria
in 1975 and finally to Israel in 1976.
. He served in the Israel Defense Forces
and worked with the Mossad
in the late 1970s. In 1979 he appeared before the General Assembly of the United Jewish Communities. He also sought support from the American Association for Ethiopian Jews. He was married in 1980 to Susan Migicovsky and had a daughter named Yaffa. Beginning in 1980 Tegegne was involved in efforts to bring Ethiopian Jews to Germany and then to Canada. He met with Elie Wiesel
and in 1984 led further protests in Israel and another in 1987. Although not directly involved he was credited with raising the awareness that led to Operation Moses
and Operation Solomon
.
Beta Israel
Beta Israel Israel, Ge'ez: ቤተ እስራኤል - Bēta 'Isrā'ēl, modern Bēte 'Isrā'ēl, EAE: "Betä Ǝsraʾel", "Community of Israel" also known as Ethiopian Jews , are the names of Jewish communities which lived in the area of Aksumite and Ethiopian Empires , nowadays divided between Amhara and Tigray...
in Israel and advocate of their immigration in the 1980s and 1990s. He lived in Israel.
Early years
Tegegne was born in a small Jewish village of 200 families in 1944. In 1955 he journeyed to Israel where he remained until 1963. In the 1960s, through the outbreak of the Ethiopian Civil war in 1974, when the DergDerg
The Derg or Dergue was a Communist military junta that came to power in Ethiopia following the ousting of Haile Selassie I. Derg, which means "committee" or "council" in Ge'ez, is the short name of the Coordinating Committee of the Armed Forces, Police, and Territorial Army, a committee of...
came to power and executed Emperor Haile Selassie, he was engaged in various business and agronomist activities, including setting up a communal farm for Ethiopian Jews on the border with Sudan. He journeyed as a refugee to Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
and then on to Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
in 1975 and finally to Israel in 1976.
Political Activism
Tegegne led a protest march in 1977 in Jerusalem that gained him recognition from Menachem BeginMenachem Begin
' was a politician, founder of Likud and the sixth Prime Minister of the State of Israel. Before independence, he was the leader of the Zionist militant group Irgun, the Revisionist breakaway from the larger Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah. He proclaimed a revolt, on 1 February 1944,...
. He served in the Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
and worked with the Mossad
Mossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
in the late 1970s. In 1979 he appeared before the General Assembly of the United Jewish Communities. He also sought support from the American Association for Ethiopian Jews. He was married in 1980 to Susan Migicovsky and had a daughter named Yaffa. Beginning in 1980 Tegegne was involved in efforts to bring Ethiopian Jews to Germany and then to Canada. He met with Elie Wiesel
Elie Wiesel
Sir Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel KBE; born September 30, 1928) is a Hungarian-born Jewish-American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He is the author of 57 books, including Night, a work based on his experiences as a prisoner in the Auschwitz, Buna, and...
and in 1984 led further protests in Israel and another in 1987. Although not directly involved he was credited with raising the awareness that led to Operation Moses
Operation Moses
Operation Moses refers to the covert evacuation of Ethiopian Jews from Sudan during a famine in 1984...
and Operation Solomon
Operation Solomon
Operation Solomon was a 1991 covert Israeli military operation to take Ethiopian Jews to Israel.In 1991, the sitting Ethiopian government of Mengistu Haile Mariam was close to being toppled with the recent military successes of Eritrean and Tigrean rebels, threatening Ethiopia with dangerous...
.