Takele Mekonen

Mekonen, who was 16 years old at the time, was given the very dangerous responsibility of leading hundreds of people - including the elderly, women and babies - out of the refugee camps in Sudan to Israel. We had the opportunity to catch up with Mekonen in Washington, D.C. where he shared what Menachem Begin meant to him and the Ethiopian people. To watch the AIPAC video, click here.

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Englich Translation:

Menachem Begin was a great leader. He was a man who unified the entire nation. A true leader. He did not chase after money. He only worried over the Jewish nation. He wanted the Jewish nation to be free in its precious land, in Jerusalem. He was a generous man who decided to bring the Jews of Ethiopia to Israel. He said “bring the Jews of Ethiopia to me". He was the first who decided that we needed to be in Israel. Because of him, we are in the Land of Israel.