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Ordinary The Power of Jerusalem
Heroes

hlomo (Nagosa) Mula, a former sacred place, with streets flowing with milk First, their guide got drunk. Secondly they
member of Israel’s Knesset, was only and honey.” had to split up into smaller groups so they
S 16 when he left his home to go to Israel wouldn’t be caught. And third, after hiding
by foot. Jerusalem was very much part of young for a few hours in the trees, they were
Shlomo’s childhood in Ethiopia. When confronted by a huge snake.
It was the stories of the holy city of they slaughtered a cow, they would place
Jerusalem – with the Golden Temple at it in the direction of Jerusalem. When they After they’d overcome those obstacles,
its heart – that led him and his friends went to bed, they would lie with their heads they were then attacked by a band of armed
to endanger their lives back in the early in the direction of the Holy City. And in the robbers, who made them strip to their
1980’s. winter, whenever a rainbow appeared, they underwear and stole whatever remaining
would stand still and listen. “We believed money they had, eventually letting them
“I had heard stories about Yerusalem it was a sign that God wanted to speak to continue on their way.
(Jerusalem) ever since I was born,” he us. We would stand in silence, look at the
recalls. “We would sit in a circle and the rainbow and wait expectantly for Him to Eventually, the group managed to make
adults would talk. We were 11 brothers whisk us away to Jerusalem.” their way out of the jungle, only to be faced
and sisters – I was number 5, the sandwich with the trek across the Kassala Desert.
child – and we just listened. It was One day, after rumors began arriving that An endless sea of sand with no water in
forbidden to interrupt an adult speaking.” Jews from the Tigray region had managed sight. After almost five days of continuous
to reach Jerusalem, his friend Azamaro said walking – over 400 miles – with eyes
Shlomo’s parents talked about Jerusalem to him, “Let’s go to Jerusalem!” burning, throats dry and feet sinking into
as an enchanted place, almost heavenly; the sand, they reached the edge of the
a place where the righteous people live. “How does one get to Jerusalem?” Shlomo desert. But it was there that despair began
“We were told that anyone who gets to asked in wonder. “Just like the Jews from to set in.
Jerusalem will never die, because it is a Tigray,” said Azamaro. “First we walk to
Sudan, and then we cross the desert to It was Shlomo’s eldest brother who
Egypt, walk to Beersheba (where our encouraged them all to carry on. “Not
forefather Abraham lived), and on to much longer. Jerusalem is waiting for us. A
Jerusalem.” few more hours of suffering and that’ll be
it!” If only...
It was a crazy plan. Escaping Ethiopia
to Sudan was wrought with danger – As soon as they entered Sudan they were
thousands of miles of jungles, deserts, captured and thrown into prison. They
hostile locals, tigers, lions, snakes… the spent 90 days under torture and repeated
stuff of movies… interrogations. The guards enjoyed beating
them up with sticks and branches and tried
But in 1981, Shlomo and 15 friends to break them mentally as well.
– with no shoes, a cob of corn and an
earthenware water bottle – set out for ”I almost gave in,” recalls Shlomo. “Was
Jerusalem, after paying a local guide $2 the goal really worth all this suffering?
to take them to Sudan. “We walked fast. But I knew that whoever broke first would
With every step we felt that Jerusalem condemn the rest of us to death. I knew
was getting closer.” But it certainly wasn’t a Jerusalem was waiting for us, with its sweet
walk in the park. milk and honey flowing in the streets.”

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