The Story | Claire Frieze

THE STORY

Four stages. One journey.

Part One: Ethiopia, 1976–1977

Fifteen-year-old Ami has hidden his Jewish identity in order to attend school in Gondar. After a night in jail and a violent encounter with a school bully ends in tragedy, he realizes he can no longer remain in Ethiopia. He escapes to Israel, leaving his family behind.

Part Two: Israel, 1977–1984

In Israel, Ami struggles to adapt to a new country and a new identity. His experiences at boarding school and during military service are interwoven with letters to Prime Minister Menachem Begin, urging Israel to help the Ethiopian Jews he has left behind. As Ami builds a life in Israel, his concern for his family and community grows. Eventually, he decides to return.

Part Three: Ethiopia and Sudan, 1984

Ami returns to Ethiopia and helps lead hundreds of Jews on the dangerous journey towards Sudan. Hunger, fear and exhaustion accompany them across the country, but reaching the Sudanese border does not bring the safety they expect.

Part Four: Sudan, 1984

At Um Rakuba, Ami and the other Ethiopian Jews wait for the promised airlifts to Israel. As weeks become months, disease, hunger and uncertainty take their toll. Through Ami's letters home, the novel follows both the physical struggle for survival and the emotional cost of waiting.

The story reaches its conclusion on November 20, 1984, when the secret airlifts that became known as Operation Moses begin.

Epilogue: Israel, 2020

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