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Episode 40 – The Journey of Mazi Melesa Pilip: From Ethiopia to Israel (Part 1)
Host: Alan Mindel
Guest: Mazi Melesa Pilip
Podcast Series: Influential Origins on hmTv
In this powerful and deeply moving episode, Alan Mindel sits down with Mazi Melesa Pilip to explore her remarkable journey from a remote Ethiopian village to becoming a proud Israeli soldier and public figure.
Born into the Beta Israel community, Mazi recounts her childhood in rural Ethiopia, where her family lived in secrecy due to widespread discrimination against Ethiopian Jews. With no electricity, no running water, and little access to education, life was simple—but filled with faith and the enduring dream of reaching Jerusalem.
That dream became a reality during Operation Solomon, the largest airlift in history, which rescued over 14,000 Ethiopian Jews in just 36 hours during Ethiopia's civil war. Mazi shares firsthand memories of leaving everything behind, boarding packed military planes, and kissing the ground upon arriving in Israel.
From her first overwhelming days in a modern society to learning Hebrew, attending boarding school, and ultimately joining the IDF, Mazi’s story is one of resilience, courage, and unwavering identity.
This is more than a personal story—it's a profound chapter in Jewish and human history.