In this dramatic video (04:17), Rabbi Sharon Shalom tells the story of his harrowing journey to Israel through Sudan in 1982, as part of the exodus of the Beta Israel community with the help of the Mossad. He discusses his integration into Israeli society, including becoming a commander in the army and the first Ethiopian to be ordained as a rabbi in the State of Israel. An author and lecturer about Jewish ritual in the Ethiopian community, Rabbi Shalom leads a synagogue in the town of Kiryat Gat that was established by Holocaust survivors.Â