Safe Haven

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Arous was a idyllic Resort in the Sudanese desert, on the shores of the Red Sea . But this glamorous destination is also the Basis for Israeli agent with a Secret Mission . The events inspired a newly released Netflix film, Red Sea Diving Resort - and The Real story is remarkable in many ways.

"Arous on the Red Sea , a Wonderful World ," the glossy pamphlet says That he was diving it, "and desert recreation centre, Sudan".

Illustrated with images of beige-colored chalets, on a Sunny beach, a smiling couple in scuba Gear , and varieties of exotic fish, the advertising boasts "some of The Best , clearest water in The World ". As night falls - "according to the landscape, and To Let the colors long-fading" - there are, it says, "breathtaking views of the sky in flames with millions of stars".

Arous village, on The Edge of the spectacular coral reefs and a ship wreck, seems to be a diving enthusiast's dream.

The brochures were printed in their thousands and distributed in specialized travel agencies in the whole of Europe . Reservations were booked through offices in Geneva and Khartoum. And, over time, hundreds of guests went on holiday there.

It was a long hike. But once at the oasis in the desert, they enjoyed The First class facilities, water sports, deep-sea diving and an abundance of fresh food and wine. In the guestbook of a catalogue of glowing comments was.

The Sudanese International Tourist Corporation was also happy. It had leased The Site to a group of people, the self as a European entrepreneur, their venture has brought some of The First foreign tourists in the country.

The only thing was, without The Guests or The Authorities , the Red Sea diving Resort has been completely fake.

It was a front, Set Up and run for More Than four years in the early 1980s by agents from Mossad , Israel 's secret service.

for Long,

you used it as a cover for an extraordinary humanitarian Mission to smuggle thousands of afflicted Ethiopian Jews stranded in the refugee camps in the Sudan and evacuate them to Israel . it Reads: The Sudan was bound to be a enemy of the country to the Arab world, and it had to be done without anyone finding Out , either there or at home.

The operation was so secret, only the people That knew those directly involved. The Agents do not even tell their own Families .

Mossad agents (in the background) at Arous with boats for guests, as well as for smuggling Jews, The Ethiopian Jews belonged to a community called the Beta Israel (house of Israel ), whose origins are shrouded in mystery.

For many centuries, a prominent theory, which claimed That they were descended had increased, accompanied by the children of Israel , A Son of The Queen of Sheba and king Solomon, returned to Ethiopia, around 950BC, smuggle The Ark of The Covenant with him. It has alternatively been suggested That they landed there After fleeing the Civil War in ancient Israel , or fled into exile After the destruction of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem in 586BC.

From the early 1970s, Israel 's chief Rabbi, officially, the views of the famous rabbis endorsed through the centuries, the Beta Israel belonged to the so-called 10 lost tribes That disappeared from history, which After an invasion of The Kingdom of Israel in the 8th. Century before Christ.

The Ethiopian Jews followed the Torah, practiced a Biblical version of Judaism, and prayed in buildings similar to those in the synagogues. But , isolated from the rest of Judaism for thousands of years, they believed they were The Last remaining Jews in The World .

In 1977, One of its members, Ferede Aklum, wanted by the Ethiopian authorities for "anti-government activities" (Aklum was suspected of sympathy with the insurgents, and the treason for the promotion of Jews to emigrate to Israel ) to escape to the Sudan, together with a wave of non-Jewish Ethiopian refugees from Civil War and a deepening of the Crisis .

Ferede Aklum (left) and the Ethiopian Jewish leader Baruch Tegegne in Jerusalem , He sent letters to charities, begging for help to get to Israel , and it found its way to the Mossad . For the former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin , Himself a refugee from Nazi-occupied Europe - Israel exists as a Safe Haven for Jews in danger. The Beta Israel were no exception, and he ordered the secret service.

The Mossad instructs One of his agents, and Dani, Search Ferede and find a way, smuggling and All the Ethiopian Jews in the Sudan and in Israel .

After a difficult Search , "Like finding a needle in a haystack," says Dani of The Agent together followed Ferede below in Khartoum, and the two Men . To say Ferede channeled messages back to his community in Ethiopia: The Road to Jerusalem was through the Sudan, and you should obey him.

It was a tempting opportunity, with the fulfillment of a 2,700-year-old dream. In the period up to the end of 1985, about 14,000 Beta Israelis took the opportunity to get Out of the dangerous 800 km (500 miles) long journey on foot.

Ethiopian Jews in the Sudan, in 1983, About 1,500 Jewish refugees were killed on the way to take in the filthy camps around Gedaref and Kassala, or were kidnapped.

Since there were no known Jews in Sudan, a Muslim-majority country, hidden you mix your religion so as to not get caught by the Sudanese state security. Despite the danger, they continued their Jewish practices, such as sniffing Out fires in the camps before the Sabbath (when Jewish law forbids lighting flames) and eat only meat, which is fully in line with the Jewish rules.

Rescue Mission almost immediately, some small-scale clandestine evacuations took, led by Dani and Ferede, Ethiopian Jews, airport, smuggled by Khartoum to Europe on forged papers, And Then to Israel . But as numbers grew, it became clear That a different path was necessary.

"I thought about The Sea ," recalls Dani, in my forthcoming book about the operation. "The Sudan was not Like Ethiopia [where citizens meant war and mountainous terrain, The Jews could not be transported over Land to the coast]. If we evacuate the people [of Sudan] by the Red Sea and a boat come, then we could do things on a larger scale. "

It was on a trip, the Sudanese coast in Search of possible landing beaches in the late 1980-ies, the Dani and The Other agents stumbled upon an abandoned Resort Arous, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) North of Port Sudan.

"We saw Something That looked to us Like a Mirage," he says. "We saw buildings with red brick roofs. - [But ] we were in Sudan, we can't get anywhere else. "

A house master informed them That it was from an Italian company, But was closed a few years earlier. He let you inside and showed you.

"We immediately understood the importance of this," says Dani. "If we take this village-we are the kings of the country - with Something Like [your title], the sky is the limit!"

What happened then was the subject of a Netflix movie, Red Sea Diving Resort . Shot in Namibia , where you village, the Resort and South Africa , the film shows the operation, and The Holiday . It stars Captain America actor Chris Evans , whose character in the Netflix film is based on Dani (the two, as Evans and the exploration of The Role ) was. Other lead characters are based on members of the Mossad team recruited by Dani for The Mission .

The film makes clear, it is inspired (not based on) real-world events, as a lot of room for invention. Some of the scenes loosely represent what happened, But some parts are smuggled in pure Hollywood (for example, The Jews were always, by the plant itself, and The Americans knew nothing about the operation, let alone air bridge for The Refugees - Something That was made by the Israeli Air Force ).

Completed in 1974 by Italian entrepreneurs, the Resort is a cluster of 15 red-roofed bungalows, a kitchen and a large dining room open to The Beach , a lagoon and The Sea .

It was no infrastructure is available (not even an access road), But The Italians brought in a generator and got fresh water from Port Sudan. It ran quite successfully for five years, But After disputes with the Sudanese officials, they went Out , and the Resort closed a year later.

"It is a very difficult place to run, if you don't the Mossad behind you," says One agent not involved in the operation did not want to be identified.

Posing as the Director of the Swiss tourism company (which is not actually present), Dani convinced the Sudanese authorities, That he will revive back to the Resort and bring the tourists back. They agreed To Let him rent it for $250,000(approx. £106,000 at the time).

Fake resortDani and the members of his team, and spent The First few years to renovate it. The plant was equipped with Israeli systems, including air conditioners, outboard motors, and top-of-the-range-water-sports-equipment - including The First Windsurfing board in the Sudan - All smuggled into the country.

The Ship , then they took with them to Israel .

Ethiopian Jews to be transported by boat from The Beach to a navy ship

sudan, long reads, israel, ethiopia

Source of news: bbc.com