The Lion of Judah
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The Lion of Judah and Jerusalem

  •   The Lion of Judah and Jerusalem.
  • 2/12/2019
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    On the 10th of February 2019 the African Union held unveiling ceremony of the statue of Emperor Haile Selassie to recognize the Emperor’s contribution to Africa’s liberation and unity leading up to the founding of the Organization of African Unity in 1963.
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    In the spirt of recognition, we will take you back in memory lane to take a glimpse of a not so told history of the Emperor and his relation with the holy land and Israel’s Capital, AKA Jerusalem!
    The relation between Jerusalem and Haile Selassie began before the birth of the modern day State of Israel and even before Haile Selassie was king of Ethiopia. During the grand tour of Europe in 1924 the Emperor visited Jerusalem. His first stop was the Holy Sepulcher for which he had a particular attachment. In his book My Life and Ethiopia’s progress the Emperor wrote,” As by the chance of good fortune the festival of the Resurrection (Easter) was approaching, We thanked God for granting Us to see the light of the Easter festival. Afterwards, as We toured Jerusalem and its districts, We visited and kissed all the holy places”. He then spent ten days visiting significant holy and historic sites in Jerusalem and the rest of the country.
    Jerusalem was a sanctuary to the Emperor and the Royal Family in his exile during the Italian invasion of Ethiopia. While in Jerusalem, he spent time with a community of Ethiopian monks, praying with them at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.  He also contemplated his next steps in trying to restore his kingdom. After two-weeks, he departed first for England and then Geneva where he addressed the League of Nations on June 30, 1936.
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     Haim Ben-David (May 6, 1919 – November 22, 1967) the Ambassador of the State of Israel to Ethiopia during that time was a very close friend of the emperor who played a strong hand on fostering the bilateral relation between Ethiopia and Israel. During that time, Israel and Ethiopia maintained strong military, agricultural, trade and diplomatic relation which became a foundation for today’s excellent relation.