Frequently asked questions: Operation Great Exodus

What is Operation Great Exodus?

Operation Great Exodus (OGE) is a part of PTL Ministries that was founded in 1997. OGE’s mission is to:

· Help Jews all over the world to move home to Israel
· Counteract anti-Semitism
· Inform about the land of Israel, the Jewish people and the city of Jerusalem, based on the Bible's teaching

Where is Operation Great Exodus?
· OGE's main office is in Sölvesborg, Sweden

How does Operation Great Exodus work?
· OGE works through many Jewish organizations, like The Jewish Agency and United Israel Appeal.

· A main principle from the beginning has been to avoid developing expensive administrative costs, but instead to utilize the existing effective organizations.

· Since everyone who wants to help Jews move home to Israel has to do this through The Jewish Agency, which grants and generates all documents for immigration, we have chosen to work directly with Jewish Agency.

· Through The Jewish Agency we are active all over the world and, by using their networks and offices; we can cost-effectively funnel our resources according to the needs that arise and as the Lord leads.

How much does it cost to help a Jewish brother or sister home?
· Through OGE's unique partnership with The Jewish Agency, it costs about 800 SEK. This cost is so low because of our partnership with The Jewish Agency.

What happens when the Jews come to Israel?
· There is an experienced organization at the airport that helps all the newcomers (remember that 95% of all Jews in Israel are immigrants).

They are divided into three categories:
1) Direct absorption
2) Normal absorption and
3) Soft absorption.

The Ethiopian Jews are almost always assigned soft absorption. They live for 1 to 2 years at the kibbutz where they are taught about the new country. American Jews are assigned direct absorption and move into society right away. All of them receive money from the state at the start and all of them must learn to read Hebrew.

Do all of them stay in Israel?
· Yes, the statistics show that very few return to where they came from.

· 100% of the Ethiopian Jews stay in Israel.

Does Israel want to receive more Jews?
· There is one thing that all Jews agree on. All Jews are welcome home; they are not a burden but an asset. Since all Jews are immigrants in Israel there is a completely different attitude toward immigrants there than in other parts of the world.

What if I want to help Jews return home to Israel?
· We recommend that you subscribe to PTL magazine, where you can read about different ongoing OGE projects.

Do you want to know more?
· Then we recommend that you purchase the book ”Jews – Heroes of Eternity” by Pastor Tommy Lilja and read past articles that describe OGE's work here on this webpage, under the heading ”Archives.”