Many of the heroes of modern Jewish history put themselves at risk to return to Zion and create a better life for themselves, their family, their community, and the Jewish people. Their tales of endurance, bravery, risk, and reward sustained and inspired generations of Diaspora Jews.

Heroes come in unexpected packages.
 
As a participant on the UJC Operation Promise Mission to Israel and Ethiopia in February, 2006, I met a generation of heroes dedicated to returning their families and community to Zion and fulfilling their promise. The 147 Falas Mura olim (immigrants) who allowed us to witness their journey through space and time to a new and unimaginable life in modern-day Israel are brave. They have endured years of spiritual and physical deprivation, mistrust, and uncertainty to return to the Jerusalem of their dreams.

From the elegance of one of Africa’s most opulent hotels, our delegation of 100 American and Israeli mission participants crossed the street to an unpaved side street. The scent of burning firewood mixed with sewage, dust, and flies drew us into the everyday lives of the city’s dwellers. To accommodate the throngs of Ethiopians who come to the capital to find work, the city has become a maze of corrugated metal and mud shacks that serve as homes, shops, and schools. Women sat under colorful umbrellas and sold their tomatoes or whatever produce they can eke from the sun-scorched, rain-starved earth. Children ran after our cluster of white people staring, smiling, and trying out their English to engage our attention. Welcome to Addis Ababa!

At the Israeli Embassy, we were briefed on the role of the Israeli government and its partners the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC or “the Joint”) in the identification, orientation and immigration of Ethiopia’s Jewish population. The expanse of the Israeli Embassy compound houses classrooms, a playground, and a small medical clinic that serve Ethiopian Jews scheduled to immigrate to Israel. JAFI and JDC are two of our local federation’s global partners.

We learned that many of the immigrants we met had traveled from Gondar Province southward to Addis Ababa where they waited. Some had waited more than seven years to receive word that they would be reunited with family and friends in Israel. During that time, they adapted to life in the city and dependency on the JDC for their living allowances, schools, and medical services.

The JDC’s facilities are exceptional and have raised the standard of living for those Ethiopians waiting to immigrate. The death rate for Ethiopia is 16 per 1,000 people; however, the death rate among the JDC clinic’s constituency is 5.2, which compares very favorably with Israel (8) and the United States (6). The clinics offer vaccinations, de-worming, modern contraception, diagnostic services, and access to pharmaceuticals. They also provide a small feeding program for the malnourished and health education for the hundreds of people who sit around waiting, day after day.
 
Driving the roads from the airport to the villages of Gondar, I wondered at the dusty beige earth and the dearth of vegetation. It was certainly an unfriendly and unyielding landscape.

Blue and white tallitot bobbed up and down and yarmulke-covered heads swayed to the melodies when we arrived at Gondar’s Beta Israel school. The yard was filled with the sounds of young Jews reciting Shacharit. After raising the Ethiopian and Israeli flags, the children filed toward their classrooms in corrugated metal structures with backless benches. Each classroom housed approximately 50 students who learn Hebrew in addition to science and Jewish studies. More than 2,000 students attend the school and receive one meal a day. In some instances, the food they receive at school may be the only meal these kids eat during the day.

From the school yard we walked to the Israeli immigration compound. We passed by mud houses and shared the dusty dirt roads with children, adults, and animals alike. The immigration compound is sparse. The immigration officer we met was interviewing a family that wanted to go to Israel. The mother’s Jewish heritage was not being questioned; however, her husband was not Jewish and had traveled to Gondar to find a Jewish bride. They now have two children and wish to emigrate. What to do? These are the questions that face Israel’s immigration team each day.

In the afternoon we visited the villages where Ethiopia’s Jewish community lived for centuries. The mud structures are falling apart but the chalk Stars of David are still visible on their walls and doorways. The villages are inhabited by Christians as the entire Jewish community has emigrated.

We traveled back to Addis Ababa to meet our Ethiopian traveling companions at the airport. When we arrived, the olim were lined up waiting patiently to pass through metal detectors and check in for their flight. Earlier in the week, they had each selected two new outfits for their trip. Little girls were in matching pink dresses and men were wearing ill-fitting business suits with bright white tennis shoes.

As we waited to board our delayed flight, I played with some of the kids and watched their parents as they waited patiently. What must they be thinking as they leave everything they know behind to leap into a life I am certain they cannot accurately imagine? What are their fears and what are their hopes? And most importantly, can we, the Jewish communities in Israel and North America, meet or exceed their expectations? Can we meet their needs?

Heroes come in the most unexpected packages. Parents putting their faith in virtual strangers for the chance to return to Zion and live meaningful Jewish lives filled with great promise. Heroes sacrificing the safety of what they know for the hope of something better. Heroes to their children, their families, their community, and our larger Jewish community.