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The Soroptimist position regarding Minorities and Racism is
to "assist migrant people to integrate into their adopted country while maintaining their own cultural identity, to develop initiatives which will help to build bridges between indigenous people and the wider community."
Pnina Evental writes:
"That is exactly what the Givatayim Club and our Union are doing for the Ethiopian community that immigrated to Israel."
HAND SHAKE ETHIOPIAN STYLE. WHEN ONE OF THE COMMUNITY WANTS TO HONOR SOMEONE, THAT IS THE WAY. PUTTING THE OTHER HAND IN THAT FORM SIGNIFIES AS WELL "COMING WITH CLEAN HANDS" AS THAT WAY NO HAND IS FREE TO HOLD ARMS. Most of them lived in very Remote Villages in the North of Ethiopia, some in cities like Gondar and Addis Ababa. They were completely isolated until the middle of the 20th century from any contact with other Jewish communities in the world, but kept the Jewish religion in their own way. Their special dream was to come to Jerusalem. The Jerusalem of their dreams was the core of their spiritual existence. Their physical one was of poverty and disease.
Real Contact between the Ethiopian Jews and Israel was only established between 1945-50. A big process of awakening and the urge to come to Jerusalem of their dream started.
Whole families, old and young started to walk through the Sudan desert, hiding during day-light, fearing robbers, and walking at night.
They were
walked for weeks with very little food and water, and many didn't survive. It turned out to be their MYTH of their EXODUS to Israel.
"PEACE - SHALOM"
Some background information from Pnina:
The Ethiopian Jewry sees itself as the descendents of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. They call themselves "BETA ISRAEL" (The house of Israel).
"A PORTRAIT OF AGONY" - A MAN WHO LOST HIS FAMILY ON THEIR WAY THROUGH THE SUDAN DESERT. THE PHOTO WAS TAKEN AT A MEMORIAL CEREMONY IN JERUSALEM.
The immigration to Israel started in 1978, and continues until today. The major 2 operations of bringing them to Israel took place in 1984 and 1991. It is a SAGA in itself. The population of the Ethiopian community in Israel is now about 85.000 people.
The GAP between life in Ethiopia and Modern Israel caused, and still is, a difficult problem for the community, and requires a huge effort from the country to deal with that gap.
Pnina writes:
"I have met some of them, and found very nice, polite and gentle people.
They were very enigmatic as we hardly knew anything about them. I became very curious and decided to look closely into the community.
"It took me 2 years of study (and I learn more all the time) and photographing the community, the result is that I became so much RICHER as a human being
"In 1998-2000 I was elected the President of the Givatayim club, and we arranged a Union gathering. The subject was : "The Ethiopian Community in Israel." The main lecture was by a Clinical Psychologist who had worked with the community from the time they immigrated, and was the consultant for the Government Office of Education and the army. His name is Dr. Gadi Ben Ezer, an outstanding man and scholar. We invited members of the community to participate and they have told about themselves. It was a VERY big success. It was also the first presentation of the exhibition of my photos, that cover many aspects of the community: culture and people. The name I gave it is: "TO DREAM AND FULFILL - BETWEEN HERE AND THERE."
KESS MENASHE (kess = rabbi) of the Ethiopian community. The book is a bible written in an ancient language (The Ge'ez language). In Ethiopia there are 80 languages apart from dialects.
He is dressed in the typical clothes of a Kess: a long white costume, a black cape, a white turban. Another part of it is the umbrella and small tuft of hair. These have 2 purposes: One is a sign of his high position (the highest in the community) and the other against the flies.
The Soroptimist Ethiopian Project
Pnina explains:
"Givatayim Club proposed to the Board of our Union to make it a Union project, as a means to enhance the awareness of our members, and the general public to their culture, and problems of absorption. The Union adopted the offer. I have donated my exhibition to the Union, who financed the enlargment and framing of another series, that became a traveling exhibition in 9 of our Clubs around Israel, where there were cultural centers to exhibit it. Every opening in every center was done with the Ethiopian people of the local community who prepared their foods, talked about themselves and about their culture. The duration of the project was 2 years. Some of the clubs continued to work later on with the community, gave grants to students and help to families. The main exhibition took place in JERUSALEM, and was a stunning event.
"Our Givatayim Club is helping a single mother with 4 children, and help people of the community in many other ways. Our pride is that we have contacted a big food company and we have an arrangement with them, to get good computers that they don't need anymore and donate them to Ethiopian students who can not afford to buy them. We gave 25 computers so far, and this year we hope to donate another 7. There are more actions and relationships between the clubs and the community. Some of the clubs invited community leaders to Clubs' meetings to learn more."
to go back to Letters from Israel - The Half-Full Glass
