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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, October 29, 1982 5
Falasha Families Adapt Quickly to Their New Lives in Israel
(Continued from Page 1)
It is not 1948 or 1951
or even 1956. It is now.
The Jews arriving are
from Ethiopia. They are
called Falashas, and they
are black.
This is a different kind of
aliya," points out a Jewish
Agency official. "These olim
need to compensate for a
gap of several centuries, in
terms of modern living
standards. They have lived
until now in simple huts
with earthen floors, in 490
scattered villages. Most
have never seen a tele-
phone, a supermarket or a
bank. Most have never used
a refrigerator, a stove, a
toilet or even a faucet. Their
children have never even
played with toys before .. .
"Yes, they are willing,
even eager to learn, to
adapt. It is a slower process
than with most olim, and
more costly, but we feel it is
working. And while we
guide them, we're very care-
ful to be sure that, in the
process, they don't abandon
their own customs and cul-
ture."
The leap into the 20th
Century, aided and
Mrs. Sadat
Urges Peace
NEW YORK (JTA) —
Mrs. Jihan Sadat, conclud-
ing a visit to the United
States, said that she hoped
efforts toward a broader
peace in the Middle East
would continue as initiated
by her late husband, Egyp-
tian President Anwar
Sadat.
Speaking to some 100
persons at a reception in her
honor at the Regency Hotel
sponsored by the Jerusalem
Women's Seminar, Mrs.
Sadat noted that before the
peaceful gestures of her late
husband toward Israel, "We
were two nations seeking to
kill each other, enemies
hating each other. But now
we are friends . . . I hope it
will continue."
Her brief remarks were
well received by the
Women's Seminar, a non-
profit organization de-
signed to provide an oppor-
tunity for women from the
U.S., Canada, Israel and
Egypt to meet and partici-
pate in an interfaith, inter-
disciplinary forum.
Israelis Run
in NY Marathon
NEW YORK (JTA) — Is-
raeli participants in the
prestigious New York
Marathon run which was
conducted Sunday didn't
fare too well, albeit several
of the runners broke the
three-hour time mark for
the 26-mile plus run.
Leading the Israeli con-
tingent in time was Chaim
Ivgi of Jerusalem who, with
a time of 2:38:20, complet-
ing the gruelling run in the
332nd position. The next
best time was turned in by
the veteran competitor
Barry Shor who 'finished in
the 602nd position, who
came in with 2:46:20. Two
other Israelis also finished
under three hours.
cushioned by the Jewish
Agency's years of experi-
ence in helping new im-
migrants adjust, is one
last hurdle for the
Falashas. Their first was
a 110-year battle to be ac-
cepted as Jews among
Jews.
When they were "dis-
covered" by European
Jewish travelers in the
1860s, and their contact
with the modern world be-
gan, Jewish scholars em-
barked on a century-long
debate over the Jewishness
of the Falashas.
One tradition traces their
origins back to Menelik, the
reputed son of King Sol-
omon and the Queen of
Sheba. Other theories see
them as descended from the
tribe of Dan, or as an Afri-
can tribe converted by Jews
arriving in the area from
southern Arabia.
Falashas consider that
they have always been
Jews. While the controversy
continued, they dreamed of
returning to Eretz Yisrael,
believing their return
would be followed by the
coming of the Messiah. In
1862, for example, there
was the largest of a series of
attempts to reach
Jerusalem — a journey
made by foot, on which
many of the pilgrims died.
In the 1950s, while their
status had still not been
clarified, the Jewish
Agency, supported by the
United Jewish Appeal,
was working to help the
Falashas. In 1954, the
Agency's Torah Educa-
tion Department began to
organize Jewish school-
ing in Ethiopia. Falasha
youngsters were also
brought\. to Youth Aliya
villages An Israel for two
ye'ars toi be trained as
teachers./
The Falashas' status
question was finally re-
solved in 1973 when Israel's
Chief Rabbis Ovadia Yosef
and Shlomo Goren declared
that they are indisputably
Jews.
However, emigration was
strictly forbidden both dur-
ing the reign of Emperor
Haile Selassie and under
the current Marxist regime,
which seized power in 1974.
But Falashas yearn to live
in Israel, and despite the
difficulties, some of them
are succeeding.
For those who make it,
arrival in Israel brings to an
end years of being caught in
the middle of revolution,
warfare and chaos in
Ethiopia. Some have spent
months in vast soulless ref-
ugee camps in areas around
Ethiopia, after their vil-
lages were destroyed and
their crops burned in the
fighting. They come to Is-
rael hungry, frightened and
often ill— but in joy, with
gratitude and an eagerness
to be part of their new coun-
try.
One family, for exam-
ple, finally reached Israel
late one night more than
a year ago. They were
met by Jewish Agency
staff, who took them to an
absorption center in
Beersheva. Veterany
Falasha immigrants who
speak their native
Amharic welcomed them;
they ate a light meal and
were then shown into a
large store room full of
clothing of all sizes, styles
and colors, gifts from the
people of Beersheva.
They chose what they
wanted to wear. Their
four-year-old took red
shorts and a Superman
T-shirt. Yaffa preferred to
keep to traditional dress at
first, but Simha was willing
to put on Western clothes,
and paraded proudly in a
white shirt and blue jeans.
The family was intro-
duced to Sara, a Beerheva
housewife assigned to them
as a para-professional dur-
ing their vital first months
in Israel. She showed them
their apartment, instructed
them in the use of water
taps and flushing handles
— and then left the family
to themselves for the night.
The next three days were
taken up with extensive
health checks and registra-
tion. Simha was suffering
from an eye disease which
threatened to blind him;
two of the children had
dysentery. The whole fam-
ily was thoroughly tested,
treated and innoculated.
The family was allowed
three weeks to adjust to
their new surroundings
before they were invited
to school. Yaffa and
Simha were enrolled in
the ulpan. The youngest
children went to kinder-
garten in the absorption
center, and the two eldest
to Youth Aliya schools.
Sara made regular visits,
teaching Yaffa at the
supermarket how to choose
food and pay for it, then
teaching her at home how to
store and cook what they
had bought.
Simha and Yaffa, like 85
to 90 percent of Ethiopian
Jews, were illiterate in
their own language, and so
special methods were used
for teaching them Hebrew.
They learned quickly, "be-
cause their motivation is so
great," explains their ulpan
teacher.
Simha had been a farmer
in Ethiopia. In Israel he de-
cided he would like to learn
a trade. He is now studying
welding. Yaffa takes care of
the home and keeps up the
colorful embroidery she
used to do in Ethiopia.
When the "Maskit" arts and
crafts store visited the cen-
ter, they became interested
in Yaffa's needlework.
"Israel is even more beau-
tiful than we expected,"
says Simha. "Truly, all our
hopes and dreams are corn-
ing true."
_1
George
Ohrenstein
Jewelers, Ltd.
Creative Jewelers •
Harvard Row Mall
Lahser & 11 Mile. Rd.
353-3146
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