22 Friday, February 11, 1983 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Falashas, Israelis and Americans: Cultural Shock By GIL SEDAN ATLIT (JTA) — It was a meeting between Jews here in this town some 15 miles --south of Haifa. But these Jews did not seem to have very much in common. Here was Alfred Blum of Denver, Colo., one ofthe 150 delgates from the United States on the 1983 United Jewish Appeal Winter President's Mission, facing Baruch Yassu, a Falasha from Ethiopia. Of necessity, they confined their com- munication to frequent shy smiles and the repeated use VIDEO PROFILES CORPORATION Complete Broadcast Color Videotape Productions HAVE A MOVING EXPERIENCE And Still Enjoy Your Party Any Event • Any Subject • Any Occasion • CALL 354-0438 TALK TO A VIDEOGRAPHER Personal Video Services NOW AT GREENE BROS. , PHONE WORKS Your Full Service Phone Store Why Rent - Save $$$ - Own Your Phone We carry a complete line of phone equipment. 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"It's like going into vided them with consid- an archeological dig, erable help — basic encountering a rare find- commodities, rental ing," said one of the dele- housing, vocational • courses — they still found gates. The Falashas did not it very difficult to adjust know much about their to the new society. _ guests. "We know they The main' barrier is the are from America, that's language. They speak var- all," said Yassu, 29, in ious dialects of the ones broken Hebre*. Some- used in Ethiopia. Their body explained to them Torah is written in these that they are the people dialects, therefore hardly with the money, who — any of them speak Hebrew were largely responsible much less any other lan- for the material absorp- guages. - -- tion of Jews in the coun- Their main tool in over- try. But the Falashas coming their difficulties lacked the words to ex- was a tremendous will press gratitude. power. As Tamar- Karmeli, The only element both an Israeli who worked with groups — Americans and them, told the UJA dele- Falashas — had in common gates, "They just want to / was the knowledge that keep on learning." they were Jews. "To me they Nehama Srebrenik, aso- are Africans who study the cial worker added: "We had same religious philosophy," to teach them things from said one delegate, who pre- scratch, from using running ferred to remain anonym- water, to going to a doctor, ous. "You do ask yourself bringing up children in a how can they be Black and modern society. yet Jewish." "One of the problems But Blum, for one, did not was their understanding see it this way. There are of religion. They stick to the Moroccan and Yemenite the letter of the Bible, Jews who are also dark- with no additions, such . skinned, he noted. Dennis as the Halakha and the Kessler of Rochester, N.Y. Talmud. stated: "To me they are "They are very strict, for Jews. All Israelis are - re- example, observing the pur- sponsible for each other," he ity of the woman. Back in said in Hebrew. Ethiopia a woman used to The UJA delegates were isolate herself completely in Isral for a few days on one from the society during her of the all too familiar hectic (menstrual) period. tours which include lunches Likewise, she would do so 40 and dinners with the politi- days after giving birth to a cal elite of the country, son, 80 days after giving sightseeing, plus an extra- birth to a daughter. It was quick tour of southern very difficult for them to ac- Lebanon. The meeting with cept emotionally that this is the Falashas was a new di- not the way they can prac- mension in the UJA tours, tice it in Israel. people the guess from "Their motivation for America had never seen be- studies — I have never seen fore. anything like it. They may It took the several sit with a book outside class, thousand Falashas who saying that breaks are a now live in Israel some waste of time. They children 2,000 years to get there. in school did not want to Although the distance study any handicraft, only between Ethiopia and Is- Hebrew and mathematics. rael is only a matter of a "Some of them arrived few hours by air, some of here completely illiterate. them needed as long as Today they are studying two years to arrive be- auto mechanics and other cause of the political bar- vocations, and they are riers between the two more successful than Is- countries. raelis who were born here." Those who came to Israel With all their will did it the hard way, leaving power, they have difficul- the country illegally, some- ties integrating into the times travelling for weeks society. Some of the diffi- on foot, often caught by the culties are characteristic authorities and jailed. - of all who were not born Yassu is AWOL from the here. Some are due to the Ethiopian army. He left be- fact that they are Black — hind a wife and a young and different. daughter. "I am afraid they will be He remarried in Israel treated here as the Blacks and has a baby born here. are in America," said Kes- "We could not be Jews in sler. They live in a small Ethiopia," he said. "We communities throughout could not observe the Sab- the country, mainly_ in de- bath. We could not wear a velopment towns such as yarmulka. We could not Afula, Nazareth and Kar- own land." miel. 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An elderly person, wear- ing a white robe and head ornament, he sat facing the American guests and blessed them in what sounded like a mixture of Hebrew and Ethiopian dialect. The guests politely uttered amen after the blessing, although they did not understand a word. An interpreter decoded: "We thank you for having come to visit us, just tas the angels came to visit Ab- raham." In his hands Gunzan was holding a camel hide bag which contained a carefully wrapped Torah book, supposed to be 300 years old, now being studied by experts at Tel Aviv University. The book, which made the long journey from Ethiopia, is a silent tes- timony to the determina- tion of those people to remain Jewish. "They are a little more Jewish than we are," said Tamar Carmeli. One of the guests added: "Those people are more religious than many of those high bred Jews of America." Elazar Tzifai, a 24-year- old Falasha, recited a long list of the difficulties he has been facing in Israel. 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