THE JEWISH NEWS'
MOST ANTICIPATED

ANNUAL SECTION!

and Israel's Finance Ministry says it
has allocated an extra $45 million for
the accelerated aliyah operation in
2006.
Michael Horowitz, a JAFI board
of governors' member from West
Bloomfield, minced no words when it
came to the compounds.
"You have these people who are
clamoring to come to Israel who say
they're Jewish, sitting in despicable
conditions in these compounds," said
Horowitz, who traveled to Ethiopia
with a small delegation of JAFI board
members in December.
The real problem isn't bringing
them to Israel, it's absorbing them, he
said.
"Israelis can't possibly solve the
problem of absorption without help
from world Jewry," he said. "It's not
that these people are at risk because of
their Judaism, they're at risk because
of the situation they're in and the way
it's been handled. The State of Israel
is at risk if they don't find an effective
way of absorbing them into their soci-
ety. It's a complicated story."

Pittsburgh. "I think it's a moment
in history where we can continue to
make mistakes or do the things that
can really make a difference."
Howard Neistein, Jewish Federation
of Metropolitan Detroit's chief admin-
istrative officer, said the "Federation
supports Operation Promise and the
goals that has set forth."
Although no separate campaign
will be started, "the 2006 Annual•
Campaign has incorporated Operation
Promise into this year's Taubman
Challenge Fund, and has thus far
raised in excess of $735,000:' he said.
He could not say how much of that
money will go towards Operation
Promise. "Much of the Challenge Fund
are designated gifts, above and beyond
their commitment to the Annual
Campaign."
Tauber said he doesn't care where
the money comes from, Operation
Promise, major donors or a campaign,
"We're going to bring them out," he
said. It's a responsibility of the dias-
pora to bring them home."

U.S. Jewry's Role

"I've never in my life experienced
seeing the kind of poverty we saw:'
said Julie Lipsett-Singer, an official
from the federation of Central New
Jersey. "It was very startling and really
altering to my psyche." Like many
mission-goers, Lipsett-Singer said she
was heartened when the UJC group
returned to Israel and encountered
so many successful Ethiopians and
vital absorption programs. "Many
Ethiopians are giving back to the com-
munity," she said. "I'm so much more
hopeful about the future."

Perhaps no single party outside
the Israeli government is as vital to
Ethiopian aliyah as the American Jews
committed to help paying for it.
So the United Jewish Communities
mission to Ethiopia last month con-
stituted a logistical challenge for the
federation umbrella and a signal to
the Israeli government that American
Jewry is serious about facilitating
Ethiopian aliyah.
Now the question is what the mem-
bers of the mission are going to do.
Others said it was UJC's historic
responsibility to ensure that the aliyah
takes place — and that it is success-
ful."These are people that want to be
here, they want to be Jews," said Meryl
Ainsman, a federation official from

Ultimate Goal

Don't miss the best guide to party planning-

Celebrate! in the 3.16 issue of the

Jewish News.

www.RegentStreetofWestBloomfield.com

%geld CY !MC!
of ( West (Bloomfield

Phone: 248.683.1010

Assisted Living All Inclusive Package

Nurses on duty 24 hours a day
Dementia care
Gourmet dining
Therapeutic recreation
Family support
Respite care
Hospice

First Class Accommodations—With all the amenities expected!

Staff writer Harry Kirsbaum contributed to

this report.

Editor's note: This report was edited
from a six-part series by the Jewish
Telegraphic Agency.

Orchard Lake Rd. South of Lone Pine Rd., West Bloomfield. MI

1093- 560

March 16 2006

35