>> ... Next Generation ... Saving Lives Entwine group sees JDC's work in Ethiopia firsthand. Kelli Saperstein Special to the Jewish News n October, I had the opportunity to travel to Ethiopia with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee's young professionals group Entwine. JDC or "the Joint" is the world's leading Jewish humanitarian assistance organization. Entwine includes young Jewish leaders, influencers and advocates who seek to make a meaningful impact on global Jewish needs and international humanitarian issues. We participated in service work through JDC's international development programs by giving children medicine, providing informal education and by helping to build a school in Ambover, a Jewish village outside Gondar. We also met with Ethiopians in various locations, and with leaders such as the Israeli ambassador to Ethiopia and a hospitable doctor who has run a clinic for more than 20 years. JDC has spent the last 100 years confronting poverty and crisis around the world to save the world's poorest Jews, revitalize Jewish life, empower Israel's future, develop tomorrow's Jewish leaders and rescue victims of global emergencies. The Joint has been working in Ethiopia since 1983, and is most famously known for Operation Moses, Operation Solomon and the medical aid provided to those making aliyah to Israel. Operation Moses (1984) and Solomon (1991) were large-scale organized immigrations from Ethiopia to Israel that transported 8,000 and 14,000 Jew respectively. It is theorized that the Jews in Ethiopia are descendants of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon. Their son, Menelik, returned to Ethiopia and settled there. On Aug. 28, 2013, the Israeli government conducted the last organized immigration from Ethiopia to Israel, bringing 450 Falash Mura from Gondar through Addis Ababa to Tel Aviv. (Falash Mura, as called by their neighbors, is a colloquial, albeit pejorative, term from Ge'ez describing Ethiopian Jews who converted to Christianity in the 19th and 20th centuries due to persecution and economic strife but who maintained a distinct communal identity.) While the Falash Mura waited to be flown to Israel in August (and every time before), they received medical care from a JDC clinic in Gondar and Addis Ababa. Now, at the request of the Israeli government, this clinic has been closed. 1 Top left: Kelli Saperstein, patient Sophia and Dr. Rick Hodes Above: Kelli Saperstein with Anouk, whose life was saved by Dr. Rick Hodes Bottom left: Ethiopian children in Ambover welcome the Entwine group. While in Gondar, I spoke with Belaynesh Zevadia, the Israeli ambassador to Ethiopia. Zevadia is an Ethiopian Jew who grew up in Ambover, the Jewish village outside of Gondar, and immigrated to Israel through Operation Moses, the first clandestine evacuation of Jews out of Ethiopia facilitated by JDC, Jewish Agency for Israel, the Israeli Defense Forces and the U.S. government. She believes many Jewish people still remain in Ethiopia. This is a very difficult and highly debated subject. Of JDC's annual budget of $350 million, approximately 10 percent is committed to international development programs in various countries. These programs provide the most vulnerable with immediate relief and also long-term development assistance. It is important to note that these programs are focused on non-Jewish communities. So, while the medical clinic in Gondar may be closed, JDC remains hard at work with many other life-saving programs. Dr. Rick's Clinic One of these programs is with Dr. Rick Hodes, JDC's medical director for Ethiopia. Dr. Rick, as he is known, has lived and worked in Ethiopia for more than 20 years. He oversaw the health of Ethiopians immigrating to Israel during Operations Moses and Solomon. Now he focuses on heart disease, spine disease and cancer. He has clinic hours in three locations in Addis Ababa, and his clinics are open to the poor of any religion or ethnicity. Many of his patients travel days to see him, so while they are in Addis Ababa in treatment, waiting for surgery or recovering from surgery, Rick opens his home to them. He constantly has houseguests and often is not really sure how many people are staying with him. He invited our Entwine group to his home for Shabbat. We were there with 30 other people, many of whom he considers his "kids" and other people like us who were visiting the area. While there, I had the pleasure of meeting Sophia and her mother. Sophia is 9 and traveled with her mother for two days to get to Rick. She has tuberculosis of the spine that has left her with a severe S-shaped spine that protrudes as a humpback. Sophia is going through testing to see if she is a candidate for spinal surgery in Ghana. Sophia and her mother are Muslim and are staying with Rick while they are in Addis Ababa. I also had the pleasure of meeting Anouk, who is an AIDS orphan and has perinatal HIV. Anouk is 17 and Christian. He found Rick a few years ago and, when he first came to the clinic, he was very sick with HIV. Now he is doing great and is in school. He lives with Rick and credits him with saving his life. It was truly amazing to experience Shabbat at Rick's house with so many people of different religions and languages. Rick and his kids were so welcoming and eager to show us their Friday night traditions. It was beautiful to see everyone, regardless of religion or age, participate in the songs and rituals. Education Efforts JDC is also committed to the Ambover village outside of Gondar. Ambover is formerly a Jewish village, complete with a synagogue and Jewish cemetery. Today, it is a Christian village. Our group spent several days there building a school, giving the children anti- parasite medicine and facilitating informal educational programs. We were welcomed with open arms. As soon as we pulled up with our Jeep caravan, the children ran out of school into a big group and started clapping and yelling "welcome" in unison. The elders of the community were happy to see us and Saving Lives on page 38 JN January 16 • 2014 37