JUNE 23 • 2022 | 9

“WE LEFT GONDAR TODAY. IT IS DIFFICULT TO TEAR MYSELF AWAY FROM 
THESE BROTHERS, THE BEAUTIFUL, SUFFERING, BELIEVING BETA ISRAEL. 
NEVER HAVE I PACKED SO MANY EXPERIENCES INTO SUCH AN INCRED-
IBLY SHORT TIME. DURING THE BRIEF FLIGHT FROM GONDAR … THE PIC-
TURE CROSSED MY MIND AGAIN OF … EACH SPECIAL PERSON I HAVE 
MET. I WANT TO PACK THEM ALL UP AND BRING THEM WITH ME 

TO ISRAEL, BUT INSTEAD, I HAVE TO LEAVE THEM ALL BEHIND.” 

— MICHA FELDMAN, ON THE WINGS OF EAGLES

they must wait. They cannot 
go back, even if they wanted 
to. 
After a whirlwind visit 
to Gondar, it was time to 
accompany them to Israel. 
Once the plane was in the 
air, someone stopped me as 
I was walking down the aisle 
and said, “She wants you.” 
“She”was Kalkidon. She 
was about 5 years old. She 
launched herself at me and 
excitedly pointed at the seat 
for me to sit while holding 
onto her. She hugged me; 
she tried to kiss me. She put 
her forehead to mine and 
stared deep into my eyes. She 
wanted to feed me crackers. 
I politely refused, and it 
became a laughing game. I 
pretended to eat, and she 
pretended not to mind that I 

was pretending. 
Kalkidon donned my 
name tag and proudly 
marched with it around the 
plane. She tried to take my 
phone, too, but I quickly 
hid it. She was no stranger 
to technology. These kids, 
like my own, have grown up 
with it. Their parents use 
phones to communicate with 
their loved ones in Israel. In 
many ways, phones are their 
lifelines as it’s also the means 
through which they receive 
money from their family in 
Israel. Since they can’t get 
jobs, they primarily live on 
the funds being sent from 
their family members in 
Israel. We landed in Israel to 
the most inspiring rendition 
of “Am Israeli Chai” I have 
ever heard. 

Before our journey came 
to a close, we stopped at 
one of the Jewish Agency’s 
many Absorption Centers 
where these 180 new olim 
will spend the next couple 
of years learning Hebrew, 
receiving job training and 
settling into their new lives. 
We met kids from 
Ethiopia who made aliyah 
just last year. Their Hebrew 
and English were both 
impressive. They were able 
to articulate so well how far 
they have come and, more 
importantly, how far they 
can dream to go.
I am so grateful to 
Federation and this 
community for giving 
Bob, George and me this 
incredible once-in-a-lifetime 
opportunity. 

I fall asleep wandering 
what Kalkidon is doing. 
How is she settling in? What 
about the woman who was 
too scared and overwhelmed 
to open her eyes during the 
flight? Or the woman who 
couldn’t figure out how to 
use a fork? What about the 
people who are still sitting 
in the synagogue in Gondar 
singing “Hatikvah” with all 
their hearts? I know they 
are praying that they will 
be called for an interview 
next. That it will soon be 
their turn to be reunited 
with their families in Israel. 
Praying, most of all, that we 
will not forget them. 

Jennifer Levine is the senior 

director of the Israel and Overseas 

Department at the Jewish Federation 

of Metropolitan Detroit. 

Micha 
Feldman 
and Jennifer 
Levine

More than 
500 people 
packed the 
synagogue.

