Texas Jewish Post (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 62, No. 12, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 20, 2008 Page: 4 of 23
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4 I March 20,2008
TEXAS JEWISH POST $ SINCE 1947
JFGD leaders accompany final wave of Ethiopian olim
By Harriet P. Gross
A quartet of Dallas' Federation
campaign leaders will bring with
them to this year's Super Sunday
a 2008 attitude freshened by 2007
memories.
For a week last July the four
locals joined almost 180 of the
2008 campaign principals from
all major U.S. cities on an extraor-
dinary mission: They accompa-
nied new Ethiopian olim on their
long-awaited homecoming flight
to Israel. This is the last year of
Ethiopian aliyah, bringing the
final 4,000 Falash Mura Jews to
their Promised Land.
Dallasites taking part were
Debbie Estrin, director of the Jew-
ish Federation of Greater Dallas'
2008 campaign; Bill Finkelstein,
a co-chair of the current cam-
paign; his wife, Jeri Finkelstein,
this year's training chair for the
Women's Division campaign; and
Marcy Lefko, JFGD Women's Di-
vision's vice-chair.
According to Lefko, "Being a
participant in this mission was
extraordinary. How often are we
presented with an opportunity to
be a part of history? For me, the
enormity of this experience was
both overwhelming and hum-
bling, and I came home filled with
hope."
At first, "1 didn't want to make
this journey," Jeri Finkelstein con-
fessed at its conclusion. "I was
afraid of the mud, the open sewage,
insects, picking up a germ. But as
I traveled by jeep, my fears started
to vanish. Although this was the
rainy season, for some reason,
the day we went to this faraway
place the sky was clear. We spent
the day with Falash Mura families
at the Israeli embassy as they got
ready for immigration. We saw in-
oculations, the taking of passport
pictures, classes on toothbrushes
and toilets and how to use them.
Through an interpreter, we spoke
with the families about their ex-
pectations and their own fears."
"We witnessed the whole pro-
Teens have it so easy, don't they?
Yeah, sure.
If you're a girl ages 15 to 17 and would like to
talk to and support other girls about the challenges
and changes faced during this time in your lives,
call Jewish Family Service.
Tanya Marshed, LCSW 972.437.9950, tmorshed@JFSdallas.org
J
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cess from beginning to end," Es-
trin said. "Each family is inter-
viewed by a representative of the
Israeli government to see if they
are eligible. We sat in on those
interviews — one with a young
woman, maybe 18 years old, who
would be taking two children of
her own and four younger siblings
with her to Israel since both her
parents had died during the two
years' wait after their application
for immigration.
"To be eligible, prospective im-
migrants must be on a 1999 census
list of all the Jews of Ethiopia, or
closely related to someone on the
list," Estrin continued. "Each one
must have an invitation to immi-
grate from someone in Israel, and
all of them must be able to trace
their roots back to a Jewish moth-
er within seven generations."
Mission participants saw the
small compound in which fami-
lies live for the last few weeks
while they await final arrange-
ments. Here they are assisted in
sorting through what to take with
them, and get help packing their
possessions.
"We also participated in a
beautiful ceremony," Estrin re-
called, "where we handed each
child a set of new clothes to wear
on the plane, and a backpack to
take along. On the final night,
there was a send-off celebration
with speeches, song and dance."
Then, at midnight of the long-
awaited travel date, Americans
and Africans met at the Addis
Ababa airport, the children now
in their modern clothes and
Batman and Barbie backpacks,
to board their separate planes
for Israel. The mission's over-
night flight arrived first, in time
to greet the olim as they took
their very first steps on the soil
of their homeland. And the next
day, there was a trip to Nazareth,
where the new arrivals will live
for two to three years until they
are fully ready to enter Israeli so-
ciety on their own.
"Our dollars make this pos-
sible," Jeri Finkelstein said as she
considered the importance of
JFGD's current campaign. Estrin
adds, "American Jewry provides
funding for the whole process,
from the beginning to final inte-
gration into Israel. The per-person
cost, on average, is $100,000."
"Most of us have it so easy in
our community," Jeri Finkelstein
continued. "I was sent on this trip
to learn more about the diversity
and needs of our people elsewhere,
and I came home committed to do
my small part in helping meet our
2008 Dallas campaign goal of $11
million for Jews abroad as well as
at home.
"I can tell you now that I'm glad
I made this journey, and I'm filled
with hope and faith that we in this
community can help our fellow
Jews throughout the world."
"When your journey from a dream to a great story includes
us, you travel better." - our promise to you
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TEXAS JEWISH POST $ SINCE 1947
JIMMY WISCH
Publisher & Editor
1947-2002
Editor & Publisher
Rene Wisch
Executive Editor
Sharon Wisch-Ray sharonwiatexasjewishpost.com
VP Sales & Marketing
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Laurie James, Deb Silverthorn,
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TJP V62-12, 03-20-08-1.indd 4
3/18/08 6:45:44 PM
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Wisch, Rene. Texas Jewish Post (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 62, No. 12, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 20, 2008, newspaper, March 20, 2008; Fort Worth, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth188181/m1/4/?q=%22Religion+-+Denominations+-+Jewish%22: accessed July 10, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .