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XV. Immigrants: New Israelis, New Americans
A. Alice’s Wonderland ($9,860)The residents of Jerusalem’s former Diplomat Hotel have successfully cobbled together a good life for themselves in this former-five-star-hotel-turned-home. Our annual visit never fails to surprise us as we walk the halls with our friend Alice Jonah, a part time worker and volunteer at the site. Home to hundreds of Russian émigrés, most of them elderly, the Diplomat is now a microcosm of a small community. They have a wonderful choir with an amazing leader who has written several pieces of original music in both Russian and Hebrew. (By the way, the choir often sings at outside events.) Light factory work is now being done in one area and a soup kitchen is available for those residents who have trouble providing for their own meals. Much of the food has been donated by a nearby kibbutz’s hotel as well as local yeshivas. One of the residents has used his talents with tools to install bathroom rails to ensure residents’ safety. (He did not want to be paid for his work, but has been convinced to take 5 shekels for each installation which he now donates to Tzedakah!)
With Alice Jonah acting as our on-site eyes and ears, Ziv funds have been used for many immediate and frequently life-saving needs for this fragile population.
[Alice Jonah, Efrata St. 34/10, Jerusalem, phone: 02-672-8183, aleph1@bezeqint.net.]
B. The Maimon Volunteers: A Warm (And Useful) Welcome to A New Home — Israel ($14,500) Ya’akov Maimon was known as a “character.” Thousands and thousands of immigrants came to the new State of Israel in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. Ya’akov Maimon gathered volunteers from the universities, from people he saw on the street, friends and acquaintances — thousands of them over the years — to work with the recently-arrived citizens. The volunteers taught the adults and children Hebrew, tutored the children in school subjects and brought them the human touch and a warm heart as they settled into their new homeland. When Maimon passed away, our good friend, Joël (pronounced “Yo-ayl”) Dorkam, took over the organization and continues the spectacular work in many absorption centers. Several of Israel’s leaders were Maimon volunteers, and it is not uncommon to have a second generation in one family carry on the work, as was the case with Elisheva Gould, one of our former interns, whose mother, Merle, was a volunteer when she was at Hebrew University in the 1960’s.
This is vital work, and beautiful Tikkun Olam to behold.
[Joël Dorkam, Ya’akov Maimon Volunteers, Kibbutz Tzuba, Doar Na Haray Yehuda, Israel, phone: 02-534-7871, cellphone: 055-637-871, fax: 02-534-7955. In the U.S., contact Shirley Lowenstein, 3225 Johnson Avenue #3C, Bronx, NY 10463, 718-549-4948, finksolow@hotmail.com.]
C. Ethiopian Jews, Part 1 — NACOEJ ($16,500)Barbara Ribakove Gordon and the North American Conference on Ethiopian Jewry were among the first groups to be on the scene in Ethiopia years ago when the plight of this isolated Jewish population became known. Barbara’s stories of visiting Ethiopia and seeing first-hand the abysmal conditions are riveting. While NACOEJ’s interest continues to include delivering the remaining Jewish population out of Ethiopia, the scope of their work has increased tremendously. Today, NACOEJ provides food and health care for those still in Ethiopia and also works extensively with those who have already made aliyah (moved to Israel). They run an after-school program that provides Ethiopian kids with essential tutoring, and their supplementary lunch programs offer much-needed healthy meals to kids whose families cannot afford even the most basic nutritional needs. During one of our calls to Barbara (who had just returned from Ethiopia) we learned that most of the children there had terribly poor and insufficient clothing. Some of our donation this year was used to provide a complete set of new clothes for children still waiting to leave that country. We cannot think of a better use of our donation. We also provided food for some of the thousands of people still waiting in the NACOEJ compound in Ethiopia to make aliyah to Israel. [NACOEJ, 132 Nassau St., #412, NY, NY 10038, Attn: Barbara Ribakove Gordon, 212-233-5200, fax: 233-5243, NACOEJ@aol.com, www.nacoej.org.]
D. Ethiopian Jews, Part 2 ($1,000) Ziv supports many aspects of the projects devoted to the absorption of Ethiopian immigrants in Israel. We are pleased to be a part of Keren Hanan Aynor, which provides scholarships for higher education, as well as other programs. Many nurses, social workers, doctors, and PhD graduates have been trained as a result of Keren Aynor’s generosity. Sara Aynor, founder of the fund, knows the Ethiopian Jewish community well. Her late husband was Israel’s ambassador to Ethiopia until the 1970’s when Haile Selassie was deposed. We were stunned when she told a story from those days: one Ethiopian Jew said the best the community could hope for was having some settlement or village in Israel named in memory of the Ethiopian Jews that had ceased to exist. In the flow of modern Jewish history, this is truly an incredible success story.
[Keren Hanan Aynor, Sara Aynor, Director, 3 Alharizi St., Jerusalem, Phone: 02-563-9010, 02-563-9405 (h), fax: 02-567-1936, kha@gezernet.co.il, www.kerenaynor.co.il. Contributions through The New Israel Fund, 1625 K St. NW, Washington, DC 20006, with a note: “Recommended for Keren Hanan Aynor.”]
E. Welcome To Israel ($1,750)When the first wave of immigrants from the Former Soviet Union began to arrive, our friend, Rabbi Jonathan Porath, devoted many hours to front-line work settling new arrivals in Jerusalem. In the past few years he has directed us to specific needs of individuals both from the FSU, other Eastern European countries, and Ethiopia in a variety of programs.
[Keren Klitat Aliya Neve Orot, Rabbi Jonathan Porath, Nerot Shabbat St. 623/10, Ramot Alef, Jerusalem, 02-586-8757, fax: 02-561-0491, jporath@jdc.org.il.]
XVI. The Aftermath of the Shoah-Holocaust
A. The Blue Card ($4,500)For the thousands of Shoah survivors who live in poverty, The Blue Card is an irreplaceable resource. The organization’s funds are used on a daily basis to provide simple and essential relief for this very fragile segment of our Jewish population.
[The Blue Card, 1 W. 34th St., #404, NY, NY 10001, 212-239-2168, fax: 594-6881, Attn: Sandra Wisel, bluecard@erols.org.]
B. The Jewish Foundation For The Righteous ($1,000)The lives of many Jews during the Holocaust were saved by the courageous actions of non-Jews who jeopardized their own safety. Today the Foundation supports more than 1600 aged and needy rescuers across the world. They also use the rescuers’ stories to teach the lessons of the Shoah to teachers. Call them to bring one of these very special resource people to your community. Their stories are at once moving and profound.
[The Jewish Foundation for The Righteous, 305 7th Avenue
#19th floor, NY, NY 10001, Attn: Harvey Schulweis, 212-727-9955,
XVII. Projects Relating To People With DisabilitiesA. Kids In Wonderland ($30,000)During our annual summer visit to Shalva Israel’s unique and inspiring program that offers respite care to families with seriously disabled children, we spoke with Kalman and Malky Samuels about a new project they were about to embark upon. Called “Me and My Mommy,” Malky’s brainchild is designed to provide mothers of disabled newborns and young toddlers with a weekly program at Shalva. The program includes physical, occupational, and speech therapy for the child and offers support and advice to the mothers as they face the difficulties that come with raising a child with special needs. Though in existence only a few months, Me and My Mommy has a long waiting list of parents eager to take part in this special program.
During our January visit we also saw Shalva’s recently-completed hydrotherapy pool. Aside from its functionality, the pool is beautiful. It looks out over the Jerusalem hills and is decorated with hand-painted dolphins. Shalva expects to have several hydrotherapists on staff shortly to offer this important therapy.
We believe Shalva’s program to be unique not only in the depth and breadth of the fine services it offers but perhaps, more important, in the love and warmth in which Shalva’s people deliver these services.
[Kalman and Malky Samuels, c/o Shalva, POB 35199, Jerusalem, (street address: Evan Denan St. 6, phone: 02-651-9555, fax: 02-653-5787, cellphone:051-SHALVA (742-582), kalman@shalva.org, www.shalva.org. Tax-exempt contributions: American Friends of Shalva, 1170 Broadway, #806, New York, NY 10001, 212-921-8947, fax: 718-692-1233.]
B. Jewish Education For All Children: Kesher L.D. ($900)The Kesher Program in South Florida is one of the finest efforts we know to include children with special needs in a day school setting. (“Kesher” means “connection.”) Our friend, Alida Bunder, is the driving force behind this program and we urge every day school to be in touch and use her expertise in its own efforts to ensure that a day school education is available to any child, no matter what his or learning disability may be. This year. Ziv’s donation was used to purchase a digital video camera for the program.
[Kesher L.D., Inc., c/o Alida Bunder, MAR-JCC, 18900 N.E. 25th Avenue, N. Miami Beach, FL 33180, 305-792-7060, fax: 792-7018, kesherld@hotmail.com.]
C. Hadassah Levi — The Original ($2,600)Hadassah Levi’s story is well known. Years ago, Hadassah was responsible for rescuing more than 40 babies with Down Syndrome who had been abandoned by their parents in Israeli hospitals. With love, caring and an innate sense of what was right for these special children, Hadassah raised them to be productive, working members of Israeli society. Today, “Hadassah’s Kids” are grown and many live in group homes. Though she is no longer responsible for their daily well-being, she provides them with many “extras,” be it birthday and Hanukkah presents or new clothing or…the “necessities” of young men and women in Israeli society — CD players, cameras, and similar items.
[Hadassah Levi, 26 Arnon St., Ma’alay Shomron, Israel, phone: 09-792-9265, fax: 09-792-0327. Contributions made payable to “Ma’on LaTinok.” Hadassah is not officially associated with The Swedish Village/Jerusalem Elwyn.]
D. ALYN Hospital ($1,500)
[ALYN, Olswanger and Shmaryahu Levin Streets, Kiryat HaYovel, Jerusalem, Attn: Brenda Hirsch, phone: 02-641-2255 or 02-649-4224, fax: 02-643-3653, alynpr@netmedia.net.il, www.alyn.org. U.S. Contributions: ALYN American Society for Handicapped Children in Israel, 19 W. 44th St., #1418, NY, NY 10036, 212-869-0369, fax: 768-0979, alynny@juno.com.]
E. Camp For Everyone: Kesher Program At Camp Ramah In The Poconos ($500)*The Kesher Program at Camp Ramah in the Poconos is focused on providing a meaningful camp experience for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Our donation was used to purchase a mini-stereo system with detachable speakers. The system will be used during rikud dance sessions. When placed face down on the floor the sounds emanating from the speakers vibrate on the wooden surface, making it possible for the deaf campers to feel the vibrations and rhythm.
[Bernard S. Greenberg, Camp Ramah in the Poconos, The Pavilion, Suite 734, 261 Old York Rd., Jenkintown PA 19046, 215-885-8556 fax: 885-8905, BernieG@RamahPoconos.org (Bernard Greenberg).]
F. Where The Wild Things Are ($800)Greg Lais’ project, Wilderness Inquiry, provides exciting outdoor adventures for both disabled and able-bodied people. Their awesome trips challenge the participants no matter what their abilities. Our contribution was used for scholarships.
[Wilderness Inquiry, 808 14th Ave. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414, Attn: Corey Schlosser-Hall, phone: 612-676-9400 V/TTY/TDD, fax: 676-9401, info@wildernessinquiry.org, www.wildernessinquiry.org.] |
For more information, contact Naomi Eisenberger, Ziv Tzedakah Fund Tel: 973-763-9396, Fax: 973-275-0346 Copyright 2005 Ziv Tzedakah Fund |
