so, too, the groups of Good People are innumerable. (Sifre Devarim Ekev 11, 47)
B. Giraffes — Sticking Your Neck Out ($175.50)
XVI. Immigrants: New Israelis, New Americans
A. Hotel Living ($11,850)
We
have lost count of how many years it has been since we met Alice Jonah, our
good friend who works on behalf of the residents of the former Diplomat Hotel
in Jerusalem. Over those years we have watched the hotel, now home to more than
500 mostly elderly Russian immigrants, change from a depressed, run-down
facility to a vibrant community. Though the rooms are still less than ideal and
the residents live in single rooms which serve as kitchen, bedroom and living
room, it seems that most people are content. The community that has developed
at the Diplomat includes an on-site Ulpan, library, and thrift shop. There is
even a woman whose job it is to gather donated leftovers from nearby Kibbutz
Ramat Rachel, Yeshivas, and schools and make them available to those residents
who cannot always afford to buy their own food.
There
is no question in our mind that one of the forces behind the contentment of
most of the residents is Alice. We know that whatever funds we give her she
will use wisely and efficiently on their behalf. There are so many essential
things that each of them may need but cannot afford to buy on their limited
income. With Alice’s help a special tutor may be hired, a health care aide
brought in to assist someone recovering from an illness…whatever it takes to
bring comfort and dignity to these brave immigrants who left “the old country”
for a new life in Israel.
No
visit to the Diplomat is complete without a beautiful concert offered by the
resident choir. When you listen to them you just know that they are enjoying
every minute of their performance. If you look at their faces you cannot help
but be reminded of a grandparent or favorite aunt or uncle from your past. We
have never left a concert without a few tears….They are very special
performers!
[Alice
Jonah, Efrata St. 34/10, Jerusalem, phone: 02-673-7217, aleph1@bezeqint.net.]
B. Welcoming the New Immigrants to Israel ($9,500)
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. Maimon gathered
volunteers from the universities, from people he met on the street, friends and
acquaintances — thousands of them over the years — to work with the recently-arrived
citizens. The volunteers taught
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. Over the years, it became clear that this was life-changing not only
for the immigrant, but also for the volunteers who years, even decades, later
look back up their work with the Maimon Volunteers as a transformative
experience.
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.
An
educational note: It was formerly believed that when a Founder/Mitzvah hero
dies, the program as envisioned by the Mitzvah hero, dies with him or her. The
Maimon Volunteers and Joël’s exceptional work teach us that this is not
necessarily so. Not at all.
[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. The Ethiopian Migration, Part I - NACOEJ ($18,000)
Barbara
Ribakove Gordon and the North American Conference on Ethiopian Jewry (NACOEJ)
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 bringing the remaining Jewish
population out of Ethiopia, the scope of its 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 aliya (moved to Israel).
With Israel’s current economic problems, all official reports refer to the
Ethiopian population as being the greatest at-risk. This group of immigrants
has had the hardest time acclimating to a very different society and culture.
For this reason, NACOEJ’s after-school programs and their supplementary lunch
programs are even more critical. It was to this effort that a large portion of
our donation was directed.
Barbara
also shared with us great concern about the condition of those remaining in
Ethiopia. There, hunger is an ongoing problem that we have addressed with part
of our Tzedakah money.
[NACOEJ,
132 Nassau St., #412, NY, NY
10038, Attn: Barbara Ribakove Gordon, 212-233-5200, fax: 233-5243, mailto:NACOEJ@aol.com,
www.nacoej.org.]
D. The Ethiopian Migration, Part II - Higher Education
for Ethiopians in Israel ($1,000)
Sara
Aynor has been involved with the Ethiopian Jewish community for decades, ever
since her husband, the late Hanan Aynor, was Israel’s Ambassador to Ethiopia.
She established a fund in his memory to provide scholarships for higher
education for Ethiopians who immigrated to Israel. Since 1993, 262 Ethiopians
have received university degrees, and another 32 received degrees from
technical schools….becoming nurses, doctors, social workers, high tech experts,
attorneys, graduates with masters and doctoral degrees in many fields of endeavor
— all because of this fund. Each year, with no bureaucracy, Ms. Aynor
accomplishes so much. We feel privileged to be a part of this superb Mitzvah
project.
[Keren
Hanan Aynor, Sara Aynor, Director, 3 Alharizi St., Jerusalem, Phone:
02-563-9010, 02-563-9405 (h), fax: 02-567-1936, mailto:kerenaynor@barak.net.il,
http://www.kerenaynor.co.il/. Tax-deductible contributions may be
made through Ziv.]
E. Medical Care, The Human Touch, Dignity for Migrant
Workers ($2,500)
Florida’s
migrant workers work long, hard, hot hours in the fields picking our fruits and
vegetables and packaging them for shipment around the country. It is a hard
life, precarious, life on the edge. Paraphrasing and updating last year’s
report:
Caridad
Asensio and her devoted staff at the Migrant Association of South Florida
(MASF) know the hard life these workers must endure and provide a fine support
system for them and their families. MASF has more than 200 volunteers,
including doctors and dentists — they see 1700 patients a month — who provide
excellent health care. Their tutoring program for the children is superb, as
are their other educational ventures on behalf of both children and adults.
We
were overwhelmed with sadness when we were told in December 2001 that Caridad
had been struck by a car. It was a terrible accident — she was not expected to
live, and, indeed, she was in a coma for a month. Caridad’s rehabilitation has
been long and arduous, and yet, she continues to improve beyond the
expectations of those working with her. Though it is still a long way to
complete recovery, we know her astonishing spirit will assure her continued
improvement. Imagine how good it was to hear in February that, though she had
only been responding to conversations with single-word replies, she was now
speaking entire sentences. Caridad inspires us all, and her important work
continues.
[Migrant
Association of South Florida, Inc., 8645 W. Boynton Beach Blvd., Boynton Beach,
FL 33437, Attn: Alina Maria
Brizzard (Caridad’s assistant) 561-737-6336, fax: 274-0077, mailto:masf@mindspring.com,
or Connie Berry 561-963-3473 (h), 561-434-7348 (w), mailto:berry_c01@popmail.firn.edu
(the “0” is a zero). MASF website: www.caridad.org.]
F. Old Friend, New Mitzvahs ($1,500)
I
have known Rabbi Jonathan Porath since my first United Synagogue Youth
convention in 1959. He made aliya many years ago, and when immigrants began
pouring into Israel from the Former Soviet Union, he began providing for many
of the personal needs of the newcomers to his neighborhood. Since then, he has
kept us informed about many individuals in particular need. His latest list
included:
v
A
Russian immigrant-olah who is not old enough to retire (so she relies only on
what she can earn) has an 18-year-old disabled son. She is ill and cannot do
physical work; she has no money for rent. We provided 2,000 NIS to help cover
her expenses.
v
An
elderly olah who is bedridden with a broken hip; her Bituach Leumi (National
Social Security) help has expired; she is living on the top floor of a
building, in the home of her ex-daughter-in-law. She is confined there, in a
depression, and her condition is deteriorating. 1,500 NIS.
v
A
single father with two daughters is completing a teacher-retraining course at
the conclusion of which he will be able to sustain his family. In the interim,
all of his money is spent on medication, tuition for school, and rent. He has no money for food, and he and
his daughters are undernourished. 1,000 NIS.
Call
it a philosophical or existential reflection: May we all be blessed to have
lifelong friends who remain part of the Grand Mitzvah Network.
[Keren
Klitat Aliya Neve Orot, Rabbi Jonathan Porath, Nerot Shabbat St. 623/10, Ramot
Alef, Jerusalem, 02-586-8757, cellphone: 054-979-589, fax: 02-561-0491, jporath@jdc.org.il.]
