Walk a Few Hundred Miles in Dege’s Shoes
From a young age, we have all
perfected the art of complaining—I’m starving; It’s so hot outside; I need
water; When will we be home?—The list goes on. This past Wednesday, I had the
wonderful opportunity to hear the story of a woman who knows not the meaning of
a complaint. Dege Hanoch Levi was too busy trekking hundreds of miles from
Ethiopia to Israel to have time to complain.
Dege was born in 1976 in Wozaba, an Ethiopian village in the district of Gondar. Dege grew up in a Jewish community, working in agriculture and herding shepherd at a young age, while the rest of us were probably in preschool, swinging on monkey bars and dipping on seesaws. The Jews in her community practiced their religion with great devoutness according to the biblical law and never deviated to a different code of conduct. Their hearts’ desire was always to go on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, “the land of milk and honey.” In 1983, Dege’s family made the decision. They were going to make the journey to Jerusalem.
A seven-year-old Dege helped her family pack their most important belongings and kissed her house goodbye. Her family headed to Gondar to meet the rest of her relatives. The family’s Aliyah plans were kept in utmost secrecy due to the Ethiopian government’s complete prohibition of Jewish emigration. Once everyone was gathered in Gondar, the family split into smaller groups, in hopes to mitigate the likelihood of arousing suspicion of their journey. Before crossing the journey’s starting point, two of Dege’s young brothers were arrested and put in jail after the local police discovered their emigration plans. Dege had to continue the journey with a relative and friend, without the knowledge of where the rest of her family and friends were.
Dege and her two travelmates joined forces with a larger group of Ethiopians headed for Jerusalem. The journey was marred with many hardships and troubles, extreme hunger and thirst. The group walked through the nights and hid during the days in order to evade bandits. While all of the children in the group were taken care of by their parents when they were tired, hungry, or thirsty, Dege and her friend had to fend for themselves. Despite being in such a large group, the two girls were alone, with no one to rely on. Dege recalls falling asleep one night while walking through a forest. When she opened her eyes a few minutes later, nobody was around. Alone in the eerie forest at night, young Dege ran for her life, searching for the group. She was afraid of never finding the group, never reuniting with her family, and never reaching Jerusalem. By a stroke of luck, Dege was able to locate the group.
After miles and miles of walking, the group reached Sudan. It was here that they were reunited with other Ethiopians in refugee camps. Dege was lucky enough to find her grandfather and uncle at one of these camps. They were in disbelief at Dege’s condition—dirty, completely covered with louses, and weakened. The two men took care of Dege. For the next six months, the three of them lived in a refugee camp near Khartoum. The family worked hard and took care of each other. Eventually, Dege’s grandfather was able to put Dege and her grandmother on a plane to Israel.
Dege and her grandmother arrived in Israel in 1984, and lived in an absorption center in Be’er Sheva. A few months later, they moved in with her uncle in Zefat. It was here that Dege fell ill and had to become hospitalized. While in the hospital, Dege’s doctor joked that one of Dege’s sisters was in the room next door, simply meaning to say that another Ethiopian girl was in the same hospital. Dege left her bed to go see the Ethiopian girl, seeking a sense of familiarity. When Dege saw the Ethiopian girl, she immediately froze. It was her real sister. The two girls stared at each other in disbelief. The doctor’s joke led to the reunification of two blood sisters.
Dege and her sister moved back to where their uncle was living in Zefat. Much time had passed when Dege and her sister received news that the rest of their family was safe and sound in Israel, living in Bar-Giora. Elated, the two girls packed their belongings and rushed over to meet their family for the first time in years. Reunited at last, the family moved to Tiberias.
Dege completed her grade-school education at a religious boarding school near Tiberias before beginning her studies at Haifa University. Dege studied education, arts, and dance, traveling around the world with her Eskesta Ethiopian dance troupe. Today, Dege lives in Kiryat Tivon with her husband and son. She strives to connect her Israeli Jewish culture with her Ethiopian roots by teaching Ethiopian traditional dance to the youth. She hopes dancing will help the youth reconnect with their Ethiopian culture and make them proud of where they come from. Dege’s story is one of immense inspiration—inspiration to persevere and continue without complaining, even after walking hundreds of miles.
Dege was born in 1976 in Wozaba, an Ethiopian village in the district of Gondar. Dege grew up in a Jewish community, working in agriculture and herding shepherd at a young age, while the rest of us were probably in preschool, swinging on monkey bars and dipping on seesaws. The Jews in her community practiced their religion with great devoutness according to the biblical law and never deviated to a different code of conduct. Their hearts’ desire was always to go on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, “the land of milk and honey.” In 1983, Dege’s family made the decision. They were going to make the journey to Jerusalem.
A seven-year-old Dege helped her family pack their most important belongings and kissed her house goodbye. Her family headed to Gondar to meet the rest of her relatives. The family’s Aliyah plans were kept in utmost secrecy due to the Ethiopian government’s complete prohibition of Jewish emigration. Once everyone was gathered in Gondar, the family split into smaller groups, in hopes to mitigate the likelihood of arousing suspicion of their journey. Before crossing the journey’s starting point, two of Dege’s young brothers were arrested and put in jail after the local police discovered their emigration plans. Dege had to continue the journey with a relative and friend, without the knowledge of where the rest of her family and friends were.
Dege and her two travelmates joined forces with a larger group of Ethiopians headed for Jerusalem. The journey was marred with many hardships and troubles, extreme hunger and thirst. The group walked through the nights and hid during the days in order to evade bandits. While all of the children in the group were taken care of by their parents when they were tired, hungry, or thirsty, Dege and her friend had to fend for themselves. Despite being in such a large group, the two girls were alone, with no one to rely on. Dege recalls falling asleep one night while walking through a forest. When she opened her eyes a few minutes later, nobody was around. Alone in the eerie forest at night, young Dege ran for her life, searching for the group. She was afraid of never finding the group, never reuniting with her family, and never reaching Jerusalem. By a stroke of luck, Dege was able to locate the group.
After miles and miles of walking, the group reached Sudan. It was here that they were reunited with other Ethiopians in refugee camps. Dege was lucky enough to find her grandfather and uncle at one of these camps. They were in disbelief at Dege’s condition—dirty, completely covered with louses, and weakened. The two men took care of Dege. For the next six months, the three of them lived in a refugee camp near Khartoum. The family worked hard and took care of each other. Eventually, Dege’s grandfather was able to put Dege and her grandmother on a plane to Israel.
Dege and her grandmother arrived in Israel in 1984, and lived in an absorption center in Be’er Sheva. A few months later, they moved in with her uncle in Zefat. It was here that Dege fell ill and had to become hospitalized. While in the hospital, Dege’s doctor joked that one of Dege’s sisters was in the room next door, simply meaning to say that another Ethiopian girl was in the same hospital. Dege left her bed to go see the Ethiopian girl, seeking a sense of familiarity. When Dege saw the Ethiopian girl, she immediately froze. It was her real sister. The two girls stared at each other in disbelief. The doctor’s joke led to the reunification of two blood sisters.
Dege and her sister moved back to where their uncle was living in Zefat. Much time had passed when Dege and her sister received news that the rest of their family was safe and sound in Israel, living in Bar-Giora. Elated, the two girls packed their belongings and rushed over to meet their family for the first time in years. Reunited at last, the family moved to Tiberias.
Dege completed her grade-school education at a religious boarding school near Tiberias before beginning her studies at Haifa University. Dege studied education, arts, and dance, traveling around the world with her Eskesta Ethiopian dance troupe. Today, Dege lives in Kiryat Tivon with her husband and son. She strives to connect her Israeli Jewish culture with her Ethiopian roots by teaching Ethiopian traditional dance to the youth. She hopes dancing will help the youth reconnect with their Ethiopian culture and make them proud of where they come from. Dege’s story is one of immense inspiration—inspiration to persevere and continue without complaining, even after walking hundreds of miles.
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| Dege sharing her incredible story. |
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| A birthright group from the University of Florida was among the audience of Dege's story. |
- Nisha Khorasi
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