Stories and Pathways

An exciting opportunity.

2011-06-16T12:23:00.002+03:00

A year ago while I was in the middle of my masters studies I decided that I would like to return to Israel for an extended period of time one last time. The last two years I have been studying for my Masters in Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, concentrating on social and economic development and management of non-profits. Part of completing my masters I had to do 600 hours of concentration practicum and I could do it anywhere in the world. With that, when I decided returning to Israel was a priority of mine, I chose to start researching non-profits in Israel that met my interests, goals and ambitions.

A year ago I randomly stumbled upon the Ethiopian National Project. I had been networking, trying to connect with people and researching what was out there, with no intention of actually finding something so far in advance. I emailed the contact, Grace Rodnitzki explaining myself, my goals and what I was looking for, only with the intentions of gathering information and putting out the idea of having a masters level intern come the following summer. In turn I received a very enthusiastic reply saying they would love to have a masters level intern. The question that may be posed is why did I choose ENP when there is many other non-profits out there.

What drew me to ENP was several things. I've spent the last two years studying social work but I've focused on studying community development, international development and poverty. Along with this I have been interested in the macro level non-profit management area of social work. Not typically what people assume I'm doing when I say I am getting my Masters in Social Work. Throughout the last two years I have focused on the education of children, youth and teenagers and how poverty, family systems and communities can create barriers to education. So to answer this question, what drew me to ENP was their mission, their vision and the work they were doing directly with the Ethiopian community. What also sparked my interest was the opportunity they could offer me to explore different areas of interest and what I now I can see as an opportunity to be creative and think outside the box. Two concepts that are very important to me. Lastly, what drew me to ENP was the enthusiasm of their Director of International Relations.

With that, I met with Grace in January when I was staffing a birthright trip and decided this was going to be a great opportunity. My school approved the affiliation between ENP and Washington University in St. Louis. Lastly they approved the internship itself, even giving me a scholarship to come here to do my final 360 hours of concentration practicum.

And amazingly, here I am. Two weeks in I feel connected to the work of ENP and after experiencing my first mission visit in Bet Shemesh, I feel very enthusiastic about the work I will continue to do in the central office in Jerusalem.

May 24th (June 13th = Hebrew Anniversary) marked the 20th anniversary of Operation Solomon, where over 14,000 Ethiopian Jews were flown on nonstop flights in only 36 hours to Israel. An event that would be marked in history as a modern day miracle. In commemoration of Operation Solomon, ENP has launched a fundraising intuitive called Solomon's Mosaic. With 10,000 tiles it represents the 10,000 children that were flown to Israel on Operation Solomon. For $36 dollars a tile, it represents the 36 hours that it took to fly over 14,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel. Lastly, its more that, it represents the 17,000 current Ethiopian teenagers out there that will benefit from the support of the community when tiles are purchased.

For me, education is important and I see the work I'm doing with Solomon's Mosaic not just as an opportunity to fundraise, but its an opportunity to educate others about Ethiopian Jewry and Operation Solomon. Just as ENP provides educational opportunities to Ethiopian-Israeli teens to help them realize their full potential, this is an opportunity help others feel knowledgable about the Ethiopian community.

I will be interning with ENP until the beginning of September but by August I will have completed my hours in order to receive my final degree for my Masters in Social Work. I may have had to extend my degree in order to have this opportunity, but for such a unique, outside the box opportunity it was defiantly worth it.

In conjunction with the scholarship I received in order to come to Israel to work with ENP I am writing my own blog about my work. Feel free to follow my blog www.everythingintern.blogspot.com.

Sarah Brammer-Shlay on Kiryat Bialik

2011-04-05T15:49:00.004+03:00

Back home most of my previous jobs have been working with youth. Usually, when asked “what do you want to be when you grow up,” youth work is not typically mentioned. However, I have begun to see that this is what I enjoy most.

This past Sunday was Purim and myself, ENP staff member Michelle Shelemay, and two other volunteers headed out bright and early to Kiryat Bialik. We took part in a youth encounter that was comprised of American teens from Boca, Florida who had spent the week with a group of Israeli teens from Kiryat Bialik. These teens are part of an initiative called Partnership 2000 which twins cities in the U.S. and cities in Israel. The Israeli teenagers involved had previously visited the teenagers in Florida and now it was the American teenagers turn to come to Israel.

Both the American teens and Israeli teens arrived at the ENP Youth Outreach Center early Sunday morning to learn more about The Ethiopian National Project and to make Mishloach Manot baskets for Purim for Ethiopian-Israeli families who have recently moved to Kiryat Bialik. Mishloach Manot are baskets or bags that people make on Purim filled with goodies and it is a mitzvah to distribute them to friends and neighbors.

The morning kicked off with a few of the girls who are active at the center, talking about all the workshops and events that take place at the center. As the young women spoke, more and more Ethiopian-Israelis who use the center trickled in and were extremely animated. Similar to my experiences at the other ENP Youth Outreach Centers I have visited in the past, it was quite obvious how important the center was to these young people. They felt at home and all had big smiles on their faces, totally expressing that they were currently in their element.

After getting to know a little more about ENP we all broke up into groups, first playing a "getting-to-know-each-other" card game and then dividing into groups to get to work on our Mishloach Manot. After we packaged up a range of treats, wrapped the baskets and decorated them with "Happy Purim from ENP" messages, we left the center and headed out with a list of addresses in hand to deliver the baskets. I think this was my favorite part of the event because I was able to see all of the Israeli teens as well as the youth from Florida connecting and getting to know each other better.

It was also fun to get to know the town of Kiryat Bialik through the Israeli youth who live there. When we said goodbye at the end of the event, the room was filled with hugs and “find me on Facebook!”

It truly is beautiful how quickly human beings are able to connect with people no matter the amount of time spent together.

The Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach Country generously supports ENP’s activities in the city of Kiryat Bialik.

My second day at the ENP Youth Outreach Center in Beit Shemesh

2011-03-17T13:56:00.003+02:00

In addition to my internship at The Ethiopian National Project, I am also taking a course on The Ethiopian Immigration to Israel but I find the best way to learn about anything is actually through hands on experiences. I arrived in Israel on January 18th and since I have been in Israel I feel like I have learned more about the world, life and myself than I have thus far in college. Experience is the top method of learning and the sharing of stores is a part of that.

Yesterday, I had my second day at the ENP Youth Outreach Center in Beit Shemesh, which I will be traveling to once a week. The past two weeks we have predominately been working with Hailu, the center’s director, on his English. It is an extremely interesting experience to be teaching a language to someone whose language you are currently studying yourself. Hailu is very good in English but wants to gain more confidence in his speaking skills. We, meaning Danielle (another ENP volunteer) and I decided this last session that by simply talking about something common between us such as family would be a fantastic way for Heilu to practice his English.

Hailu begins to tell us his story about his family and a bit about his immigration to Israel. Hailu said that one day he came home from school and his family had all of their belongings packed and told him they were leaving that day for Israel. Heilu touched on the struggle of Ethiopian-Israelis of being fully accepted into Israeli society as Jews. The Ethiopian community’s status as Jews is constantly questioned which causes much understandable frustration. Hailu explained there are a variety of different responses to this discrimination; he explained many individuals become very patriotic but some also become turned off by Israeli patriotism because of the feeling of not being accepted. Heilu and all of his siblings served in the IDF. Hailu appears to be very proud to be an Ethiopian-Israeli but also can acknowledge many of the ways that the Ethiopian-Israeli community is disadvantaged in the state of Israel. One example is that next to the Youth Center there is an apartment complex of predominately Ethiopian-Israelis and Hailu pointed out to us a fallen tree that had been previously complained about for a long period of time as being dangerous but nothing had been done about it and one day the tree fell, ruining one of the apartments. However, Hailu remains positive and is obviously so committed to the youth that attend the Youth Center and committed to finding a balance between not throwing away his Ethiopian culture but also adjusting to mainstream Jewish society in Israel.

Immigration is an extremely complicated process; a difficult balance is necessary between retaining your home culture, integrating into the dominant culture and acceptance by the dominant culture. I look forward to meeting with Hailu on a weekly basis and learning more about his story.
- Sarah Brammer-Shlay

Rabbi Theodore Stainman tells a story...

2011-03-10T14:25:00.006+02:00

I just had one of the most fascinating and informative discussions of my life. I have come to Israel to help with the Ethiopian National Project. This is an organization set up to help the immigrants from Ethiopia successfully integrate themselves into Israeli life. It operates youth centers, after school programs and social services for the immigrant community and is sponsored by the Israeli government and donations from various Jewish sources around the world. Many North American Federations are sponsors of the work of the ENP.

Since every student in Israel has to pass an examination in, among other subjects, English, there is a need for additional help with this area of study- By the way English is an incredibly difficult language if you are not a native speaker.
Its rules, grammatical exceptions and sounds are very challenging for those who are not familiar with it. Nevertheless, English is the international language and the key to the world culture we take for granted. Possessing an understanding of, and fluency in English is a door through which every student and educated person in Israel must pass.

My job here is to help high school students review their English language assignments and do their homework. Additionally, I have been sitting with the core of professional social workers and community organizers who also want to improve their command of English, simply by sitting and practicing English with a native speaker.

This is how I heard the story I am going to tell you about. It concerns the history of the Jewish community of Ethiopia and how they first came to make a mass immigration to Israel in the 1980’s and continue to come to this day.
First a little history: Ethiopia is in Eastern Africa across the Red Sea from Arabia and located south of Sudan and north of Somali. It is a dangerous and unstable part of the world. The fact that there were Jews living there was almost entirely unknown to Western Jewry until late in the 19th century. These Jews survived in Ethiopia for hundreds if not thousands of years and developed a unique religious tradition which did not include the rabbinic period nor the Talmudic literature. They had the Torah but not the post Biblical literature that we have come to associate with Judaism. Nonetheless, they thought of themselves as a separate people, distinctive from the other religions and communities of Ethiopia; they felt and knew they had a connection to the Jewish people whose roots were the land of Israel.

So how did this community come to make a mass immigration to Israel beginning in the 1980’s? I want to pick up the narrative as it was explained to me by one of the social workers in an Ethiopian community center. It is a wonderful story of courage and hardship that equals in many ways the story of the Exodus of the Jewish people in the Bible. It will even, I think, enter the historical narrative of the people of Israel.

Around 1980 one of the leaders of the Ethiopian community in Ethiopia had heard that Israel had come into existence and he wanted to go there. So he walked to the Sudan and made contact with a representative of the Red Cross. There he handed this official a letter in which he stated that he is Jewish and wished to go to Israel. The official forwarded the letter to the Israeli government. Sudan was and is a Moslem country and does not have official relations with Israel. In fact, it is hostile to Israel. When the letter reached the Israeli government they sent agents to secretly investigate the issue of the Ethiopian Jews and after doing so decided to assist in their immigration to Israel. This would have to be done secretly and with great care since movement of Jewish people in this area and any Zionist activity could not be publicly acknowledged.

Some understanding with the government of Sudan was made that if Jews could reach the Sudan they could be air lifted to Israel. But the Jewish community of Ethiopia had to get to The Sudan first. And now the great narrative begins.

By the thousands, these people who had lived in Ethiopia for centuries left their lands and possessions and walked hundreds of miles across dangerous and hostile countryside to arrive at camps. There they would be gathered and taken to Israel to join their fellow people. Many died on the way. There was little protection for them and when they arrived to the camps there was little in the way of provisions, food, shelter and medicine for them. The narrator of this story told me his mother died in the camp because of a lack of sanitation and medicine. He was four when his family made the journey and he only remembers riding on his father’s shoulders and sometimes on a donkey but mostly walking.

It turned out that the Israeli government was able to get the Ethiopian Jews out of the Sudan by paying a very large sum of money to the Sudanese government and that this would, of course, have to be completely secret. But it was done and the Jewish Ethiopians were airlifted to Israel.

This was too large a movement of people and when word got out that it was going on, the government of Sudan shut down the operation. Unfortunately, not everyone was able to get out and some even had to return. These people have been coming to Israel in smaller numbers ever since. Approximately 4-5 thousand Jews remain in Ethiopia and they every year a few hundred leave and migrate to Israel.

There are now approximately 116,000 Jews of Ethiopian origin in Israel. They were rural people and mostly farmed the land. It has been a hard adjustment for them to live in Israel. Traditions practiced for hundreds of years no longer work. Authority in families have been upset and further, all the ills and vices that result in an immigrant community are present.

Despite the problems, there are success stories as well. Ethiopian children are going to school, receiving an education, and moving on to many professions. Students are entering colleges and learning skills for the modern world. In the army, an important aspect of Israeli life, they are taking their place and rising in the ranks to become leaders and mentors. But, most important they are now here and are living regular lives, taking wives and husbands and having children; entering the main stream of life and becoming part of the Israeli one.

It is a wonderful community finding its place in the world, in a new home, and it deserves all support.

Ted Stainman is currently a volunteer at ENP, helping the Ethiopian community in Netanya, Israel and assisting the program and the youth reach its goals for the year. Better known as Rabbi Theodore Stainman, he was born in New Brunswick, NJ and attended Rutgers University graduating with a BA in History in 1964. He studied for a year at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel and returned the United States to enter the Hebrew Union College in New York City from which he was ordained a rabbi in the Reform Tradition in 1970. Following ordination he entered the United States Air Force as a military chaplain and remained in that capacity until his retirement in 1993. Following his active duty he moved to Seattle, Washington where he was the rabbi of congregation Bet Chaverim for the period, 1995-2005. He returned to Colorado in 2005 and became associated with congregation Or Hadash in Fort Collins. He also serves as a part time chaplain for the Denver Hospice.

Rabbi Stainman is married to Barbara and has two grown children and four grandchildren. His interests include archaeology, military history and cooking.

Opportunity in Ramla

2011-03-06T12:48:00.004+02:00

On my first day as an Intern at the Ethiopian National Project in Jerusalem, I was given the amazing opportunity to join a visit by the Neveh Shalom Synagogue Community of Portland to Ramla. Ramla is a very multicultural city and has a predominately low socioeconomic class and I was excited to have the chance to go and visit ENP's school-based scholastic assistance program, a free after-school program for Ethiopian-Israeli teens to help them achieve better grades in school. I discovered that for many, this is the only extracurricular activity they can attend due to the expense of other programs. Before the program began, I was able to sit and chat with the teenagers; we talked about their favorite American and Israeli Musicians. They were impressed that I spoke Hebrew and that I could sing along to some of the Israeli songs they had on their cell phones. They then began to explain to me the kind of help that the program gives them - math, English and even the chance to participate in a music activity.

One teenager, Rahl* shared with me, “This program is so important because it is the first time people see us as a face and not as a race.” This almost brought me to tears. At this point I realized how vital this program is to Ethiopian children. The staff truly care about each and every students and inspires them to reach full their potential regardless of race. As I spoke further with Rahel, I discovered that she wants to be a doctor and that she is a fluent-Amharic speaker.

She mentioned that she enjoys learning languages and that the ENP Scholastic Assistance program has helped her greatly with her English. She also shared with me that some of her family who had immigrated to Israel, returned to Ethiopia because they didn’t acclimatize to Israeli society and that they missed Ethiopia. This is why I am glad that the Ethiopian National Projects exists, to empower Ethiopian teenagers to be comfortable in Israeli society and to become citizens that can give back to their country. ENP's activities in Ramla are made possible with the generous support of the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County and the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City.

Not as different as we think

2011-03-01T15:12:00.002+02:00

Israel is seen around the world as a home for Jews. That picture of a country of Jews typically paints itself in a way that is far from the truth. In America the majority of Jews are Ashkenazi, meaning Jews that descended from Eastern European countries. I personally can count on my hands how many Jews I know in America that has a family history not deriving from one of these countries. When in the United States I live in the metropolitan city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, have always attended school in the city and therefore live a life full of diversity. However, my Jewish community was not as internally diverse and therefore I, as well as most of the United States, applied the same expectation of diversity in the Minneapolis/St Paul Jewish community unto Israel. This is my second visit to Israel and I continue to be amazed by the diversity of people living in this country.

Last week, I began my internship at the Ethiopian National Project with a mission where around ninety Jewish women from North America came to Israel for only five days on a philanthropic focused trip. One of their stops was an Ethiopian-Israeli youth center in Kiryat Motzkin that ENP runs and funds. This youth center facilitates after school activities for Ethiopian-Israeli teenage youth with the intention of raising graduation rates among this community. Some of these activities are structured but also the center serves as a safe-haven for these youth. When first entering the center I could immediately see that for many of these youth this was home. They felt totally comfortable there either hanging out around the computers or just sitting around chatting and laughing. It was easy to tell that the center was an extremely positive environment for them to spend their days after school. It was so interesting for me to witness the youth speaking Hebrew and speak about their experiences in the synagogue and as a Jew. Even though I know these youth are Jewish, I am still getting over my previous narrow view of what a Jew looks like and still pleasantly surprised and amazed by all the religious and cultural similarities Ethiopian Jews have to Ashkenazi Jews in the United States. It was very interesting at one point when the North American women were interacting with the youth; I overheard one of the women say to one of the youth. "Well we are all Jewish" and gave the young man a big hug. It is so incredible that people from such incredibly different cultures are able to connect so quickly because of the fact they share a common bond as Jews.

During the time the women were visiting we led an activity between the youth and women where they split into groups and walked around the immediate area both inside and outside of the youth center looking to take pictures of representations of different themes such as Zionism, Judaism, something inspirational, colorful and a picture of the group. Photography was chosen as the activity because the youth have been working with real cameras and learning to master camera skills.

I loved starting out my experience with The Ethiopian National Project actually working directly with the youth because I was able to see the amazing things that ENP does. Initially when walking in it was a little intimidating because I am only in level Bet in Hebrew and therefore there was a bit of a language barrier. However, as I got the confidence to speak Hebrew I was able to communicate with they better than I had expected. Their English is worlds better than my Hebrew and so we spoke our own combination of Hebr-ish through out the evening. I learned one thing remains constant no matter the culture; people love to make fun of my Minnesotan accent. As one of the youth asked where I was from and I responded Minnesota, he mocked me saying "Minesooota." We shared a laugh and I asked how he even knew to make fun of me and he responded through the popular television show "How I Met Your Mother." We not only as Jews but as human beings relate to all others no matter the cultural and language differences. I am extremely excited to continue my internship at ENP this semester and continue to learn more about this community, their culture, and their fairly new lives in Israel.

2010-11-15T14:33:00.002+02:00

My name is Kara Bookbinder and I'm a new intern at ENP. This Monday I went out on my first "mission" with a group of 16 people from the Jewish Federations of North America, on a program called "Mission Possible." Being my first mission, I had no idea what to expect. I knew that we would be going to a Youth Outreach Center in Beit Shemesh, and that we would meet some of the Ethiopian teens who benefit from the center, but that's all I knew. On the hour bus ride to the Center, I learned so many fascinating things about Ethiopian Jews and their struggle to make Aliyah. I had never before heard about Operation Moses or Operation Solomon which evacuated 8,000 and 14,000 Ethiopian Jews, respectively, from Ethiopia to Israel in the 1980's and 1990's. Upon hearing these stories I had a new found appreciation and curiosity about Ethiopian Jewry.

Once at the Center, we were broken into three groups, each with some participants and some Ethiopian teens, to play an ice breaker. We were all given a large playing card with a question on the back. We were to answer our question and then ask it to someone else in the group as a way to get to know each other a little better. Some questions were basic like, "who's your favorite singer?" (to which one girl replied "Beyonce"), and some were deeper like, "where do you see yourself in five years?" I was most struck by one teen's answer to this question. She said that she was going to be a dancer, and she said it with such confidence and pride.

As someone who comes from a comfortable lifestyle, it is easy to take "safe spaces" for granted because they are generally readily available. For these teens, however, the concept of a safe space to learn, grow, and be social, did not exist before ENP created them; and safe spaces are essential for success in life. ENP is doing great things and I'm so happy to be making a difference by working with them.

Click below to visit our facebook page and see a picture from this mission!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/photo.php?fbid=458834384633&set=a458834379633.251528.54233544633

Sigd Festival in Tapiyot 2010

2010-11-08T16:05:00.003+02:00

Shalom all beautiful people!

It was such a wonderful day here in Israel. I am so excited to be able to share with you all my wonderful (and first) Sigd experience. For those of you who are not too familiar with Sigd, here is a link to their facebook page which gives a great overview http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sigd/138229019535354.

However here is a short sweet version of sigd:

Sigd is a Festival celebrated every year in honor of the mass pilgrimage to Jerusalem by the Ethiopian Jews. It is celebrated 50 days after Yom Kippur it is an essential part of the ethiopian culture here Israel.

Now, to explain the beauty of it...well there are no words, but I will attempt. I was told that the festival would take place in Tapiyot, exactly the opposite of Mt Scopus (where I currently live). However exactly where in the Tapiyot I was not sure. I was certain to find out through random wondering and silly questioning and so I hopped on the bus and headed in that direction. I got off at the Ban Ilan Juntion and saw many ethiopians hanging around and walking in a certain direction. So, I did what any lost person would do, I followed the crowd. And wala, there I was in the middle of the festival with ethiopians from all over Israel enjoying the sun and taking part in the festivities of Sigd. There was singing, dancing, theatre and a lot of laughing from all who were there, and of course the traditions that also come with Sigd, praying, blessing and eating. Most were siting on the grass enjoying the surroundings and others were walking around to the varies informational tables of the ethiopian communities. It was a joyous festival with many friends present- which is always nice to see. I am so glad to be exposed to such a community and cant wait for the many more adventures that will come from them. :)

The First Encounter and Impression

2010-10-28T14:44:00.003+02:00

Shalom all beautiful people. My name is Breny Aceituno, I am the newest addition to the Ethiopian National Project and I am thrilled to be part of this project. Though my enthusiasm about interning for such an organization was apparent before, it was not until I had my first encounter with the community that really allowed me to see what a great project this is and how much I will learn from it. I was given

the opportunity to visit the ENP youth Outreach Center in Petach Tikva

together with participants on the Jewish Federations of North America

"Mission Possible" trip to Israel here and there was no way I was going, and there was no way I was going to pass such an opportunity up, so as soon as I received the most pleasant email of invitation I contained my excitement and got ready for my new adventure.

Meeting Grace was my first impression of the whole project and it was a pleasure within itself. But it was while on the road to the outskirts of Jerusalem that I was able to hear about the organization’s aims and development so far. I will call this the theory of ENP. This theory basically states that a partnership with the Ethiopian communities will not only aid future generations of the Ethiopian communities to success in Israel but also aid Israel to gain success as a nation of many faces. A theory of mutual aid, perhaps. The practice of ENP, however, was getting to the site and seeing the community alive and moving; truly the beauty of the project. Kids running around, dancing, playing, singing, learning and simply being the beautiful Israel that the future holds. Both the theory and practice are gracefully executed by people like Grace and the rest of the ENP family and what’s more amazing is that the theory and practice of ENP do not seem to stray away or come into conflict, rather they are intertwined and cannot function with out one another. This became very clear to me when I spoke to the kids of Petach Tikva. All of them are very bright and according to the theory of ENP can achieve great success in Israel if given the right opportunities. Yet, their consciousness to the realities of Israel and its affect on the Ethiopian community is beyond amazing and it is what is most encouraged by the practice of ENP. From talks about sports to talks about racism and Politics around the world, the kids are very knowledgable and aware of their surroundings. And still, when they did not know of something, they were not afraid to ask and learn. This alone is enough to get such a project like ENP to develop and excell but the partnership that ENP has established with the Ethiopian communities is what will propel the Ethiopian community to become successful in Israel. I have no doubt in my mind that the children will be able to succeed if the opportunities are given to them and I am so happy to know that organizations like ENP are willing interact and partner with such communities so that this can be made possible. This visit was one that I will not forget and moreover it has truly left me with the feeling of great admiration. I look forward to the time I will spend interacting and working with such communities and I also hope I can learn to sing and dance like them too. :)

Kiryat Malachi Scholastic Assistance Program: Wrapping up Summer School

2010-08-29T12:17:00.013+03:00

A reminder:

I'm Eliana: Dartmouth College Tucker Fellow, Kiryat Malachi Scholastic Assistance Program English teacher, and over-the-top ENP fan. (For real. I really ought to stop rereading their brochures and Five-Year Report in my free time.)

And moving on:

So far as treats in Israel go, I'm more than satisfied. Even if we were to completely dismiss the relationships I've built or the experiences I've had, I could still get a kick out of just the stuff. I love the rows of gummy bears (/worms/hearts/berries/etc.) that they sell outside the Central Bus Station. And it's absolutely killing me that I have to wait till Rosh Hashana to wear my new dress. And I'm getting good use out of the spool of blue thread I bought partly because I needed it and mostly because the storekeeper complimented my Hebrew.

But those gummies are lucky if they live to see morning. And I suppose there's always the slight chance that I'll grow out of that dress somewhere between ages 19 and 120. And with a couple hours spent crocheting on buses everyday, my remaining thread is hanging by a thread.

Here's what I can keep:

English assignments. Loads of them, scraps of paper written on by Ethiopian-Israeli girls spending every day of their summer wanting to learn more. The girls who'd struggle over concepts like present progressive until they were confident that they understood, and who still had the persistence left over to memorize both the English and Cameroonian Fang lyrics to Shakira's "Waka Waka." I see their accomplishments in the morning that they granted permission for me to speak English to them alongside Hebrew, as well as in each of their self-edited and re-edited class writing exercises. Which I won't lose.

From our Let's-Talk-About-Why-We're-Here assignment:

"Education is very important to me. I can connect with people in a proper way. So we will be better people, and so we can find what is special in people. The world will be better."

From our Future-Tense assignment:

"I hope that in the future it will be good. That I can succeed in all that I do, fly to a lot of places (like Argentine, the U.S., Ethiopia, and more), and meet people from outside Israel. And simply to enjoy life and think more about the present."

From our Heck-Yeah-you-Should-Ask-Your-Parents-How-they-Got-Here assignment:

"My parents grew up in Ethiopia and they helped the family grow animals: cows, roosters, dogs, horses, and more. Their parents introduced them at a young age and so they knew each other, and they made aliyah to Israel and lived in Haifa. In a house like a caravan, next to the sea and there they had my sister. And they moved to live in Kiryat Malachi and I was born there and the family continued there."

From our I'll-Tell-you-to-Write-About-Your-Interests-but-You'll-All-Cheat-and-Just-List-Famous-People assignment:

"I like Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Chris Brown, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Eminem, Justin Timberlake…"

From our Subjunctive If-Then assignment:

"If Amir from the pizza store were my boyfriend, then I would eat pizza everyday.
"If Uri from school were my boyfriend, then I would ride his motorcycle."

From the Rosh Hashanah cards they gave me after class today:

"I wish you happy holiday new and I wish you really good luck on the future and happy and I want to say that you help me a lot and without I would not be good and you was my friend."

After about six weeks, tomorrow's our last day.

Here's what I know now:

1. If you don't push, you'll lose your seat on the hour-long bus to Kiryat Malachi. And then you'll probably fall on someone's face when the driver makes a sharp turn. Conclusion: Push. Pay. Sit.

2. Brush your hair in the morning. They will play with it, and tangles hurt.

3. The word for "refrigerator" in Hebrew is not "cold closet." But close enough.

4. If you dance to the Cupid Shuffle and the Cha-Cha Slide everyday for six weeks, these girls will never confuse their "right"s, "left"s, or "cha-cha-real-smooth"s.

5. Hold onto the scrap assignments that the girls write out in class. They're infinitely more special than gummy worms.

Kiryat Malachi Cupid Shuffle

Exit Interviews (Hebrew upper, English lower)

Summer English Lessons: Kiryat Malachi

2010-08-12T12:26:00.002+03:00

I’m Eliana and I absolutely love ENP! I’m from Nashville, Tennessee, I go to Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, and for two months this summer I’m lucky enough to be a Tucker Fellow volunteering with the Ethiopian National Project. I teach English in Kiryat Malachi (a small town about an hour from Jerusalem), and I get a kick out of it.

The girls I teach are 12 and 13 years old, and they’re participants in ENP’s Scholastic Assistance Program. That means that they’re eight of the 3,556 students throughout Israel who have ENP’s direct support in their academic lives. When they get distracted they can count on having an ENP worker on their back; when they want to go the extra mile they can end up with summer school and other supplementary programs. So here I am, with the summer school.

Work is a bit of an adventure, just about always. Even on the (comparatively) normal days I get back from Kiryat Malachi in the afternoon and just want to fall asleep on the sidewalk outside the Jerusalem Central Bus Station. (No, Mom. I don’t actually do that.)

Three weeks ago, I got the tiniest bit lost on the way to work. (Not because there’s anything wrong with my navigation skills of course).

There are three bus stops in Kiryat Malachi. I’m supposed to get off at the third and walk ten minutes to school. But the day before I had gotten off one stop too early, so it just made sense that when given the next opportunity I’d accidentally get off one stop too late. The bus left Kiryat Malachi, drove for quite a while, and then finally let me off waaaay down the highway.

Those weren’t my best two hours and forty-five minutes. I knew that the buses back to Kiryat Malachi were on the other side of the highway. I had a sneaking suspicion that highways are not meant to be crossed. I also figured that walking in the two-foot wide gap between speeding cars and the cement wall of the bridge was a bad idea. So I climbed down the bridge and landed in….

….a briar patch.

Daintily, of course.

(Because Dainty is my middle name, and because my dress and flip flops had been complaining for months that they never get to see enough wilderness action.)

It was unpleasant. There were a few miles between me and my students waiting impatiently in Kiryat Malachi. And I would’ve gotten there a whole lot sooner if I hadn’t gotten cut each time I took a step forward. (I think it may’ve been official Poor Judgment Day – once I had climbed down the bridge there really wasn’t any hope of extracting myself from the millions of evil thorns tearing me apart. Nor was there any end to my complete disgust with that darn Brer Rabbit, born and bred in the briar patch.)

But I persevered, as ENP volunteer English teachers must! (And really as most anyone must, if ever hoping to eat ice cream again or take a shower again or not get poked by thorns again.) By 1:15PM I made it to my 10:30AM class. And despite all my “seriously-guys,-go-home,-no,-really—I’m-IN-A-BRIAR-PATCH” phone calls, all eight girls were sitting around waiting for me. I taught them family/life-cycle vocabulary, they immediately employed it in near-identical “Dear Chris Brown (/Zac Efron/Justin Bieber/Yoni-of-the-Kiryat-Malachi-Pizza-Shop) Be my husband I will love you and our children” letters, we all left for home, I ate a popsicle, and the world got a whole lot better than it’d been back in the briar patch.

I do things well, too. Really. I’ve gone to Kiryat Malachi every weekday since then, without much more bodily harm. (Not counting general battery from assorted instances of tripping over myself and not counting a bee sting, because I’m relieved to finally know I’m not deathly allergic like that poor kid in A Taste of Blackberries).

The girls have to walk a pretty long while in the heat to learn grammar in the heat and I still don’t quite understand how they’d choose to do that every day of the summer. I originally figured they’d just feel guilty if they didn’t come when I was bussing myself out every day from Jerusalem. But they killed that hypothesis when Reut got upset over my strict let’s-take-shabbat-off policy and when Lior insisted that the one day I had to cancel class I could’ve dropped off my really sick boyfriend at a clinic in Kiryat Malachi instead of staying in Jerusalem.

I couldn’t’ve asked for a better job, briars and all. The girls want to be there, and that’s only one of the reasons why I’ve got all the respect in the world for them. These girls actually asked for ENP to find them a summer English teacher, and ENP did. They correct (and giggle over) my Hebrew conjugations, they reveal more than I ever thought to ask about Justin Bieber’s love life, and they surprise me every day with their determination to conquer the quirky parts of English. I absolutely cannot wait to see what these girls teach me next.

English Class Ice Cream Trip (Shachar's 13th Birthday)

Family Visit Anyone?

2010-07-20T13:09:00.001+03:00

Shalom everyone…

The ENP experiences continue to move this blogger to share. About a week ago (forgive the lapse in time once more, what else can you do when your computer goes up in smoke?), I had my second mission trip with ENP. Another unique experience indeed. At the CC and CD Mission, we had visitors from various federations in the United States come to visit the homes of some of the students that participate in ENP sponsored activities.

I will spare you details about how the day was humid and sticky, how great the tuna sandwiches were and how a cat stole one of said tuna sandwiches because, frankly, this was all overshadowed by the success of the visit in which I participated. I was part of one of the sixteen simultaneous home visits that took place that day. The bus took us to Lod, a city located in the heart of Israel, but poor in resources and struggling to stabilize the city's infrastructure. Here, 43.3% percent of residents find themselves earning a minimum salary or less and only 46.5% of twelfth graders qualify for matriculation certificates. We had not even finished getting off of the bus when a friendly man approached us, grinning widely and his hand already extended to greet us. He led us up the elevator and to the home, where once more, inviting grins, extended hands and a bowl of small pretzels awaited.

We listened to the family's story intently as the hosts handed us glasses of cold water. The story was more quenching to us than the cold water. It was a story entangled with struggle, endurance and love. When the child began to share her story of her involvement in ENP, hope and perseverance rang in the room. A couple of details stand out.

The father directed his attention to the donors and shared, "If it was not for your support, my daughter would not be able to get the assistance that has gotten her this far. I want all of my children to be able to participate in the Scholastic Assistance Programs." This came after she shared that she passed her level 4 Matriculation Exam in Science due to ENP's Scholastic Assistance Program.

"I want to be an engineer and I know that ENP will help me get there," she said.

I wish I had the words to describe the sincerity in the family's voice and the gratefulness that they exuded. At the end of our visit, the group began taking pictures with the host family expressing that they wanted to be able to remember people that had inspired them. As I got in the elevator with of few of these visitors, I asked, "What did you think of the experience?" One of the women looked right at me and said, "I had Goosebumps the entire time that they were talking." I am assuming that means that she enjoyed it. I could overhear how everyone had discussed their experiences on the bus ride back to our meeting point in Beit Shemesh. Among the chatter, my thoughts slowly drifted back to the future engineer and once more made me excited about the multiple stories that I have yet to hear.

5, 4, 3, 2 1- LIFT OFF!

2010-07-19T18:26:00.002+03:00

Last night, we began our “caravan camp” with a blast, literary, as we launched rockets into the night sky at Ethiopian National Project’s (ENP) Gadera Youth Centre (don’t worry these rockets where of the innocent variety intended only to teach the kids about aerodynamics, friction, gravity etc.)

This was the first day of a two week travelling camp where a group of volunteers from all over the world (our group includes volunteers from America, Israel, Australia, South Africa, Poland and Uruguay) will be travelling to ENP’s various Youth Centres to run camp-like activities for the Ethiopian Youth. Our activities include science experiments, animation workshops, teamwork and empowerment exercises, public speaking lessons, yoga and whatever else we come up with along the way.

The idea of holding a Summer Camp for Ethiopian youth originated with a group of MA students at Hebrew University’s Rothberg International School. One of the students, an Ethiopian man who lives in an Ethiopian Absorption centre recognised the need over the long summer months to put together activities for the teenagers who had little to do and where getting themselves into trouble out of sheer boredom. Based on his experience in running a camp last year they decided this year to put together a full three week summer camp for these youth. Unfortunately, a bunch of bureaucratic and political obstacles meant that this was not to be and so at the 11^th hour we contacted Grace Rodnitzki from the ENP who graciously accepted our volunteers. Since ENP no longer has a youth centre in Jerusalem (this was closed recently due to lack of funding) we altered our plan and instead of working daily with the same kids, a new idea was born our travelling or “caravan camp.”

If yesterday was anything to go by the next two weeks are going to be a lot of fun. Sunday night in the Gadera Centre is a "לילה לבן , “a white night” the Israeli way of saying an “all night stay awake” where activities begin at 7:30pm and go on until 2 in the morning. Not surprisingly, the one staff member Mentamer and Israeli soldiers who work there were very excited to have us entertaining the kids, at least for the first few hours. After playing some name games and having the kids guess where we were all from (the fact that I’m the whitest person in the room and am also from Africa usually causes quite a reaction) we began with the rocket making. The kids were explained a little bit about the aerodynamics of the rockets and then set to work building their own rockets out of plastic bottles and cardboards which we then launched into the air with a home-made rocket launcher made from PVC pipes, cable ties and a bicycle pump.

However it was not only the kids that learned new things in the rocket making process, we were able to practise (and be corrected on) our Hebrew which also proved highly entertaining, especially after I walked around the area handing out scissors “"מספריים shouting “מי רוצה משקפיים” “Who needs glasses” and then when I saw the kids laughing, correcting myself to “מי רוצה מכנסיים” “who needs pants”- Eventually finding the correct word, I guess the evening was a learning experience for us all and I am confident I will NEVER forget the word for scissors ever again!

ENP’s Youth Outreach Center in Gedera is supported by UJA-Federation of New York

The Beginning of my ENP Journey...

2010-07-15T13:04:00.000+03:00

Shalom, my name is Linda Castillo and I am the newest addition to the wonderful ENP blog. I am a study abroad student at Hebrew University's Rothberg International School from the University of Pennsylvania. I will be starting my fourth, and final, year of college in the fall. I arrived in Israel with the intention of staying for one semester, approximately four months. Faced with the bitter idea that I would have to leave Israel, I decided to extend my stay for one year. I hope to volunteer with ENP for the rest of my stay.

It has been a couple of weeks since my first mission with ENP which took place in Beit Shemesh. To most, the idea of a post about an experience that occurred "that long ago" may seem daunting. However, the impression it made is long lived and fresh. It was my first mission, and actually, my first time volunteering with ENP. I had already read the 5 Year Report on ENP's work, browsed through the site and received a general idea of what ENP does. However, when I arrived with the ENP team, I must admit that nothing I had read did justice to ENP's work.

When the group of visiting Rabbis arrived, we watched an introductory video about the problems that Ethiopians face and are struggling to solve. I was in shock at my own lack of knowledge and understanding on the subject. During the video, it was interesting to see other jaws drop as we all learned about the topic together.

After the video Michelle, the International Relations Coordinator led everyone through an exercise about how the leaders of a community come together to consolidate their thoughts and decide where funding should be allocated. Difficult indeed.

The most heart moving part of the night was hearing first hand from someone who had benefited from ENP’s work. Efrat Mekonen shared her amazing story of her journey to Israel, including unbelievable miracles that made my skin line up with goose-bumps. I even noticed that some of the visitors pulled out handkerchiefs and shyly tapped away their tears. Efrat serves her community as an Ethiopian-Israeli lay leader in Beit Shemesh. She has participated in the ENP Community Empowerment program in Beit Shemesh supported by the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. It was moving to listen to her explain that her political activism and her strong will stemmed, in part from ENP’s work – an organization in which I now participated.

At the end of the mission, an Ethiopian Rabbi gave his personal story and shared the differences between Ethiopian Jewry and what many people would call "mainstream" Jewry. I was fascinated by his words. He made Aliyah 12 1/2 years ago and studied at a Yeshiva school and then attained a college education. It was the first time that I heard a first hand account of how a person bridges the gap between the traditions taught in Ethiopia and a Yeshiva teaching here. His wisdom seemed well though out:

"Bridging the gap came with time. I just decided to be as religious as I want to be in my home and participate outside of my home just enough to bring the community together through our traditions."

As I look back to my first time volunteering with ENP, I cannot help but grin. I remember thinking that night, I too am now a part of a movement of empowerment, of change, of active participants. The mission added a personal component to my newfound volunteering experience. I cannot wait to see what other members of the Ethiopian community have to share with me. I cannot wait to learn and to see the development of a community.

What A Day - The Mission Possible Tucson Mission Visit to Hadera

2010-06-28T13:34:00.005+03:00

Wow what a day! It was very exciting to go on The Mission Possible Tucson (Young Women Federation Leadership) mission visit to the Ulpanat Mevasseret School in Hadera this afternoon. Being it was my first week at the ENP as well as my first week in Israel needless to say, I was not totally sure what to expect. It was awesome! When we arrived at the school we were greeted with so much excitement from the staff as well as the girls. I was very impressed with the school. The girls all spoke English very well and it was a breath of fresh air to see kids with a real hunger for learning. The girls were not shy whatsoever, and there was no shortage of questions about life in America, many of them having to do with pop culture. I never thought I could have so much in common with these girls! They were all so intelligent, we talked about everything from music to geography of the US. After talking to the girls I got to hear some of their stories as well as their dreams for the future. They all have set very high goals for themselves and after spending time with them I have no doubt they will be reached. I can see that with the help of the programs from the ENP it will help make the dreams come true. The after school programs that are in place for these kids really does give them the help they need to reach their full potential. It was also very cool because I go to hear personal stories from three girls who are now out of high school and who participated in the ENP. They felt that they benefited from the programs so much that they are donating a year to volunteering with the ENP before they go to the army. After visiting with the girls for a while it was time to introduce them to a ladies group from Arizona that support the ENP.

It was so special to be able to see a group of ladies from America get to experience what the ENP does first hand. As well as get to meet some of the girls that benefit from the programs they support. I think the ladies all had a wonderful time. There was so much energy in the room! We all played a getting to know you game and got to learn about each other. It was so nice for the girls, as well as the ladies to be able to learn from one another. The ladies also got to sit with the older girls and hear their stories, and future plans. What a great afternoon of stories and getting to know one another, After today it is safe for me to say that I know what to expect when working with the Ethiopian-Israeli youth… a wonderful day.

The ENP Scholastic Assistance in Hadera is supported by the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte and the Jewish Federation of Nashville and Middle TN

The Flint Jewish Federation Civic Leadership Interfaith Mission Visits the Gedera Youth Outreach Center

2010-05-24T11:58:00.005+03:00

ENP recently hosted the Flint Jewish Federation Civic Leadership Interfaith Mission at the Gedera Youth Outreach Center (funded by the UJA Federation of New York) and I had an opportunity to participate in this visit. The ENP Mission visits brings groups from Canada, the US, the United Kingdom and abroad to get a first hand look at the work of ENP for the Ethiopian Israeli community.

During the visit to the youth center the Flint Interfaith Mission heard from Dr. Negist Mengesha, Director General of ENP and Micha Feldman about the need for youth centers and other social services for Ethiopian Israelis throughout Israel. Micha played a major role in the miraculous rescue of Ethiopian Jews and aliyah to Israel through Operation Moses and Solomon and the group were fascinated by his stories of Ethiopian Jewry's struggles. The group also had the opportunity to learn a traditional Ethiopian dance and meet with the kids from youth center. Many of the Ethiopian teenagers use The Gedera Youth Center as a place to study for matriculation exams, use the on site computers or just to relax.

Common world bonds were discussed such as facebook, youtube, and love of Ethiopian food by the Americans and Israelis. The group also discussed their thoughts on Israel today, their studies, hopes and dreams for the future and why they attend the youth center.

Esther – "I want to become an architect and I have to prepare for the matriculation exams and to apply for scholarships. I come to the youth center to study with tutors and use the computers to learn, write papers and apply for scholastic programs. Some of the younger kids use the computers for games or chatting with friends. Without the Youth Center I don’t know where I would go to prepare for my studies.

"Yael – "Before exams, there are school marathons at the youth center. This helps the kids to achieve better grades. The activities at the youth center are very similar to scouts activities. For example, the older kids lead the young kids in certain projects."

Sara – “My mother cleans hospitals and my father is a gardener. A lot of my family still lives in Ethiopia. My family has visited me from Ethiopia, but I have never been there. At ENP, I am a member of a theatre group at the youth center and I am interested in music. Last year, the theater group performed for Prime Minister Netanyahu.”

During my visit to the youth center, I was particularly impressed by a group of Ethiopian-Israelis community volunteers who want to share their experiences of growing up as a olah chadasha (new immigrant) and to be an inspiration to the younger generation. A major problem in the Ethiopian Israeli community is a lack of self confidence and self worth. These role models serve as mentors and friends to the youth center participants and are crucial to ENP's mission to serve as a support system for the kids with any emotional, educational or social problems that may occur within their lives.

Shira – "When I first arrived from Ethiopia in the 80's, I was in a new country, did not know the language and was only one of a handful of Ethiopian kids in my school. I had very low self confidence, my studies had suffered and I was not succeeding in my transition in Israel. Once I started to respect myself and improve my self confidence I made new friends and had an easier time in school. I want to teach my fellow Ethiopian Israeli youth to love and respect themselves and good things will happen. ENP is making this a reality with the Ethiopian Israeli youth of today."

My Adventures to Gedera and Rehovot!

2010-05-20T12:42:00.003+03:00

Hey Everyone,

It's Diane again reporting live from ENP! Today, I'll be talking about my first time volunteering at the Youth Center in Gedera as well as a "mission" at the Rehovot Youth Center (I will explain "mission" in a bit...).

On Tuesday May 11, I made my way from Jerusalem to the city of Gedera to volunteer with the Ethiopian-Israeli youth. It was my first time coming in to volunteer at Gedera and I was pretty excited. All in all, I had a great time at Gedera. When I arrived, I met four soldiers who were also volunteering at the youth center. They introduced themselves to me and gave me a grand tour of the center. There was a room where one soldier was giving math lessons to a group of students. In another room, there were kids watching TV and playing pool. Then, there was the computer room! (my favorite room). This was a popular room for the kids. They were listening to music videos, playing online computer games, and chatting online with their friends. I found out that the some of the favorite music artists of the girls there were Chris Brown and Justin Bieber (if you don't know who these people are, you need to get up-to-date with your pop culture!!). It was a very social and friendly environment.

Now...onto the "mission" at Rehovot: rewinding back to Thursday May 6, 2010
First of all, "missions" are groups of donors, potential donors, and/or supporters from Jewish communities in the US who come to visit ENP projects.
In the late afternoon on a Thursday about 40 Americans from all over the US came to visit the Youth Outreach Center in Rehovot. My job at this event was to take pictures and record what was going on. Shortly after the group arrived, everyone participated in a traditional Ethiopian dance lesson. Everyone made a big circle and Dega, the dance instructor, stood in the middle. Every once in a while she would pull a few brave people into the middle of the circle so that they could "show off" their dance moves. At first, most of the people that went into the middle seemed a little embarrassed, but after they showed off their dance moves, everyone returning from the middle had a big smile on their face.

Afterward, everyone broke up into three groups so that the American visitors could talk one-on-one with the Ethiopian-Israeli youth. Below is one of the questions that I observed being asked to the Ethiopian-Israeli youth by an American visitor:
Question: "What kind of experience have the Ethiopian Jews had since coming to Israel?”
Answer: "Sometimes there are racist people that make it hard for us, but in general it is okay. This is a fulfillment of our parents’ dream."

At the very end of the mission, a choir made up of 4 girls from the ENP youth center sang for everyone. The girls in the choir wrote their own lyrics to the song. The song is about a girl who is trying to reach a dream, and in the end finally does.

That's it for today, over and out! And I hope everyone had a great Shavuot! :)

ENP Youth Volunteer Project in Lod!

2010-04-28T22:39:00.016+03:00

Hi, my name is Diane. I’ve been volunteering for ENP for about 2 months now, but this is my first blog post! I’m currently a junior at the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY. I’m studying abroad at the Rothberg International School at the Hebrew University for the 2009 – 2010 school year. It’s been an amazing experience so far and I’ve met so many great people. I’ve had such a good time that I extended my study abroad experience from one semester to one year! Recently, I decided to extend my stay to the summer as well in order to study written-Arabic.

So, for my first blog post, I will be writing about a recent phone interview I had about an Ethiopian-Israeli student volunteer project in Lod. I interviewed this really nice woman named Billie, who helped coordinate the volunteer project and help the staff and kids work together.

The volunteer project took place on March 24, 2010. Ethiopian-Israeli youth from ENP fixed up various Ethiopian communities within Lod. Students from grades 7-10, aged 13-16 volunteered in Lod. They helped to paint, clean, and organize areas that were in poor condition.

In one location, the Ethiopian-Israeli youth painted all kinds of private homes within an Ethiopian community in Lod. These were houses in which older people lived who could not afford to paint their own houses. According to Billie, the kids painted around 21 or 22 homes!

In another Ethiopian neighborhood located in Ramat Eshkol in Lod, the kids painted the entire inside of a building. They youth not only painted the walls, but wrote inspirational sentences on them such as: “Be real. Start a dream”.

Billie added that the kids were very interested in this volunteer project. Originally, the staff was worried about their motivation – getting up early to work and clean isn’t an easy task for any teenager. However, Billie noted, “We were really surprised. It was really touching to see all the kids committed to the mission. It was nice to see that at the end of the day they contributed something – to see after a day that the location that you see in the morning that was dirty and in a bad situation …looked different because the children worked. It made them feel really proud.”

As you can see, this volunteer project with the Ethiopian-Israeli youth at ENP was a huge success! It was one of the biggest youth volunteer projects that ENP has ever done.

That’s it for today, but I hope to blog again soon about more news at ENP!

Paying it Forward

2010-03-04T10:31:00.002+02:00

Hello, internet!

On Tuesday I went to the Moadon No'ar (youth center) in Petach Tikva. Well, to say I "went" might be a little optimistic. Due to some miscommunication, I didn't actually make it there. However, my peregrinations proved productive. (Say that ten times fast!) You learn a lot from wandering about, asking people for directions. Here is what I learned:

-The Israeli stereotype is true: though Israelis may seem brusque, they will knock themselves out to make sure you get where you need to be.

-Case in point: after an embarrassingly long time spent circling Petach Tikva, I came upon a very sweet couple who took personal offense at the fact that I was lost. They checked their GPS for directions. They called their friends. They Googled. (iPhones are wonderful things--you can surf the Internet from a deserted parking lot!) Finally, when it became clear I wasn't going to find this center, they checked bus times back to Jerusalem and drove me to the nearest bus stop. I didn't know their names or anything about them, but they went out of their way to get me to where I needed to be.

This got me thinking about the concept of "paying it forward." (Yes, like the corny movie.) I had done nothing to deserve this random act of kindness except be there. And though I didn't make it to the youth center, I felt--oddly enough--motivated to do more the next time I go to Bet Shemesh. ENP is such a worthwhile organization, and despite the momentary frustration I experienced this Tuesday, I am even more committed to "paying it forward" at the next available opportunity. I'm not sure how this will play out--whether it's tutoring an eighth grader in English or just playing a game of pool with a student, I want to do the best job I can for these kids, just because they're there.

I hope my next post will chronicle that!

Mo’adon No’ar Bet Shemesh: Day Two (Dispatches from an American Volunteer)

2010-02-24T21:25:00.002+02:00

What's up, Internet!

Adi again, reporting back from the trenches of the Bet Shemesh Youth Center. The center was relatively quiet this Tuesday; half the kids who usually come were on a school trip, and a significant minority were at a town-wide cultural event called "the shuk," which to me sounded more like a street fair than an open-air market. Hailu, the center's director, explained that students go to the shuk both to hang out and to help their parents, many of whom man stalls or booths.

There were two girls at the center this week, one of whom (let's call her "Devorah") solicited my help with her English homework. She didn't have any of her school things with her, but promised to bring a week's worth of homework next Tuesday; I'm excited for our study date. I think I will call Hailu on Monday and ask him to remind her--I actually miss English homework!

I had a tiny mission to carry out on Tuesday, which totally failed. An extremely mature and giving girl in the States has made ENP her Bat Mitzvah charity, and requested that all her Bat Mitzvah gifts go to us. I was supposed to film the kids saying Mazal Tov and Thank You so she could feel the personal impact of her (wonderful) choices--but none of them were interested. Maybe it's because I'm new and they don't feel comfortable "performing" (in a sense) in front of someone they don't know. Or maybe it's just that they're normal thirteen-year-olds who aren't totally comfortable in their own skins--I certainly hated being photographed when I was a teenager. Whatever it is, I'm a little disappointed about the lack of enthusiasm, though I understand it.

I spent a good amount of time talking to Hailu about his vision for the center; he showed me a bunch of lesson plans about cultural identity, Ethiopian history, Amharic...really impressive stuff that the kids will definitely appreciate. (I tried my best to learn an Amharic proverb about the importance of patience, but I've forgotten it now. What a beautiful language--it sounds rich and evocative, even when I don't know what's being said.) He also told me a little bit about his background, which was fascinating. One of the best things about going to the center is the personal interactions and stories that I hear; the kids aren't particularly forthcoming, but sometimes they'll share bits and pieces of their stories, for which I'm grateful.

That's all for this week. I'll update again next week; hopefully my English tutoring will have yielded some fruit!

Mo’adon No’ar Bet Shemesh: Day One (Dispatches from an American Volunteer)

2010-02-21T13:44:00.004+02:00

Hello, Internet!

I’m Adi, a new ENP volunteer who will be blogging about my time in the Bet Shemesh youth center once weekly. I recently graduated from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland—in fact, Baltimore is both my inspiration for volunteering with ENP, and my paradigm for what it means to work with an underserved community. Three and a half years living in Charles Village—located a hop, skip, and a jump away from urban neighborhoods that inspired the emotionally gripping and highly disturbing HBO cult hit, The Wire—impelled me to seek out a similar experience for my five months in Israel. I’ve been teaching English and Language Arts to Baltimore City Public School kids since my sophomore year, and firmly believe that English literacy is one of the most important tools for/indicators of future academic and professional success, in any country.

Hence: armed with goodwill, some teaching experience, and…well, little else but jumpy nerves, I venture to the Bet Shemesh youth center where I plan to teach English, mentally steeling myself for Dangerous Minds-style pandemonium. The statistics are disheartening: roughly 20% of Ethiopian men aged 18-35 are unemployed, and 68% of the community lives below the poverty line. This particular youth center has been open for less than a month, but has already attracted a sizeable crowd of high school boys, who arrive promptly at five and stay until the center closes at nine.

Hailu, the youth center’s new director, arrives at twenty to five, and I can see right away that despite the center’s informal hang-out vibe, he exerts a strong and positive influence. Though he greets the boys with high fives-—like a friend-—he is also firm with them, admonishing them gently when they get too rowdy. He steers me around the room introducing me to clusters of boys. One boy, a seventeen-year-old who I will call Avi, takes a shine to me and patiently answers my questions about life as an Ethiopian immigrant. When I’m done with my gentle inquisition, he turns the tables on me, asking about my university experience (the words “best years of my life” may have been uttered—I’ve officially turned into an Old Person), life in America, and—as I half-expected—the state of the African-American community there.

"Avi" is the most outgoing of the kids in the center; the rest are busy playing foosball or pool. I’m content just to hang out, posing as an anthropological oddity—The American Jew—answering questions about America and why Jews continue living there despite the miracle of our very own (snow-free) homeland. Avi especially was concerned, grilling me about my Zionist credentials: “but why don’t you live here?” Despite the American rap blasting from their mp3 players, the boys are unimpressed with the US; numerous times, I was asked “what does America have that we don’t?”, a good question that I can’t answer comfortably or easily. Mostly, I was impressed with the hardcore patriotism the boys evinced; despite the mistakes—to put it kindly—of the Israeli government and society, Ethiopian immigrants still see the country both as home and Homeland (small h for familiarity, everyday life, big H for the two-thousand-year-old dream, nurtured despite millennia of isolation.)

Okay, Internet! That’s all from the front. Over and out until Tuesday!

New Blogger, New Perspectives

2009-11-07T15:19:00.005+02:00

My name is Sam Blake, and I'm currently studying abroad from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. I was given the opportunity to intern at the Ethiopian National Project this year, and my primary role will be writing about my experience in the youth centers and various ENP projects for this blog and other media outlets.

My first true experience with the ENP was a trip with the project's director, Grace Rodnitzki, to a youth center in Petakh Tikvah, a suburb of Tel Aviv. Grace explained there was to be an American tour group coming to learn about the project and see it in action; this was important, she went on, largely because many of these people would be connected to various American Jewish organizations which provide funding crucial to the ENP's success. It was a great first opportunity for me to learn about the organization I would be contributing to for my time in Israel.

Along the 45-minute-ish drive from Jerusalem, Grace explained the project's purpose and goals. I'd known about the phenomenon of an almost-mysterious faction of Ethiopian Jews emigrating to Israel, but in my lifetime it was hardly more than that – simply a phenomenon. Now I was learning, and would soon see, the true, human element of this phenomenon which the ENP graciously and purposefully brings to the fore. The ENP, I discovered, had a mission. This mission was to improve the ongoing quest of the tens-of-thousands of Ethiopians living in Israel to assimilate and integrate into the culture while still maintaining pride in their own. But how to do this? By reaching out primarily to the youthful 13-18 age range, offering social and educational opportunities, with the ultimate goal that such efforts won't be needed in the future. I was indeed excited to arrive to the one-of-22 youth centers across the nation and see the project in action.

Grace and I arrived about an hour before the tour-group did, and I took the opportunity to explore the youth center. I first saw a playful and rowdy group of children energetically running about outside on the paved basketball court, with the refreshingly carefree aura only children playing can bring. Moving inside the two-story building, I met the two leaders of the center, Eli Melech and Meir. I would soon learn they had come from Ethiopia in the 1984 Operation Moses, following an epic journey from shepherd-life in Ethiopia through the dangerous Sudanese desert (please check out our website, ENP.org.il, for a detailed account of this journey). I saw the rooms filled with flat-screen computers, the big-screen television, the cultural music-room; I saw the walls lined with school-papers marked with high grades and group photos with smiling faces chronicling tastes of what the ENP can offer. Soon enough, the group arrived, and the interaction to follow was touching and momentous.

There I saw two cultures from essentially opposite ends of the spectrum collide. The subsequent smiles on the children's faces and the keen intrigue and joy of the American guests during the Q&A (from both sides) interaction told the story. The phenomenon of the Ethiopian plight unfolded and became real before their, as well as my own, eyes, through the endearing means of the youthful and warmhearted teens who sat with us. It wasn't long before the older group was doing their best to keep up with the Ethiopian cultural dance that was so patiently and proudly taught by the youth. At times what was discussed didn't evoke the most pleasant of feeling, such as Eli Melech's recount (eloquently translated from Hebrew-to-English by Grace) of his desert journey, but such moments too illuminated the cause for which the ENP stands. The time went by quickly, and it seemed like I'd only just arrived that the group dispersed and it was time to head back to Jerusalem. As I made my way out of the youth center, multiple Ethiopian children playfully chatted with me, as they'd seemingly gradually warmed up to the idea of my presence. It was not only a nice opportunity to practice my Hebrew, but a touching moment, one which brought the whole notion of what the ENP seeks to do to an even more personal and true level. I left eager to return and learn and see more about these fascinating, real, and tremendous lifestyles and stories.

**A shout-out to the Jewish Federation of the Greater Houston area, sister-city of Petakh Tikva and integral in the running of the ENP youth center there**

Goodbye Judy, Blog Post #8

2009-07-19T09:17:00.000+03:00

Best part of today: meeting with and saying a sweet goodbye to Dagitu and Baush! After finishing the book, In God's Name, we answered the questions of who the characters were, what was the problem, and what was the solution. In this particular story, every character had a different name for God. They finally came together, saw each other's reflections, and called God the name One. The girls loved the illustrations and the idea that each person can think of God differently, AND that they could come together.

We shared snacks and addresses, took pictures, and wished we could continue. I gave them each a phrase book, telling them they should study it! Daily! They know English is useful and important to know, even as they devote some of their time this summer to studying Amharic and Mathematics. What touched me most was a beautiful letter they had written, which they read to me, thanking me for volunteering to help them with English. What lovely young people, who cared enough to acknowledge my work! It was, like the book we read, a reflection of what I tried to do.

The boys, alas, did not show up for their last lesson, so they missed out on the treats, lyrics, and phrase books, but as my friend Bob Carroll reminded me, "Education is the belief in the possible." I wish them well.

Thank you so much to Frayda Leibtag and Grace Rodnitzki of the ENP for making these special volunteer opportunities possible. Good luck, also, to Yisraela of the Jerusalem Gymnasia, with your study for the bagruyot.

My wish for ENP is that you can continue this critically important work. Kol tuv, perhaps we will meet again next summer!

Judy in Israel, Blog Post #7

2009-07-16T09:50:00.001+03:00

"You Are Not Alone" was the subject of today's lesson, another song. This was more of a traditional love song. We then switched to a book called Elijah's Angel, the story of a friendship between an African-American Christian man and a Jewish boy. Avi joined us--hooray! He has an excellent command of Hebrew's nuances, so he can better understand shades of meaning in English. What a pleasure. Perhaps this is due to his schooling. He is very bright!

Something I noticed is that Elias pays attention to the names of the authors and illustrators of the books I bring in. In this particular case, the illustrator had a very long name. Avi laughed and remarked how that would be a challenging name to write on one's te'udat zehut--certificate of identification.

The book referenced American black slavery and the Underground Railroad.

Tomorrow we will finish the book and say goodbye, with the help of Stevie Wonder lyrics.

Judy in Israel, Blog Post #6

2009-07-15T12:55:00.001+03:00

7/15 Song lyrics are powerful teaching tools. I've known this for as long as I've been a student of the Torah. And American song lyrics even have their place in education, as evidence by the great interest my students here have had in We Are The World. They have asked for other lyrics as well.

Today I was intrigued to see some new faces sitting down at the table. It seems that the English teacher (or the chance to learn English) is interesting, and the regulars bring someone new to meet me, check me out, see what the fuss is about. So I met Trngo, and Bobeh. Trngo seemed to feel that there was not much I could teach her, quickly taking a pen and writing words down faster than her friend could. Though hesitant to read out loud, she finally joined in. She seemed impatient with me, finding the story illogical. It was challenging. However, Dagitu hung in there, and was able to address the results and solutions to problems in the narrative.

The boys: Again, they were not to be found. I was so discouraged by this. But on my way out, one asked if we were to have our lesson today, and so we did! With him came Bobeh, an older fried, who is a security guard. Bobeh seemed genuinely interested in our lesson, which moved from song lyrics to belief and faith. Even Shulamit, one of the day camp staff members and non-Ethiopian, joined us. We also talked about the dangers of smoking, which they do daily.

I was so glad the day ended well (despite the cigarette smoke).

7/16 Today, Trngo did not return. Perhaps there was nothing she felt she could learn from me. But the other two girls were excited to study and write down many new words. We also discussed the importance of recycling and the dangers of littering and use of styrofoam (very topical given our study environment--they also feel bad when i wipe down a neglected table, explaining that in their culture, and adult should not have to do this. I explained that at my school in California, the teachers clean up after themselves.) They truly want to continue!

I get a kick out of their use of Amharic as their secret language.

Judy in Israel, Blog Post #5

2009-07-15T09:34:00.001+03:00

7/9 I shared a book with Dagitu and Bayush this morning about Pesach around the world. The section on Ethiopians was somewhat interesting to them, though it describes the world of their parents and grandparents more than theirs. They were excited to see the map yet had not idea how to read it. They were most interested in the recipe that accompanies each chapter, though the one described was nothing they had eaten. It used matza meal, which they did not understand/have a context for. Yet, they did recognize noog, an Ethiopian sesame seed paste that they love. They still enjoy some native foods, which are available here, along with the pots in which to cook them. They celebrate Pesach like more modern Israelis, complete with an egg and a Haggada. They were less knowledgeable about traditional Ethiopian ways of observing it.

2 boys didn’t show…2 did and one did not like the lesson, which began with a discussion on racism. Elias felt that people are people, no matter where they are. He seems to have encountered some uncomfortable stuff. He insisted we speak English whenever we lapsed into Hebrew. I took out a book on MLK Jr., whom he was aware of. How did he know about him?, I asked. He says he learns everything from TV since he has no books. He asked me for books. He appreciated and agreed with the message of non-violence for bringing about change.

Later that evening, I had a brief conversation with Meir, the fruit man. After hearing about what I was doing in Jerusalem, he commented that Israelis have no compassion for the Ethiopians.

7/10 I always learn new Hebrew words from my students. But today I learned that Ethiopians have opinions about Arabs. The local, more informal “shmatte man,” I guess, was making his rounds. I learned this because I heard something being said over a loudspeaker, repeatedly. I asked what it was, and I was told, “Those Arabs…”what a sorry cycle of prejudice.

Judy in Israel, Blog Post #4

2009-07-14T09:29:00.001+03:00

The topic of one of my sessions today was the meaning of the following song:

Title: Michael Jackson - We Are the World lyrics

There comes a time
When we heed a certain call
When the world must come together as one
There are people dying
And it's time to lend a hand to life
The greatest gift of all

We can't go on
Pretending day by day
That someone, somewhere will soon make a change
We are all a part of
God's great big family
And the truth, you know love is all we need

[Chorus]
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day
Just you and me

Send them your heart
So they'll know that someone cares
And their lives will be stronger and free
As God has shown us by turning stone to bread
So we all must lend a helping hand

[Chorus]
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day
Just you and me

When you're down and out
There seems no hope at all
But if you just believe
There's no way we can fall
Well, well, well, well, let us realize
That a change will only come
When we stand together as one
[Chorus]

Written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie, the ideas in the song seem just as relevant. The girls were intrigued that proceeds from the sales (~$63 million dollars) were used for USA for Africa, to help with drought and famine relief there.

Themes of caring for others is really caring for ourselves, and making the changes you want to see seemed meaningful for them. Also, the idea of being part of G-d's family being created b'tzelem E-lohim, in the image of G-d, no matter who or where you are was powerful.

Thank you, Michael. Your words inspired young Ethiopians today.

Judy in Israel, Blog Post #3

2009-07-14T09:26:00.002+03:00

Today: down to the business of figuring out a story's characters, problem, solution. Probably the challenge of every language learner to --you get the content but can't communicate well about it because you don't have the vocabulary.

One girl asked for Michael Jackson's song about feeding the hungry.. if we can read and translate it.

Our books have included Sandy Sasso's In God's Name, and a book called Stellaluna, about a bat who has to accommodate to life with birds. I chose these because of their themes of variety and tolerance, acceptance of difference and even embracing those differences, teaching each other.

A bit more...

A classroom I work in seems to be in the "school's over, what a mess" stage... a few doors down is a clean, state of the art computer lab! So I cleaned up and set up my room, and I was all set to use it and visit the computer room when I discovered a few things--

-only one student of my group of 4 had shown up and did not want to have our class alone, so he left.
-the others had left earlier.
-the building needed to be locked due to vagaries of who is in charge of the building on certain days.

The frustrations of truancy and bureaucracy were present today...

Judy in Israel, Blog Post #2

2009-07-12T14:52:00.003+03:00

Judy's experiences in Israel continue…

7/7 Today was a day for Hop on Pop, just for me to get a sense of what I was dealing with. The girls felt successful with this! It is hard to believe coming from the States, that HS girls were finding Dr. Seuss so interesting. I was truly afraid of insulting them, but they really enjoyed it. I also showed them how I use the Internet, which was rather foreign to them. I thought it might be a great tool for furthering their English reading ability. They seem to live in a kind of bubble of poverty and ignorance in some ways. One student didn’t come simply because she hadn’t the money for bus fare that day.

7/8 The day began with Yisraela, who walked from Armon HaNatziv to German Colony to study with me, a good 40 minutes. It was wonderful to sit with her in Café Hillel, soaking up the mellow jazz, enjoying a great pastry and coffee, and working with this super-motivated young woman. The topic: CD reviews. It wasn’t all that difficult, and she stuck with it. We spent a great 1.5 hours together. She is hesitant to do this work without me, though I encourage her to.

My next 2 students tried Cat in the Hat, a book that has a more easy to follow narrative than Hop on Pop. It was brand new to them. English is so full of idiomatic language that it can be very frustrating! The lack of consistency is maddening.

Our conversation wandered between why some people don’t’ have computer access, to the challenges of motherhood they see their moms dealing with, to their own fears about it. They seem to want to work outside the home, though have no idea in what. They are curious, lovely people who could go far, if given the tools! We also touched upon how American Jews feel about Israel, issues of support and opinion both here and abroad. They are very supportive and it is hard for them to understand why others might not always be. We also tried to define clearly what the difference is between a state and a country. The US is so large that it is hard for them to grasp relative sizes of places. Additionally, we touched upon Gush Katif and issues of upheaval. They knew about that firsthand.

They were interested in “miracle stories,” stories of heroism during military operations. They told me of the Rachel Imenu legend, which they found fascinating, and for them it is true. (http://www.jewishblogging.com/blog.php?bid=177928)

The hardest part of today with them was hearing about their parents, some of whom came here as professionals but now work as house cleaners…they are too tired by days’ end to study Hebrew, the key to their professional success. It seems like a vicious cycle.. I guess I am feeling strongly about Israel’s struggles to take care of this population—if we brought them then we surely must. But the pie seems cut into such slivers….I felt very sad for this situation. I continue to be so pleased however, that they greet me with a smile daily, and are truly trying.

Finally, today I met with 4 boys, ages 14-20. They were a lot of fun! They love and sing American music, are very curious about America, and have fine reading and comprehension skills. They want to learn CURSIVE! i explained that this is not as popular in America anymore with the advent of keyboarding, but they said it is so beautiful that they must know it. They also wanted comprehension questions on some literature. The only books I had with me were the Cat in The Hat I had used earlier in the day. These lads were familiar with it from the movie or series (?). Again, I felt awful for not having something more age-appropriate, but they jumped right in. I asked them many comprehension questions and they were strong. We decided to divide our time between conversation, reading, writing, and comprehension skills. They were so thankful, so active, and very joyful with each other. They found me pretty funny, way too ignorant about anything related to rap and hip-hop (they don’t know my music at all), and overall very entertaining! One admitted to struggling with drugs and alcohol, and missing the last 2 years of high school. He is past the army but has no money for university. He’d like to travel. They all work at a day camp, one goes to a Reform Jewish school, and one seemed Jewishly knowledgeable with strong opinions about gender roles. One knew that that were all kinds of Jews in America and Israel, and seemed fine with that. They are disappointed that my time is limited here. So am I. I feel I should do so much for these boys, who are so eager to learn and grow. They found their way into my heart very quickly.

Judy Massarano in Israel

2009-07-12T14:45:00.002+03:00

ENP's newest volunteer in Israel is Judy Massarano, an English teacher from Berkeley, California who came to Israel for the express purpose of volunteering with ENP. Judy is volunteering in Jerusalem and sharing her vast teaching experience with ENP youth. Her blog posts are written in a free-style, stream writing format. ENP hopes that Judy will inspire you to come volunteer with us here in Israel as well!

6/28-29 Early impressions
I always wanted to volunteer and specifically, learn about this population. Earlier trips had been as a student, then 22 years later as a tourist, then as an educator with a group looking at how Israel is taught in America, then finally as a chaperone for an 8th grade school trip. it was time to give back.

I met 3 girls, Azanash, Menna, and Merdana, all in 9th grade, all wanting to become more successful English speakers. They seemed typical in some ways, but have less affect than most teenage girls, either American or Israeli that I know. They listen to music, are interested in sports, animals. I was sad to learn that they are on the outside, that is, due to their color and questioned Jewish status, it is less common for them to be seen integrating with the indigenous Israeli girls. That made me so very sad.

They struggle, less with Hebrew, of course, but with English to an advanced degree.

Today I met two more students, Dagitu and Ba(y)ush...

7/5/09 Today I met with 4 Ethiopian teenage girls, with beautiful names and faces. They were all eager to learn, some more shy than others to try out their English with me. We spoke for a few minutes before reviewing letters, words, numbers, colors, and body parts. I asked them various questions. i had spent Shabbat in Beit Shemesh, where I noticed that in the predominantly Ashkenazi synagogue, a good number of Ethiopian women sat together yet did not participate, due, I was told, to their inability to speak Hebrew. "They pray in their hearts," said one girl, "or even in Amharic. They listen!" This same girl wondered about America, and acceptance of Jews. She pointed out that here, she stands out as Ethiopian, there she stood out as a Jew. Where does she fit?

Another girl asked, "What is a nigger?" The others knew this meant "kooshi." I asked where she had heard such a word. She said that young children here called her that. She was not upset by it, but I was very upset. I explained how that word is usually used as a terribly insulting name--they understood that to mean a kind of curse word. They wanted some background as to my own strong reaction. I told her how wrong it was to use a word that was used in the States to belittle
a person of color.

2 others, very joyful girls I saw today also asked about America, and could anyone go there-- was it free in that way? I said, mostly... They then said they miss Ethiopia sometimes and still remember it, though life here is alright. They still have some family there. Their parents miss it more than they. They asked about the driving age in the States, and why it was so young. They hope to drive some day but realize it's a big responsibility. They help their parents with English, but difficult English is beyond them, too. They asked, "Why don't you live here?," as in, isn't this the obvious choice for a Jew?

They strike me as trying to sort out their own feelings. One plans to study medicine, and knows that English is key.

This afternoon I briefly met the boys whom I hope to study with. There are 3, who seemed interested and ready to work with me. We will begin on Wednesday.

Yitzchak, my contact person, met me at Matnas Lazarus in Talpiot. I learned that he gives psychological support to teens who struggle with drug and alcohol abuse, etc. I had many questions--he said the boys felt fairly accepted, but he reflected on the Ethiopian experience in response to my questions about their absorption. he discussed the various airlifts and how each time the experience was different. Earlier groups felt welcomed though culturally there was a divide. But this generation struggles with their status as Falash Mura, so they must go through a 3 year process of conversion in order to gain equal rights. Additionally, the 'tainted blood' episode for him personally, was scandalizing and painful.

These are a brave people, in a country struggling to help so many.

7/6 Thank you, you’re welcome, and bruchim ha’ba’im…English is very confusing! I learned that in their synagogue, tefila is done twice, once in Amharic, once in Ivrit, as the generations form one community. Will they hold onto the Amharic? I met Yisraela, super-motivated, we bought bagrut practice books. She is in a modern family, who ‘left behind’ all of the traditions, she said. We worked about 2 solid hours.

"This Journey Called My Life"

2009-06-16T09:54:00.004+03:00

ENP intern Tamara Maltiel recently attended an ENP mission at the ENP Rehovot Youth Outreach Center. Below is her account of her experience:

On a recent mission to Rehovot’s Outreach Center, I was talking to a group of teenage girls who frequent the center. I asked them what they like to study and one mentioned that she liked to sing. She told me that the girls had all made a singing group together and wrote their own songs. It didn’t take much to get the girls to agree to give us an impromptu performance. The song I heard was so much more than what I expected. Not only was it musically beautiful, but the lyrics were obviously incredibly meaningful to the girls as they sang. It was a song about trying so hard to reach your goals. One verse says, “I need to aim higher or be more certain of myself/So that I don’t give up, even if it’s hard/I’ll push myself uphill until I’ve tasted success.” The song also talks about relying on oneself to have the strength to make it through life.

High school is normally a challenging time. It’s a time of trying to define who you are, who your friends are, and what your goals are, and taking classes on top of everything. These girls have the additional challenge of trying to balance their Ethiopian and Israeli identities.

The song has a beautiful message of bringing yourself up even if you fall. It uses the sun as a metaphor; every evening it loses its strength and stops shining, but every morning it brings itself up to try again.

The song lyrics:

I’m dreaming about reaching there
Maybe another step, and maybe this is early
I want to see the light at the peak
Meanwhile I am alone on the ground

I always hoped that the day would arrive, always
I aspired in hope to fulfill the dream
I wanted to realize the endless desire
I didn’t ask anyone because I knew the journey was entirely mine
And I knew that if I want to succeed
I need to aim higher or promise myself
Not to give up, yes, yes, yes, even if it’s hard
To push myself upward until I’ve tasted success

I’m dreaming about reaching there
Maybe another step, and maybe this is early
I want to see the light at the peak
Meanwhile I am alone on the ground

And even if I fall I know
So get up and stand on my own two feet
I won’t close my eyes, and I’ll try again
To move forward in this journey called my life
Like a journey in the desert without water
Like the sun that loses itself in the nights
It slowly lost the strength
But every morning it brings itself up on its own two feet.

Terrie's Latest Adventures

2009-06-10T09:50:00.009+03:00

I must say I have been very busy which I love! Last Monday, I went with Daniel from the Ethiopian National Project (ENP) to Beit Shemesh to paint apartments. We arrived and no one else was there. No supplies, and no one was home in the designated apartments. So, we waited, and waited and finally some people came and Daniel bought a weed eater and the yard was cleaned. I had to get back to Kiryat Malachi for a program that evening, so I left not having painted. I hear that the work was done later that day and the next day. That is all that mattered. (40 soldiers were supposed to lend a helping hand but had to cancel at the last minute due to a Civil Defense exercise that took place in Israel the next day. Other volunteers arrived after work.)

That evening, I had the opportunity to attend the dedication of 2 benches that the children from the Science Class had made with people who go to a club. They all have Cerebral Palsy. All 80 high schools in Israel are partnered with a club for disabled children or seniors. The purpose is to come up with a project in which all can participate. These kids and club members cleared a very weed full yard and put all of the garbage into car tires. The tires were on cinder blocks. Then, the tires were sealed with cement and painted. Voila, two beautiful benches now adorn the yard. Unbelievable. The parents, kids and even the Mayor attended the ceremony. I was very touched and think it was the most moving experience I have had in Israel. The interaction between the 9th graders and their new friends is genuine and sincere. A lot of barriers were overcome in order to make this wonderful program such a success. This is the third year that Sari, the Science teacher, and her students have done this. My hat is off to them.

I continue to work on Wednesday afternoons with the Enrichment Program for ENP. The kids are preparing for their English proficiency exam and that is the focus of our lesson. They are beginning to feel more comfortable speaking English, but writing is another thing. Their sentences tend to be very basic and repetitive. Sivan and I worked on "spicing" them up and including time words which is what the test readers will be looking for. I work with the same children during the day, so we know each other and I know what their assignment is. There is also a comfort level there and that is great! The girls are much more verbal and animated than the boys who are quite reserved.

I had a new experience last week! There was a drill with the siren all over Israel so that in case of an emergency, one would know what to do. Well, I was at the Day Care Center and 20 of us crammed into one office for ten minutes. The siren sounded like a low Shofar blast and lasted 30 seconds. I had no idea what to expect. I guess it is like a fire drill, but the women were talking about how it was a few months ago when a missile hit here and it was for real. This is taken very seriously as you can imagine!

Traveling continues to be included whenever there is time! I went with Chayim and Aliza to Eilat for Shabbat to be with their daughter, son-in-law and children. It was like being in Tucson but with a beach. It was 104 degrees and the water in the sea was cold! Oh, yes, but it is a dry heat! They live on the kibbutz on which their son-in-law grew up. His parents and 2 brothers still live there. There were 15 of us for Shabbat dinner. It was so wonderful being with so much family! I only wish my Hebrew were better so I could join in more of the conversation. The 3 brothers have been to the US numerous times so we could converse. It was a great weekend!

Shula, the high school English teacher with whom I work, took me to Ashdod Sunday evening. We walked on the beach and had coffee in a small cafe. It was really nice to be somewhere new and visit with her. Her family came to Israel in the 1930's from Iran. Yesterday, she had a meeting in Tel Aviv and I went with her. While she was in her meeting, I went to the Etzel and Jabotinski Museums and learned all about the Irgun, the Haganah, (the underground resistance fighters in Israel who helped oust the British) and Jabotinsky. From there to Shuk HaCarmel and to the Dizengoff Center's mall. It is 3 stores with 7 offshoots. It was huge!! Just nice to be somewhere new exploring.

Off to tutor! More adventures to follow, I am sure!

Love to you all,
Terrie

ENP's work in Kiryat Malachi is supported by the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, and the Jewish Federation of Orange County.

Terrie in Kiryat Malachi

2009-06-04T15:45:00.005+03:00

Terrie Sherman hails from Tucson Arizona. She is participating for the third year in the Partnership 2000 TIPS program. After meeting Grace and Nigist in Tucson, Terrie decided to volunteer with ENP in Kiryat Malachi. A teacher of English and special education for 30 years, Terrie is sharing her vast experience with ENP's students.

Where does time go? It seems to just fly away! I have been very busy and am doing some new things. I am with 7th and 8th graders at Amal 1 High School in an English class. They act the same as American 7th and 8th graders. They become very shy when I bring out my camera and do not want me to take pictures of them. We are working on past, present and future irregular verbs with 8th graders and physical attributes with the 7th graders. The kids understand and can speak much better than they write.

I am spending time each week helping Daniel, the volunteer coordinator of the Ethiopian National Project (ENP) improve his speaking in English. Daniel is working on an advanced degree and will be traveling to present the Project and needs to be more confident. We talked about his family (which is very small he says...8 children!), his education and upcoming wedding! I am very excited to be attending his wedding on June 18th. Tomorrow, I will go with Daniel to Beit Shemesh to an Ethiopian community and help paint. It should be a lot of fun!

I have begun volunteering on Wednesday afternoons as part of the ENP with enrichment. The program is from 2-5; with the boys from 2-3:30 and the girls from 3:30 - 5:00. Last week, they wanted to learn cursive. Sivan, the teacher, was very glad to have me there as I have mastered English cursive and she is challenged by it. The kids loved seeing words they knew in cursive, especially their names! We played hangman and they were very good at it. They chose categories and had to think of words that fit into the category given and spell it correctly. Quite a challenge!!

There was no work on Thursday as that evening was a holiday of the giving of the Torah. Everyone eats dairy and you know I love this holiday because I can eat everything! Aliza is wonderful chef as is her husband Chayim. We had pasta, lasagna, ravioli, tuna, lots of salads, many different kinds of cheese and when I thoughts we were finished, she brought out pizza, barakas stuffed with vegetables and stuffed mushrooms. I put a little of each food on my plate and she piles more on. You have to love her!

I have also spent time with Revaya, the 14 year old daughter of Sarah who runs the Ethiopian women's program I so dearly love. Revaya is a very bright young lady with much potential. She loves to talk in English so we do! Revaya wrote an excellent report on different cities to visit in the US and got pictures from a travel agency. She included the Grand Canyon because I live in Arizona. It is such a pleasure to talk with her. She is beyond her years.

Today, I spent some time with my dear friend Luci. I taught Luci English 2 years ago and we visited last year as well. Luci's sweet husband Rafi passed away 1 1/2 years ago, and she is now beginning to live again. Luci will begin English classes in October at the Center. I am going to help her with her English while I am here. Luci is THE BEST falafel maker in all of Israel, and I have tasted many!!

I have connected with the volunteer coordinator in Akko, Louisville's partnership community. They have a summer camp program for disabled kids in wheelchairs and I may be able to volunteer there for a week in July. Noah, the director, will get back with me. When I am there, I will be able to go to Haifa as well as Nehariya and see my family.

Love, hugs and peace,
Terrie

Stay tuned for more blog posts from Terrie...

ENP's work in Kiryat Malachi is supported by the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, and the Jewish Federation of Orange County.

The Youth of Arad

2009-04-22T11:06:00.003+03:00

For many Americans, President Obama's inauguration was a special moment. It proved that who you are and what you strive for are far more important than race. To me, the theme "A New Birth of Freedom" was fitting and showed that everyone does have the freedom to reach his or her goals.

I watched Obama make his speech from a teen center in Arad called Tzelti. Tzelti is an afterschool center for Ethiopian teens-- a program of the Ethiopian National Project. As another American volunteer and I sat watching, completely glued to the screen, the teens came over to see what was so interesting. Although they knew of Obama and knew he had won, they didn't fully understand the importance to us.

We explained that history was being made. We told them that Obama's father had been an immigrant to the US. Obama had grown up a black man in a predominantly white nation. During his years living in Indonesia, he learned what it was like to feel different from the community around him. Despite the challenges, Obama succeeded and won the highest position in the nation.

We could see that what we said had an impact on the teenagers. They also were either immigrants themselves or their parents were immigrants to Israel and are growing up black in a predominantly white nation. In many cities, the Ethiopian community is detached from the outside community. The purpose of Tzelti is to provide an outlet for the teenagers to keep them out of trouble and help them succeed. As we all watched to speech together, I watched them understand the similarities between themselves and Obama. I saw them realize just how high they could reach.

The ENP Tzelti Youth Outreach Center in Arad is supported by the Jewish Federation of Central New Jersey.

Ethiopian Youth in Gedera and Ramla

2009-03-19T17:08:00.007+02:00

Everyday, Ethiopian students in Gedera get out of class in the early afternoon, and face the task of occupying themselves. At a loss for productive programming, some have chosen the less respectable road. However, thanks to ENP, there's the מרכז נוער, Youth Center, that opens at 4pm, and offers a spacious gaming room with a pool table and lounge chairs, a computer room where children can play computer games and browse, as well as athletic programs. The Center gets 100-130 students each day. I had conversations with a ninth grader and a twelfth grader, who described the social situation in the area, and the success of the Youth Center in keeping children off the streets. Also, twice a week scholastic assistance classed are offered to help students with homework. They also discussed a youth leadership program where some of the children can develop programming ideas and then apply for funding and make their dreams realities.

The ENP Field Coordinator was very helpful in introducing me to the students and helping me get a feel for the programming provided, as well as the impact it's had on the community. After Gedera, we traveled to the ENP Student Center in Ramla. There were only a few students there when I arrived, and they said that the larger crowds come a little later in the evening. Nevertheless, they also expressed the sense of belonging they had to the place, since it was a wonderful and safe location where they could relax and enjoy time with friends.

The Ethiopian-Israeli Community of Gedera is supported by the UJA-Federation of New York.

The Ethiopian-Israeli Community of Ramla is supported by the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County.

Bri'ut in Beit Shemesh בריאות בבית שמש

2009-03-05T08:00:00.000+02:00

This was my first experience in an Ethiopian-Israeli community. I arranged to meet the ENP Field Coordinator at the local Community Center in Beit Shemesh, and once I arrived I discovered that there was going to be a meeting with the parents in the community. Seeing the parents reflected just how distinctive this culture is from others in Israel. tattoos on the forehead and jaw were common, and many men and woman had traditional garb, such as intricately designed shawls. All the women had covered heads, and the men either wore Jewish kippot or sports caps.
Amharic was spoken language in the circles of adults prior to the event, but I had a short conversation with one mother in Hebrew. She had moved to Israel three years ago, and had learned Hebrew from her son, who was now fifteen years old and studying at a Yeshiva in Jerusalem. She did not know how to write Hebrew, though, and relied on her children for help.

The ceremony itself was a meeting with the leaders of the community, who discussed the children's programs that are offered and funded by the Ethiopian National Project. Following this, there was a special lecture by an Ethiopian-Israeli doctor on health concerns and hygiene. The entire event was in Amharic, but some of the coordinators translated for me. I learned that there were about 330 children under the age of six, in a community of about 650 families. The leaders explained how the cost of each child is very high, and the money raised by ENP is all non-profit and applied to programs, such as scholastic assistance, and aid for the residents. As for the Doctor's lecture, I found it refreshing to sit through a Powerpoint presentation in an foreign language. There were even diagrams of lice on the slides, with details in Amharic. Through the entirety of the ceremony and lecture, I learned only one word in Amharic: "gasha," the equivalent of "Mister."

This was only my first experience visiting the communities, but it really opened my eyes to the challenges that facing the community, from the perspectives of economy and safety. The leaders make due with what they have, but they can certainly use more aid, to occupy the children and provide activities for the children and families.

The Ethiopian-Israeli Community in Bet Shemesh is supported by the Jewish Federation of Washington, and its United Jewish Endowment Fund.