reach for the stars · in 2006, we provide aid to education at every level from elementary school...

132 NASSAU ST • NEW YORK, NY 10038 • 212-233-5200 • FAX: 212-233-5243 • E-MAIL: [email protected] • WEBSITE: WWW.NACOEJ.ORG

Reach for the StarsW H A T N A C O E J I S D O I N G I N I S R A E L F O R E T H I O P I A N J E W SYears ago, the work our NACOEJ family did forEthiopians in Israel was quite varied, including adental clinic, start-up gifts for newlyweds, voca-tional training for youngwomen, playground equip-ment and pre-school pro-grams in absorption cen-ters, and more.

But when we learned thatthe greatest crisis facing thenewcomers was getting agood education, we decidedto concentrate. Today, westill have many programs inIsrael, but virtually all focuson education.

In 2006, we provide aid to education at everylevel from elementary school through highschool, college and even graduate school to

thousands of Ethiopian-Israelis. We have childrenwho started in our elemen-tary school programs(Limudiot) and are now inour college programs, hav-ing successfully completedhigh school and military ornational service. Here’s howit’s done. (Remember: with-out your support, none of itcould be done at all.)

Limudiot: After-School

Learning in the CrucialElementary

School Years

GRADE SCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL COLLEGE

Giving Ethiopian-Israeli

Teens a Choice and

a Chance

Making the World a

Degree Richer:Ethiopian

College Studentsin Israel

NACOEJ • NORTH AMERICAN CONFERENCE ON ETHIOPIAN JEWRY

NACOEJ • NORTH AMERICAN CONFERENCE ON ETHIOPIAN JEWRY • 132 NASSAU ST • NY, NY 10038 • 212-233-5200 • FAX: 212-233-5243 • E-MAIL: [email protected] • WEB: WWW.NACOEJ.ORG

Like immigrants everywhere,Ethiopian families in Israel tend tolive in poor neighborhoods wherechildren attend under-fundedschools. It’s easy for immigrantEthiopian children to fail in crowd-ed classrooms, especially when theirparents, never having had thechance to go to school in Ethiopia,and not familiar with Hebrew, can-

NACOEJ after-schoolprograms are com-pletely inclusive. EveryEthiopian child in thegrades we teach iswarmly welcomed.Many have no hot foodat home, so our lunchis important and anylunches left overbecause children areabsent, go home tofamilies. Our warm-hearted caterer (Israeli schools have no kitchens) donatesShabbat food to families every Friday.

In some schools, our Limudiot are integrated, with immi-grant children fromnon-Ethiopian familiesattending at their families’ request.

(They are not fundedby NACOEJ.)

We’re delighted to see warm friendshipsgrow among childrenfrom different cultures.It’s also a great tribute to the success of theprograms.

Tzipi Ben-Haim, princi-pal of the MaimonSchool in Lod, a verypoor city, points outthat many of the chil-dren live in dangerousneighborhoods andthat the Limudiot notonly teach and feedthe children, but givethem “a protectivehome for the after-noon hours”.

NACOEJ programs arenot one-shot affairs.Hava Shefi, principal of

the Ma’anit School inRamla, says, “No otherframework gives whatyou give. The work isfor the whole year. The total number ofhours devoted in gen-eral and to each pupilmakes progress possi-ble. The frameworkworks over a numberof years consistently.We see the seriousnessand involvement of allresponsible, and thatgives the results”.

At NACOEJ, we arevery proud of ourlong-time involvement— and heartbrokenwhen funds run lowand a successful pro-gram is in danger ofbeing cut back or,heaven forbid, closed.

LEARNING AND MORE

not give them essential help athome.

NACOEJ therefore providesLimudiot, after-school classes ofintensive education to improve thechildren’s Hebrew, give them read-ing, writing, and arithmetic skills,help them master their homework,and reach their grade level quickly.

In small groups (no more thaneight children to one top profession-al teacher), with a nutritious hotlunch in their often empty tummies,and all the pencils and books theyneed, they not only learn academi-cally but come to feel confident intheir own abilities.

Although many Ethiopian chil-dren in Israel are not reading even inthird grade, virtually all children inour Limudiot are reading Hebrew infirst grade! Many climb to the top oftheir classes. Some go into programsfor gifted children. They don’t dropout or act up – they succeed andqualify for good high schools. Ourschool supplies program gives themthe basic materials their parentscan’t afford to buy.

In 2006, NACOEJ Limudiot serveabout 1090 children in 17 schools infive Israeli cities. Many more are onour waiting list. We would love toinclude them, but the cost (about$1000 per child per year), alreadyadds up to about $1,000,000 per yearfor those we now have. We can’toffer sponsorships for individualchildren in grade schools (we canfor high school and college), but ifyou would like to sponsor an entireafter-school class, or a whole schoolprogram, please call Orlee Guttmanat 212-233-5200, extension 224, or e-mail [email protected]. And ofcourse gifts of any size are greatlyneeded!

Limudiot: After-School Learning in the Crucial Elementary School Years

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For many years most Ethiopianteenagers were sent to state-subsi-dized boarding schools for highschool education. It was felt thiswould take the burden of housing,feeding and clothing teens off theirimpoverished families, transformimmigrants into Israelis, andthrough vocational training, preparethe youngsters for jobs. But not allparents wished to send theirteenaged children away and manyteens felt the boarding schools werepreparing them for only low-level

MEETING GALITRemember Galit, the talented high school

student looking for a sponsor? Soon after wepublished her story in a Lifeline, the Pearlmanfamily of New York offered to sponsor her.Their son, Gregory, became a summer intern inthe NACOEJ office in Manhattan. Last January,Greg went to Israel, and wrote to us:

“Meeting Galit was one of the highlights ofmy trip. At the Katzir High School in Rehovot,I was met by Galit and her principal. Theygave me a tour of the school, which was full ofstudents who seemed eager to learn. When Italked with Galit personally, her command ofEnglish was surprising. (I was told she is gift-ed in basically all areas.) She told me she wish-es to work as a lawyer, helping underprivilegedchildren. We called my family in New Yorkand my mother and Galit spoke on the phone

as well. Galit said itmade her feel verygood that otherJewish people did thisto show they careabout her. I was soglad my family and Iwere part of helpingsomeone as special asGalit.”

IMMANUEL’S STORYImmanuel Melaku is a very special boy, and

needs a special sponsor (or a group of sponsors) toenable him to achieve his extraordinary potential.

Immanuel attends an excellent school thatbrings together kids from observant and non-

observant families. Immanuel’s divorced mother -– who graduat-ed from college with the help of the NACOEJ Adopt-A-Studentprogram and is working -– is struggling to pay his school fees.

Immanuel writes,“Not long ago, I was designated a gifted student and was accept-

ed to a special afternoon study program. The program is run by an organization called “ALBERTO”. One course I take is advanced math and logic. The other is called “the youngdoctor” in which we study chemistry, anatomy and physiology. Theproblem is that each course costs around Nis 2,400 ($530).

“It is not easy for my mother to pay all that money and I feel I would like to help her but I am still too young to do that. Please find a way to help.”

Edna Shavit, from our Jerusalem office, made a special requestthat we try to find someone who can help with Immanuel’sALBERTO program costs, which come to $1,060 a year. Immanuelbelieves his studies are “a good investment for a better future.” Weagree. Is anyone willing to help this exceptional youngster? Pleasecontact Leiat Klarfeld at 212-233-5200, extension 232 or by e-mailat [email protected].

And if you’re interested in helping one of the many other kids onour waiting list (at a cost of $350 a year), contact Leiat. They alldeserve a chance to succeed.

jobs. Many wanted to live at homeand go to local academic highschools where they could make non-Ethiopian friends and prepare forcollege.

However, local high schools inIsrael entail costs. Parents must payfor books, school supplies, carfare,gym clothes, lab fees, school trips,etc. — more than many Ethiopianscan afford.

A few years ago, NACOEJdecided to ask our donors if anywere interested in covering thehigh school costs of 18 boys andgirls whose families had askedus for help. The response wastremendous.

Today, more than 1300 Ethio-pian-Israeli youngsters live athome and attend good localhigh schools, thanks to our High

School Sponsorship Program, nownamed for a generous sponsor,Edward G. Victor of Los Angeles.(See “Meeting Galit”.)

A previous Lifeline presented pho-tos and bios of a few high schoolyoungsters on our waiting list. Theywere immediately sponsored. Manymore offers poured in, and werepromptly matched with eager stu-dents. But more sponsors are alwaysneeded. (See Immanuel’s Story.)

HIGH SCHOOLGiving Ethiopian-IsraeliTeens a Choice and a Chance


The Vidal Sassoon Adopt-a-Student program was born in the1980’s when our founding presi-dent, Jonathan Giesberg, ofblessed memory, visited the hand-ful of Ethiopian college studentsin Israel and found they all hadthe same problem: although thegovernment was paying theirtuition, they had no money forfood, health insurance, carfare,rent, and books.

At Jonathan’s urging, NACOEJstarted looking for sponsors whowould provide a modest livingstipend for these young womenand men who were the hope ofthe Ethiopian community.

Today, there are many moreEthiopian college students inIsrael – and many graduates.Thousands have been helped byNACOEJ. They include lawyers,teachers, scientists, social work-ers, entrepreneurs, artists andperformers, diplomats and politi-cians, government officials, armyofficers, medical professionals,and more.

But many promising studentsare still dropping out of collegebecause they have no jobs and nomoney for basic necessities. Thisyear, NACOEJ has 370 sponsoredstudents in our AAS program –

up from last year, butstill not nearly enough.

Letters from AAS stu-dents to their sponsorsare often so touchingthey bring tears to oureyes. Knowing we don’thave room in the Lifelinefor all or even most, wedecided to print onespecial one. It’s a poem,written in Hebrew by studentErez B. Kassahun to his sponsors,Mark and Emily Friedman ofSilver Spring, Maryland. Thepoem was translated in theNACOEJ Israel office.

“Sometimes you want to say something, but you don’t know what.Sometimes you want to scream,but you remain silent.Because there is no word that can express, no word that entersthe emotion.Sometimes it is not enough.Sometimes it does not expresseverything…Maybe a new word should be invented, a special word just for you.A word that would really expresswhat’s inside, a human wordThat would come out of one heartand enter deep into the other!”

On a recent trip to Israel, I was told by an Ethiopianmember of our Israeli Board that our college program was our most important effort “because itis the last chance for our young people to achieve success”. On the same trip, a Jewish Agency officialtold me the high school program was our mostimportant “because it gives youngsters a chance tomake it into college and help their families at the

same time”. If I had to choose, I would pick theafter-school program because it sets the stage for a youngster’s whole life. But they’re all criticallyimportant to the future of the Ethiopian Jewishcommunity in Israel. Without any of them, thechances of success go down. With them all, together we can reach for the stars…BRG

Jonathan Giesberg in Israel in 1987 withEthiopian friends Fiona and Elana (right). Elana was the first Adopt-A-Student andbecame a professional chemist.

Making the World a Degree Richer:Ethiopian College Students in Israel

Then, Erez, an educational man-agement major at Bar-Ilan Univer-sity, adds:

“I have no words to express allmy gratitude and appreciationto you. I would like to say thankyou, from the bottom of myheart, for the help and supportyou give me with this stipend.Your donation helped me inevery aspect, financially, academically and emotionally.Your help encourages me to aimhigher and reach more. I wishand pray that you will alwaysbe repaid ten-fold for all yourdoings. Sincerely, Erez B. Kassahun”

Please consider having heart-felt words like these addressed toyou or to a group you can form toshare the expenses of a student.Call Evelyn Deitchman at 212-233-5200, extension 226.

COLLEGE

A FINAL WORD...

reach for the stars · in 2006, we provide aid to education at every level from elementary school...

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