Shabbat and orientation

Shabbat was nice and relaxing, the five of us who had already arrived went to the Shuk (market) in Rechovot before Shabbat to get a real ‘Israeli’ education. We walked past the vendors selling fruits, vegetables, fish, and bread. Using the stipend Hillel of Greater Toronto and the UJA had given us, we were able to buy ourselves a wonderful Shabbat meal consisting of fish, salad, chicken, and freshly baked bread.
That Sunday the group and I went into Kiryat Moshe for our orientation with Leah and Laura. We were shown around the community and told of its history. Leah told us the story of her journey to Israel, of all the anti-Semitism that existed back in Ethiopia and how Israel had heroically rescued the Ethiopian Jews and brought them to the safety of their own country. She went on to explain the problems many of the new immigrants faced trying to adjust to their new home. For example, Leah said, she was used to bringing water from a well, and was suddenly able to turn on the tap and water would come out. On a much darker note, the racism they faced was different than any other they had previously experienced. They had never been singled out for being black before, and all of a sudden they were different, not because of their religion, but due to the colour of their skin. In addition, many Israelis did not accept them as Jews and, until the Rabbinate officially passed a ruling against it, wanted the new immigrants to go through a mass conversion. After suffering years of persecution because they were Jews, they were now being treated differently because they weren’t considered Jews.
In Ethiopia, many Jews were not allowed to hold certain jobs strictly because of their religion. Now that Israel has rescued them, and they are living in a democratic country they can hold any job they would like. The problem exists in that they don’t have the means. While racism does extend throughout Israeli society, one of the biggest deterrents to these people getting jobs is the lack of education, and the lack of skills. Skills that the older generation did not learn back in their native Ethiopia, and skills that the younger generation does not have the means to learn. This is all starting to change in the community due to the generous donations of our wonderful Toronto Jewish community. Some say the government doesn’t have the funds to help out these communities, some say the Ethiopians are not a priority. But the one thing is clear, the only way for these children to have a future in Israel, is to continue our support and funding of schools, community centers and night programs. This will keep the children off the streets, give them the education and skills they need to be on par with other Israeli children, and to obtain jobs in the competitive Israeli workforce.