Helping Ethiopian Jews break the cycles of poverty and racism in Israel

By Gila Noam, Israel and Overseas Director

130,000: That’s the total size of the Ethiopian-Israeli community in Israel. But open up an Israeli newspaper these days and you’ll be struck by how frequently this community is featured, often on the front pages. Reports of “white” Israelis banning the sale of apartments in their neighborhood to Ethiopian-Israelis; quotes of a school bus driver’s racist comments to his 10-year old passengers; debates on whether to close down schools with 80% Ethiopian students and integrate them into mainstream schools; and yet another case of an Ethiopian-Israeli husband and father brutally murdering his wife within earshot of their horrified small children.

Participants in the Olim B'Yachad program

No doubt, this community is having the toughest time of any group in Israel’s long history of integrating immigrants from 102 countries. Not so surprising when you think about what it takes for Ethiopians to find their place in the Israeli mainstream: make the huge leap from a traditional agrarian society to a modern Westernized economy; wear a wristwatch for the first time; struggle to learn a new language while being illiterate in one’s native Amharic (as indeed 80% of this community are); find the inner strength to deal with the chaos caused by the breakdown of traditional family roles and retain their dignity as parents and as human beings.

STEP BY STEP, THIS COMMUNITY IS FINDING ITS PLACE IN ISRAELI SOCIETY
End of story? Doom and gloom? Far from it, because with the huge challenges, there is also much positive news to report. Step by step, this community is finding its place in Israeli society. The good news may not attract the headlines as much as the bad, but it’s real, exciting, and growing day by day. For the past two decades, our Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund has been a driving force in helping to create so much of this dramatic change by funding programs that support social justice and promote equal opportunity.

Just a few examples: In 2004 there was a total of 4 Ethiopian-Israelis working in Israel’s thriving hi-tech industry. Today there are over 200. How did this happen? This 50-fold increase can be attributed almost entirely to the vision of Asher Elias, a young Ethiopian-Israeli computer engineer, who left his own hi-tech job to combat discrimination by developing a unique program, “Tech-Career.” The program provides opportunities to better integrate Ethiopians into higher levels of Israeli society through technology and software training, ultimately placing participants in high tech industry careers. The unique methodology of this program, cloistered in the serene setting of a kibbutz so that students can totally immerse themselves in their studies, has achieved amazing results, with its graduates not only finding jobs, but also giving back to the community by serving as role models for Ethiopian-Israeli teens.

OVER 50% OF THE ETHIOPIAN-ISRAELI COMMUNITY IS CAUGHT IN A DEVASTATING CYCLE OF POVERTY
There are many Ethiopian-Israeli single mothers with minimal formal schooling who attend the Jewelry Arts School initiated by Isaac and Orna Levy. Through their high-end jewelry design business, Yvel, the Levy’s are deeply committed to training and employing their students, securing a livelihood for graduates in either in Yvel or at other high-quality jewelry firms. Today, these mothers are exhibiting and selling their art all over Israel and their beaming faces speak volumes about what this program means to them.

Yifat Ovadya

Another example of growth, change, and hope borne out of the vision of one person is Yifat Ovadya, a young attorney in one of Israel’s most prestigious law firms. Yifat simply couldn’t tolerate the fact that university graduates in the Ethiopian-Israeli community were working as security guards, or not working at all and had slim chances of being interviewed for jobs commensurate with their education. And so, in 2007, she left her law practice and developed the Olim B’Yachad program that has recruited over 200 prominent business and professional leaders who mentor Ethiopian-Israeli university graduates in a holistic and intensive way, and open doors which would otherwise remained firmly shut. Today, of the 360 graduates of the program, 85% are employed in jobs in some of Israel’s leading law and accounting firms, in hi-tech, and in other rewarding jobs, which take full advantage of their expertise. In turn, program graduates are giving back, volunteering to help other Ethiopian-Israelis.

Challenges can be overcome and success can be achieved

These groundbreaking and high-impact programs target different populations within the Ethiopian-Israeli community, and they have many things in common. All were developed by visionaries who care deeply about the Ethiopian-Israeli community and about Israel as a just society. All are being funded by the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund. And all are transforming the lives of thousands of Israeli’s from the entire mosaic of this complex society. And in so doing, they are all helping Israel realize the promise of its origin – a country based on freedom, justice, peace and equality for all its citizens.

On Super Sunday a single phone call can improve lives around the world

Our Federation’s first Super Sunday was created over 31 years ago. It’s a day for our entire Jewish community to come together as one in spirit and in action – to help Jews in our local community, in Israel and the world.

We won’t ask you to personally deliver food to the hungry, make visits to the homebound, or drive a senior to the doctor. We don’t expect you to teach Hebrew school, take a young adult to Israel or become a Jewish summer camp counselor. All we ask is that you make the call.

Bring your positive energy, your cell phones (and chargers) and join with other volunteers as we mobilize our Jewish values of tzedakah and tikkun olam into action.

Super Sunday Co-Chairs Randy Dick, Molly Dick and Brett Dick take a break from making calls at Super Sunday 2011.

The excerpt below is from a letter written to us by the 2011 Super Sunday Co-Chair, Molly Dick. We think her words capture the essence of what it means to participate in Super Sunday:

“The event was remarkable on so many levels. We all knew going into it that this was not going to be the Super Sunday of olden days – an extravaganza involving a cast of thousands, a year in the planning and a big budget expense.But we what we did end up accomplishing was, I believe, something even more special then Super Sundays of the past. We produced an event that felt appropriate to the times in which we now live and fundraise and yet still managed to be memorable to those of us who were there that day.

“Our volunteers throughout the day showed up and did their job. They hit the phones; they were knowledgeable and sensitive in how they addressed their donors; they stayed beyond their allotted shifts; and there was an unflagging energy in the room that continued on from the early morning hours right up to the last phone call at 6:00 p.m.

“The community in return responded beyond our wildest expectations. Everyone is feeling the economic pinch. No one, from our biggest donors to the smallest, has emerged unscathed; but in keeping with our remarkable tradition of tzedakah, our donors responded to our calls with an outpouring of support – maintaining and even increasing their gifts on every level when it would have been so easy to say “No, not this year.” “No, not me.” In the hundreds of calls we made throughout the day, was there occasional dissatisfaction over any number of things that Federation doesn’t get right? Of course. Were there donors who wanted to politicize their gifts or give directly to the affiliate agencies instead? Sure. But the overwhelming majority of our donors still understand, and have responded to, the fact that our Federation on all levels helps those who cannot help themselves and whose lives are enriched by Federation dollars. The response was clear and unequivocal and validating. We still have our work cut out for us, and we need to continue to educate our community. But what the Jewish Community Federation stands for in this its centennial year is something to be very proud of.

“Looking back on it all, I realized that we accomplished so much more than just raising vitally needed funds that would take care of fellow Jews both at home and abroad. Brett, Randy and I honored Jerome Dick, whose legacy was the creation of Super Sunday thirty years ago. Our leaders in the community were honored as well for all they had done and continue to do.”

JOIN US FOR SUPER SUNDAY 2012
Super Sunday: The Power of Community
Sunday, March 11, 2012 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
REGISTER NOW

• The Jewish Community High School, San Francisco
• The Oshman Family Jewish Community Center, Palo Alto

One simple yes started my life’s path of volunteerism

Lynn Bunim is the 2012 winner of the Judith Chapman Memorial Women’s Leadership Award, which recognizes outstanding Jewish volunteer leaders. In this post she describes in her own words how her life has been shaped by volunteerism. Lynn will receive her award at the Power of One on February 16.

By Lynn Bunim

I was an apple that did not fall too far from a tree in the 1960s. My mother, Jane Burrows, was a volunteer with the Mt. Zion Hospital Women’s Auxiliary.  She and many other volunteers did their version of “bring your daughter to work”…it was actually  “bring your daughter to Mt. Zion to volunteer.”  That was the role of Jewish women then and it is still the role of Jewish women today. In most cases, we are the family member who models and teaches our children about Tikkun Olam.

At the time none of us young “Candy Stripers” knew what Tikkun Olam was.  We just knew we were making Mt. Zion patients’ days a little bit brighter. For sure, we left our shifts with a feeling of satisfaction. Tikkun Olam has remained an integral part of my life ever since the Mt. Zion experience. I don’t think about “putting” it into my life. It is just part of my DNA, part of who I am and who I became.

Lynn Bunim (right) and her mother, Jane Burrows.

I approached community involvement like I approached my career in the corporate world.  I said “yes” to requests to become involved in nonprofit endeavors, even when I did not know where “yes” would lead.  I said “yes” to a request to attend “just one meeting” for Jewish Vocational Services.  That first “yes” led to nearly twenty years of an affiliation with JVS, including serving as its President.  The JVS leadership experience led Mayor Willie L. Brown, Jr. to name me the founding Chair of San Francisco’s Workforce Investment Board. By taking a risk, I found a new passion and leadership roles, serving the vulnerable in both the Jewish and the general community.

My experience and position with JVS led me to a position on the Federation board. Once I reached the board, I was fortunate to have volunteer mentors and key Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund staff members who continuously matched my skill set with challenging volunteer opportunities.  Past recipients of the Judith Chapman Memorial Women’s Leadership Award like Adele Corvin, Joelle Steefel and Kathy Williams have supported and advocated for various positions relating to allocations. Long time JCF staff member Susan Mall has been my “inside” mentor.  She helped me see the value of balancing my charitable giving between the JCF and select Jewish agencies.

My advice to young Jewish women who want to grow their involvement and leadership in the Jewish community is simple.  For starters, just say “yes” when a friend asks you to donate an hour or two of your time.  Alternatively, let Katherine Tick, the JCF’s Director of Leadership Development, know about you, your skill set and your interests.

Katherine Tick’s email is katherinet@sfjcf.org.  She will take it from there and try to make a match. If you don’t take the first step, you will never know where it might lead or what passion you might unleash. Looking back it was just one, small, first step into JVS that put me on a path of ever growing engagement in our Jewish community.

JOIN LYNN AT THE POWER OF ONE AWARD CEREMONY
Lynn will receive the Judith Chapman Memorial Women’s Leadership Award at our annual Power of One event, taking place February 16 at the San Francisco Hilton.  Learn more and register for this celebration of Jewish women who inspire us to make a difference in the world.

Give a nomination this Hanukkah

Imagine someone gave you $36,000 for Hanukkah, and told you how much your leadership meant to the community and the world. That would feel pretty incredible, right? Well you can give a teen in your community a chance at that gift, and the honor of recognizing their own giving spirit.

You can download the nomination form here and submit it by SUNDAY, January 8, 2012.

The Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards honor Jewish teens who have demonstrated remarkable leadership and are actively engaged in projects which embody the values of tikkun olam (repairing the world). Up to five California teens are celebrated annually and each recipient is awarded $36,000 for their college education or to further their work to make our world a better place.

Nominate a teen today, and help us celebrate the power of teens to change the world. Watch this video for more info.

Nominations must be submitted by January 8, 2012 (and those submitted before December 31, 2011 will be entered into a drawing to win a $360 donation to a nonprofit of the nominator’s choice).

AWARD ELIGIBILITY: The award is open to Jewish teens who are residents of California and are ages 13-19 at the time of nomination. Teens’ projects can help either the Jewish community or the general community, so long as they have not been remunerated for their services. Teens may be nominated by any community member who knows the value of their project—except family members—or may also nominate themselves. For more information visit our website or contact the Project Coordinator for the Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards, Rachel Bloom, at (415) 512-6437 or rachelb@sfjcf.org.

The Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards are generously funded by the Helen Diller Family Foundation.

In Memoriam: F. Warren Hellman

July 25, 1934 - December 18, 2011

The Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund mourns the loss of Warren Hellman, one of our community’s greatest leaders. His passion for philanthropy and dedication to improving life for San Franciscans and for the Jewish community locally and worldwide is a proud legacy and a virtuous model for civic engagement. Warren once said to his grandchildren, “There’s no such thing as being too philanthropic.” If everyone gave their time and resources like Warren did, the world would truly be a better place.

Warren was Chair of the Jewish Community Federation’s Endowment Fund and a member of the Executive Committee of the Board. His contributions to our organization were vast. He enriched our lives and our community beyond measure, helping Federation evolve for success in the 21st century, working tirelessly by our side, never shying away from a good challenge. The JCF is but one of many organizations and causes Warren touched so significantly.

As a dedicated student of the Torah, Warren was always finding inspiration and discovering life lessons, particularly in regards to how we treat others and use philanthropy to express our values. For Warren, the flaws and mistakes of the human condition were important to appreciate and to contrast with the tremendous potential for decency.

We will miss our leader, our mentor and our dear friend.

May he rest in peace, and his memory be a blessing for all time.

MORE ABOUT F. WARREN HELLMAN
Warren Hellman, the 1 percent exception, SFGB, December 19, 2011

Warren Hellman, financier and philanthropist, dies at 77, SFGate, December 19, 2011

The Billionaire Who Loved Bluegrass, The Bay Citizen, december 18, 2011

VIDEO: Warren Hellman on Torah and Philanthropy, YouTube, April 22, 2010

Help a teen win $36,000

Do you know an outstanding teenager in our community who deserves to be recognized?

Nominate a teen today for the Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards, which annually honor up to 5 teens who have demonstrated remarkable leadership and are actively engaged in projects which embody the values of tikkun olam (repairing the world). Each recipient is awarded $36,000 for their college education or to further their work to make our world a better place.

Nominations must be submitted by January 6, 2012.*

Help us celebrate the power of teens to change the world by honoring a special teen you know or encouraging a self-nomination. Watch the video below to learn more.

*Nominations submitted before December 31, 2011 will be entered into a drawing to win a $360 donation to a nonprofit of the nominator’s choice.

AWARD ELIGIBILITY: The award is open to Jewish teens who are residents of California and are ages 13-19 at the time of nomination. Teens’ projects can help either the Jewish community or the general community, so long as they have not been remunerated for their services. Teens may be nominated by any community member who knows the value of their project—except family members—or may also nominate themselves. For more information visit our website or contact the Project Coordinator for the Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards, Rachel Bloom, at (415) 512-6437 or rachelb@sfjcf.org.

The Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards are generously funded by the Helen Diller Family Foundation

Mishmash discovers Kevah text study

By Vera Fishman, member of Mishmash

The Mishmash Kevah group has a special place in the life of the Mishmash community. We are a group of Russian Jewish young adults who were mostly raised in Russian-speaking countries and have little to no formal Jewish education. Though many of us have typically turned away from organized religion, we are comfortable talking about Judaism as a personal identity. So something like “text study” can sound intimidating at first. However, those of us who were curious and open-minded enough to attend the first Kevah session found out that text study can be an intellectual journey and a journey of Jewish questions and values. We all returned for a second session, regardless of our religious practices.

Mishmash Keva's 1st session: Jewish Tradition Series

Studying text for the first time can be a truly eye-opening and liberating experience. The most important thing about Kevah is that it inspires. It turns out that text study is neither boring nor a purely academic experience – it can be fun, it can be challenging, it can be relevant to our daily lives.

Kevah makes it possible to focus text study around topics that are most relevant to the group. It is amazing that after each session every one of us leaves wanting more.

The Mishmash-Kevah group is organized by Vera Fishmash and Olga Rybak. Kevah is a grant recipient of JCF’s Impact Grant Initiative.

See lots more pictures.

Woody Allen in SF: Your chance for tickets

For more than thirty-five years, Woody Allen and His New Orleans Jazz Band have been delighting audiences with a hot mix of New Orleans inspired music. The band’s sound is firmly rooted in the music that Woody Allen has loved since his childhood and draws inspiration from such legendary artists as Sidney Bechet, George Lewis, Johnny Dodds, Jimmie Noone and of course, Louis Armstrong.

The group is now embarking on their first multi-city tour of California they are pleased to bring their brand of New Orleans jazz to San Francisco on Wednesday, December 28, at the Regency Ballroom. Full details.

YOUR CHANCE FOR FREE TICKETS
Just use your mobile phone to text WOODY to 51818 and follow the prompts to enter the drawing. That’s it!

Honoring the life and legacy of Mildred R. Snitzer

Mildred R. Snitzer, a forceful presence in the Peninsula senior scene, passed away on September 9, 2011, at age 103. She attributed her longevity and vitality to her passion for dance, philanthropy, and Northern California, all of which provided opportunities for staying active and meeting new people. A professional dancer, she danced the foxtrot and taught country western line dancing at senior centers. Mildred’s generous legacy to the Jewish Community Endowment Fund will provide educational opportunities for Jewish students in the Bay Area for generations to come. Mildred shared her perspective on living and giving in the Federation’s Book of Life: “As highly as I recommend the Jewish Community Endowment Fund, I also suggest dancing. That is the secret to a long life. My motto is, “if you don’t keep movin’, they’ll plant ye!”

What will your legacy be?
Our planned giving options apply investment principles to your charitable giving and help you achieve your financial goals as you empower future generations. Learn more

Israelis – within and without

By Michal Kohane, Director of the Israel Center

Two ads, issued a few months ago by Israel’s Ministry of Absorption and aiming at Israelis living abroad, have stirred public opinion in the Jewish world globally. Here is the first:

The second portrayed grandpa and grandma talking on Skype with their granddaughter. There is a menorah behind them but when they ask the girl what holiday is coming, she says excitedly, Christmas! The caption read: they will always be Israelis; their grandchildren might not.

The latter link has been removed. Few, if any, found these ads useful. There are no reports of massive returnees following their airing. Many, however, found them offensive and confusing. While initially wanting to pull at the heartstrings, they hit below the belt. I for one see anything to do with Yom Hazikaron (Israel’s Memorial Day) and am immediately choked up, but do these ads make me want to pack my bags? Should they?

The debate whether authentic, meaningful Jewish life is possible outside of Israel isn’t new. Abraham was told to go to the Land where he will become a blessing unto the nations; his grandson, Jacob left with his children to Egypt when there as a famine, and there became a big nation. Ever since, leaving Israel is considered “yerida” (going down) while going to Israel is considered “aliya” (going up), even if one migrates from the Dead Sea to the Himalayas or from Mount Shasta to the Valley of Jezreel.  It’s a spiritual concept, not a geographical one. Just like receiving an “aliya” when one goes “up” to the Torah, going to Israel is always considered “up.”

This conversation continued throughout the centuries: During the Talmudic era there were two centers: Babylon had significant wealth and knowledge;  and Jerusalem? Well, it was after all Jerusalem, no matter the destruction and desolation, and despite the fact that the Jewish center even in the Land of Israel itself has moved to the Galilee. Babylon succeeded in proving that one can have a rich Jewish life outside the Land and that Jewish continuity isn’t dependent on the location. On the contrary: life in Israel, then and now, hasn’t always been “safe”. And yet, that “proof” didn’t diminish one iota from Jerusalem’s crown and Israel’s centrality in the life of the Jewish people.

In later years, Poland in Hebrew was named “Polanya,” possibly an amalgam of three Hebrew words: po (here) lan (dwells) ya (G-d); Vilna was called the “Jerusalem of Lithuania,” and Rabbis Yehuda Halevi of 11^th century Spain wrote in his poem: “my heart is in the East, and I am at the end of the West,” long before he knew how far west we would go.

Jews have lived in the Diaspora for centuries. Had the claim that ‘one cannot live an authentic Jewish life outside of Israel’ been true, we wouldn’t be having this conversation now, simply because we wouldn’t have made it through two millennia. Viewed this way, no wonder the ads can be offensive. They use a scare tactic rather than showing how great it is to live in Israel, and why one should live there.

But what’s even worse is that they take the gap between two segments within the Jewish people and magnify it; instead of using our joint challenges to reach out, educate and engage, it perpetuates the “no one will ever understand us anyway” syndrome of one side to push its agenda.

I remember preparing for a Yom Hazikaron ceremony in Sacramento when one of the community members walked into my office. Naturally, as a “never understood” Israeli, especially on this issue, I started preaching to him about the importance of coming to the event. He said he will, then asked, “Will you also come to the cemetery, and honor my friends and me, the Jewish veterans on (the U.S.) Memorial Day?”

I had to pause. It dawned on me that while I was so absorbed in my story, I neglected to notice other stories; and while it is quite possible that “no one understands Israelis on Yom Hazikaron,” it is also possible that there are a myriad of deep, meaningful values regarding being Jewish that Israelis can learn about, especially from the Jewish community abroad.

The Jewish people are a complex puzzle, where the sky isn’t more important than the blades of grass or the ships on the water. The best we can do is not negate who we are, but reach out, connect and engage with those around us in a respectful way to create the beautiful landscape we can be.