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M Ethiopian Jews Make Aliyah as
Part of Operation Zur Israel
ichael Balaban, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater
Philadelphia, with local philanthropists Lynne and Michael Markman,
joined dozens of other community leaders from Jewish Federations of
North America on a delegation to accompany 180 Ethiopian olim (immigrants) to
Israel on June 1, following a special three-day mission in Ethiopia.

Th e following day, a second fl ight of 160 Ethiopian olim arrived in Ben Gurion
airport. “Excitement, wonder and, yes, a bit of fear. Th ese are the emotions seen on the
faces of our friends as they journey to begin their new lives in Israel,” Balaban
said. “All are leaving the only place they have ever known with excitement to be
going to a place they have only seen in their prayers.”
Th e two fl ights mark the resumption of Operation Zur Israel or Rock of Israel,
an initiative approved by the Israeli government allowing 3,000 members of the
Jewish community in Ethiopia to make aliyah and reunite with their family
members in Israel. Some of the olim have waited over a decade to reunite with
their loved ones and fulfi ll their dreams of aliyah.

“Th e Jewish people in Ethiopia are living in deplorable conditions without
health care, basic plumbing or housing while they struggle to survive to achieve
their dream of moving to Israel,” said Michael Markman, a Jewish Federation
board member, who along with his wife, Lynne, have made contributions over the
years to programs that support Ethiopian immigrants.

During the mission, the leaders met with Ethiopian community members in
Gondar and Addis Ababa, who were waiting to make aliyah to become Israeli
citizens. Other organizations present during the mission included offi cials from Th e
Jewish Agency for Israel, Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund, the World
Zionist Organization and the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.

Outside of the organizational delegations, Minister of Aliyah and Integration
Pnina Tamano-Shata, the fi rst Ethiopian-born woman to enter the Knesset,
accompanied the immigrants on their fl ight. Other notable leaders who partici-
pated in the journey included Yaakov Hagoel, chairman of the WZO and acting
chairman of Th e Jewish Agency, and Jeff rey A. Schoenfeld, chair of the Israel and
Overseas Committee of the Jewish Federations of North America.

In addition to more than $100 million in core funding Jewish Federations
raise every year for partner organizations such as the Jewish Agency, which
allows them to both carry out their routine work and prepare for extraordinary
moments such as these, Federations have launched a campaign of more than $7
million for the continuation of aliyah from Ethiopia and for humanitarian assis-
tance for the community still awaiting aliyah.

“Th e North American Jewish community is proud of the way our commu-
nity is stepping up once again to support Ethiopian aliyah,” Jewish Federations
President and CEO Eric Fingerhut said. “Th ese inspiring moments are a reminder
of how important it is to invest in the infrastructure of Jewish support organiza-
tions, which Federations do year in and year out to ensure we are prepared to act
when the need arises.”
As the new immigrants settle in Israel, there are still those remaining in
Ethiopia who are anxious to make aliyah and reunite with their families. When
that time comes, Jewish Federations are ready to continue to help facilitate that
journey, providing hope for Ethiopians long awaiting their homeland.

Aft er his experience in Ethiopia, Markman is even more passionate about
investing in resources for the absorption of immigrants in Israeli society: “As a
Jewish community, we need to band together to save and support these Jewish
souls and work to move them to Israel.”
Ethiopian Jews pray in the synagogue in Gondar, Ethiopia, before making aliyah
as part of Operation Zur Israel.

Courtesy of Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia
Filled with hope and joy, 180 Ethiopian
olim arrive safely in Israel on June 1.

Courtesy of Maxim Dinshtein for
The Jewish Agency for Israel
The Markmans meet the matriach of
a family of four living in a 10-foot-by-
10-foot room in Gondar, and learn that
they will be making aliyah.

Courtesy of Jewish Federation
of Greater Philadelphia
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