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our trip to ethiopia From May 13 to 28, 2000, Gesher's President Dr. Robert Winer and Gesher's Shaliach Kokeb Gedamu traveled to Ethiopia for a very serious mission to support economically and spiritually those of the Beta Yisrael (black Jews) left there awaiting immigration to Israel. Our journey was not embarked upon as being solely the plan of a human desire to help those less fortunate but arose specifically at this time out of obedience to a revelation that we believe came straight from the heart of God. In Isaiah 6:8, we read of the Lord's question to his servant Isaiah that remarkably is still the question He asks us to consider today, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" The divine favor that blessed our trip was God's way of confirming to us that May, 2000 was the set time for God to begin His final deliverance for that portion of Zion abandoned in Ethiopia. This was a very difficult and dangerous time for us to go to Ethiopia as famine ravaged the land and war with Eritrea was imminent. Yet out of obedience to God's voice we could not do anything but go to deliver aid and represent American Messianic Jews and Gentile believers who love God's people, the Beta Yisrael. The Beta Yisrael left in Ethiopia have been suffering for more than 5 years in Addis, the capital of Ethiopia and in Gondar, 500 miles to the north. The vast majority of these people once lived in villages in the provinces of Gondar and Gojam. They left their homes hoping to quickly go to Israel -- the land promised to their fathers and to Jerusalem, which they consider to be their true home city. The challenge that these suffering people face is very terrible --little or no food and clothing; inadequate and costly shelter with no jobs to pay for rent; and insufficient or no medical care. Yet instead of being allowed to go to their homeland Israel, many go to their graves while still in Ethiopia. How painful it is to see first-hand the full extent of their poverty and sadness. Let us share with you one example of what we saw there with our own eyes. One night, Moses, one of the Beta Yisrael who helps us in this work, took us to the area where most of the Beta Yisrael were living. Upon entering a two-family house that was in near total darkness, we found ourselves among 7 people living in a barren single room. The smell inside was nauseatingly strong, and lingered heavily amidst an air of profound sadness. Before us was a family in shock -- four fatherless children watched helplessly as their mother slowly was dying. There was a resignation that humanly-speaking nothing could be done to save her. On a dirty cot in the corner, we saw their mother, her skeletal body writhing uncomfortably in a semi-comatose state. Her two youngest children, boys of 7 and 9, sat beside their emaciated mother, hoping for a miracle. Two years ago, their 38 year-old mother brought them to the Addis, Ethiopia's capital city, to go to Israel. While waiting to leave, she became very ill and for the past month she had been struggling between life and death. A week ago, she asked to be discharged from the hospital after three weeks of treatment only seemed to weaken her condition. And so her doctor honored her request to return to her meager home when he too realized that nothing more could be done to help her. When we saw her she couldn't speak and the little movement present seemed to be just labored efforts to take a few breaths. All we could do was pray for her and give some financial help to the family. Seven days after we saw her, Moses called to cancel a morning meeting with us, saying that instead he must go to bury her.  One of the saddest things about our trip was the fact that this family's story was not unique. Right now, many people in Ethiopia, Jew and Gentile alike, suffer because of persecution, war, poverty, and famine. So who is there that will answer the call to help take care of these people? The Israeli government has denied them immigration because of political squabbles. Their detractors claim they're not Jewish, a falsehood we can personally attest o. The Beta Yisrael that we helped on this trip, over 300 families each having between 5-10 people in them, were 100% Jewish (See related Gesher article, "Are the Beta Yisrael left in Ethiopia Jewish?") We saw many family trees (Shoresh's) that documented their Jewish ancestry and all of the 300 had valid Jewish registration cards issued by the local Ethiopia Jewish authorities. The core of this work is about helping people. And without reservation, we praise God that between 1500-2000 of these Jewish people were significantly helped. Yet with sadness we left realizing that many more could have been helped had we had more finances. The only hope for these precious forgotten people is the divine intervention of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Till then, the gifts of His followers who have embraced the burden will help sustain these abandoned ones. We encourage you to meditate upon Psalms 121:1-8, for we are also fully convinced that blessing the Beta Yisrael in Ethiopia and Israel is one of the present-day keys to unlock the door of blessing for the nations of the world, and for Ethiopia in particular. This message to "bless the Jewish people" formed the core of a message of encouragement that God opened the door for us to deliver to a group of over 50 Ethiopia business leaders, Christian and Moslem. Dr. Winer also was privileged to lecture at the Addis Ababa University College of Medicine and to train doctors in new diagnostic techniques to help the nation. Strategic foundations for future cooperation and help were laid that we're convinced will bear significant fruit in the future. Our meetings with spiritual leaders from around the country built bridges of relationship that we trust God will use to help both the Jewish people and the nations. We hold in our heart a deep hope and confidence for a good future for our abandoned brothers and sisters in Ethiopia. If we cooperate together in prayer and financial support we can save the Beta Yisrael from death. For with our God nothing is impossible. Under his power lay even the highest of government officials. We know that God can change the situation in a moment, like he did in 1984 when Operation Moses carried over 8000 across the Sudan desert or in 1991 when Operation Solomon airlifted nearly 15,000 of the Beta Yisrael to Israel in a little over a single day (See related Gesher article, "Statistics on Beta Yisrael immigration to Israel from Ethiopia"). Today we stand in faith and hope that our God can still do miraculous things to bring these abandoned people to their homeland of Israel. We appreciate your love and concern for the Ethiopian Jewish people. We know that you too share our sadness each time we hear the reports of their suffering. We need your help. Spread the word about what Gesher is doing to alleviate the desperate plight of the Beta Yisrael people in Ethiopian. We need you to tell as many as are willing to listen. Please help us reach across the world to find both prayer and financial supporters to come to the aid of our brethren. Today, please consider giving a financial gift to Gesher (make a gift to Gesher's humanitarian and medical work ).
May the Lord bless you from Zion,
Robert Winer, M.D., Winer Foundation President if you need any further information, contact us:
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