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Winer Foundation
trip to Ethiopia
Winer Foundation's President Dr. Robert
Winer and Kokeb Gedamu traveled to Ethiopia for a very important
on-site visit to the Beta Yisrael (black Jews) who we support
economically and spiritually.
Unless one takes seriously the words found
in Isaiah 6:8 "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?,"
the decision to do something like this seldom happens. This particular
trip was during a very difficult and dangerous time as famine
ravaged the land and war with neighboring Eritrea was imminent.
Yet it was clear that we needed to overlook threats to our personal
safety to deliver aid and personally encourage the Beta Yisrael,
many who have been suffering for years in Addis, the capital
of Ethiopia. The vast majority of these people once lived in
villages in the provinces of Gondar and Gojam but left their
homes hoping to quickly go to Israel.
The challenge that these suffering people
face is very terrible --l ittle 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 Beta
Yisrael that we helped on this trip, over 300 families each having
between 5-10 people in them, were 100% Jewish (See related 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.
On this trip alone, we significantly helped
between 1500-2000 of these Jewish people. Yet with sadness we
left realizing that many more could have been helped had we had
more finances.
Please consider taking up the burden of
helping to sustain these abandoned ones.
We were also privileged to be able to hold
a special meeting to encourage a group of over 50 Ethiopia business
leaders, Christian and Moslem, to not forget to the Beta Yisrael
and their opportunity to "bless the Jewish people."
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.
Our meetings with spiritual leaders from
around the country built bridges of relationship that we trust
will be used 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. We know that the situation
can change in a moment, like it 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 article, "Statistics
on Beta Yisrael immigration to Israel from Ethiopia").
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 the Winer Foundation
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 help this work.
Robert Winer, M.D., Winer Foundation President
If you interested in learning more about this,
contact us:
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