We arrived at the Amarkuba refugee camp. We were living in hot tents, drinking steaming water. We had nothing to eat. I spent four months at the camp. It was very difficult. Every day ten or twenty people would die because of starvation and neglect.
Finally, rescue came. An Israeli Air Force plane landed, soldiers helped us board, and we were on our way to Israel.”
The operation, coordinated by the government of Israel, the Israel Defense Forces, and the Jewish Agency for Israel, rescued over 14,000 Ethiopian Jews.
After Orit and her family landed in Israel, the Jewish Agency provided them with housing, food and clothing. The family was given a three-bedroom apartment in the ancient Jewish city of Safed (Tzfat), near the Sea of Galilee, was supported by the Agency’s professional staff.
Since coming to Israel, Ms. Efraim’s family has prospered. Her daughter has been serving as a Jewish Agency emissary for over three years. Her nephew received a PhD from Israel’s technical institute, and has won a Fulbright fellowship. His sister is a neurologist who studied at UC Santa Barbara, and yet another niece, Dr. Rachel Masalla, has a PhD in chemistry.
“Today, I work at the Jewish Agency absorption center in Hanita”, she tells us,” helping new immigrants to Israel. This is truly coming full circle. I received help, and now I am giving back to my brothers and sisters.”
The Efraims’ miraculous return to Israel and their successful integration into Israeli society would not have been possible without the Jewish Agency’s help. The Jewish Agency was there for Ms. Efraim and her family, from the covert rescue operation from Sudan, through providing them with free housing, clothes and Hebrew language education, to supporting them emotionally during their first months in Israel.
Through the Jewish immigration program, the Jewish Agency has brought more than 3,000,000 Jews to Israel from all over the world, with 30,594 moving to the Holy Land in just the past year.
While Orit arrived safely in Israel and is blossoming in her new home, many more Jewish families around the world still await their chance to reach Israel.
The Jewish Agency’s rescuing of Jewish lives and their deliverance to Israel is made possible by the generous giving of friends from around the world.
By donating to the Jewish Agency’s programs, you will be providing support to those who need it the most.
Jewish Agency for Israel North American Council is a tax-exempt public charity in the United States under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by U.S. la
