Sheree Savar's Remarks

I so wish each and everyone of you could have been with Dahlia Bendavid, Dr. Jaime Ghitelman, Yosi Shwedel, Kent Savage and me as we represented Miami and were part of history in the making. We joined a group of 60, comprised of Federation leadership from North America and Canada and Jewish Agency officials, to bear witness to the relocation of 209 olim from Ethiopia to Israel. Everything we did, every place we went and everything we saw is important. But what I really want you to understand and to feel is the commitment of the olim to start their lives in Israel. To leave their surroundings where they grew up and to begin again. We are talking about human beings … each one with a story and a life that intersects with ours.

My focus is on the people involved in the journey, the olim, the volunteers and the professionals. Israel calls this Operation Zur Israel … I think it should be named Operation Mishpacha.

Before I go on, I want to mention Kent Savage is my boyfriend, who most of you haven't met. He has never been on a mission or participated in any way, but he is brave and good, and missions come with this package.

We were there to show support for the Ethiopian Jewish community members, many yearning to be reunited with family members in Israel. Previous groups came to Israel under the Right of Return. Unfortunately, families were separated, some staying in Ethiopia but others moving to Israel. Years and years have passed. And it is important to right this sad and very complicated situation.

Although our Federation and Jewish Agency travel partners started off as strangers, they became family in an instant. Many are young leadership and all are bright, committed and possess huge nishamahs. No need to worry about the future of our Federation … these kids get it. They are so energized and it’s contagious. We were also in the company of Eric Fingerhut, President and CEO of The Jewish Federations of North America; Micha Feldman, known as the father of Ethiopian Aliya; and Doran Almog, Chairman of the Executive of The Jewish Agency and retired Major General. Doran was the one who led the raid on Entebbe and participated in Operation Solomon. What stories they lived and shared …beyond anything you could possibly read in any history books.

We traveled to Gondar, the place where most of Jewish Ethiopian life took place.

The Jewish Agency created a compound there many years ago. We found our brothers and sisters who come from a world that most of us could never imagine. They live in abject poverty and fear of a violent civil war and oppression. Amid this perilous situation they have not chosen to assimilate into other communities for safety. They do not hide their identity. They go to shul, they wear a Star of David, and openly sing songs passed down from generations. They are Zionists to the core: they have made incredible sacrifices to come to Israel. We visited the Jewish cemetery in Wolloke and said Kaddish for those who did not make it to the Holy Land.

The compound operated by The Jewish Agency and another partner, the Struggle to Save Ethiopian Jewry, is rough and basic but offers comfort and support. They are working to meet the needs of those waiting to go to Israel. Housed in the area is the synagogue, mikveh, medical center and classrooms. Children go to school and learn Hebrew, prayer services are offered, vaccines and food are provided as well as classes to prepare olim for aliyah and assistance with the required paperwork, records, etc.

We visited what constitutes homes there but was really just one room with a dirt floor and walls of tin housing 4-8 people. No bathrooms, no running water, no kitchens. There is a communal small space with a wood-burning fire meant to be a shared kitchen with no refrigeration or electricity. We visited homes where the luggage has been packed for 14 years … waiting for aliyah.

We attended morning services with the community. It was very special. Close to 1,000 people dressed in their best. Men and women separated, praying the same prayers I heard chanted in my grandfather’s Orthodox shul. There was Torah reading as well as kids wandering around and playing under the watchful eye of their loving Jewish mothers. It is exactly the same as in Miami Beach and Kendall. Familiar and so comforting.

Eric Fingerhut recently lost his mother. He addressed the congregation and asked if they would say Kaddish with him. The tears flowed as the prayers were said in unison and the community shared his pain.

Hatikvah to us is a song, an anthem. But when we heard it chanted in Gondar, it was different: it was a meaningful prayer, a plea from this community that has been waiting and longing to make aliyah to their beloved Israel for years, decades even. Through the long years, they never lost hope that they would one day reach Jerusalem. It was so inspiring, touching, moving. It was hard to leave them behind. Someday, someday soon, I prayed for them.

The next day, we went to the airport and witnessed history in the making. The olim carried very few belongings, but dressed up for the momentous occasion in their new clothing. Proud, scared, happy, challenged, every emotion was apparent. We cheered each and every person as they boarded the charter flight to Israel with tears of joy coursing down their cheeks.

We brought sticker books, toys and candy for the kids on the trip. The plane was trashed. We played games, we sang, and we cried more. Eric Fingerhut said to me, “Perhaps we are in the presence of a future Prime Minister.” I smiled and thought, maybe but a doctor and a lawyer for sure.

I will never forget landing at Ben Gurion Airport: shlepping my suitcase down the steps, seeing raw joy, feeling the miracle and maybe understanding for the very FIRST time what it really means to really be Jewish. The olim were welcomed with another beautiful ceremony at the airport. Although it was the end of a very long and emotional day, no one complained … only gratitude. The Minister of Aliyah and Integration, Prima Tamano Shasta, an Ethiopian Israeli, spoke in both Hebrew and Amarat. Imagine how they all felt to see their sister rise to this position. She is a treasure who came on aliyah as a child and is helping so many others fulfill the dream. We again sang Hatikvah, but this time not as a prayer but a song of gratitude. As we left to go to our hotel, I saw families waiting in the lobby with flowers, stuffed animals and balloons and many more tears and smiles.

The next day, we went to see an absorption center where the olim will start their new life. It is not just about their future. It is the future of Israel.

My friends, there is something I left out … and that is your involvement in this journey. You were all there with us. The Greater Miami Jewish Federation has been involved in helping the Ethiopian olim since the beginning. In the past 10 years, YOU have hired countless social workers, financed dance programs, soccer teams. You have built community centers and a culture event space. You have hired attorneys to represent Ethiopians to ensure their civil rights. You helped hundreds of qualified teachers obtain employment in the Israeli school system. And I recently learned that it was Miami that gave a scholarship to Penina, the former Knesset member and now Minister of Absorption, a scholarship to further and achieve her potential.

You are playing a vital part in the redemption of our brothers and sisters. What a start to the New Year. JFNA is kicking off a $9 million emergency campaign for continued aliyah and resettlement. Along with our gift to the General Campaign, the backbone of all, we, Kent and I, are donating $10,000 in honor of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. We were so honored to represent you all and hope you will join us in supporting this holy work.

Thank you.