In November, the Government of Israel voted to rescue 3,000 Jews from Gondor and Addis Ababa, two war-torn cities in Ethiopia. The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) launched a $5 million national campaign, Operation Zur Israel, to help the olim make aliyah to Israel.
“Our sages teach, kol yisrael arevim zeh bazeh, all of Israel are responsible for one another," said Adam Laver, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia's Emergency Response Committee Chair. "In the midst of our fractured world, Ethiopia is undergoing a civil war with accounts of war crimes by all sides, a severe threat of famine, and rebels closing in on the capital."
The Jewish Federation joined in the North American initiative to uphold this value of being "responsible for one another."
Thanks to the generosity of Marcy Gringlas and Joel Greenberg, Seed the Dream Foundation, their $60,000 matching gift, the Jewish Federation proudly raised $200,000 towards this initiative to bring Ethiopian Jews home to Israel.
"In response to significant concerns raised for our Ethiopian Jewish brethren, Jewish Federation's Emergency Response Committee determined that swift action was called for to save fellow Jews in harm’s way," Laver continued. "Thanks to the generosity of our community, approximately 3,000 Ethiopian Jews who were disconnected from their families will now find refuge in the State of Israel. Am Yisrael chai, the people of Israel live!”
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To learn more about the campaign, or to donate, click here.