Better Health, A Luxury?
April 10, 2009
Welcome to our web site. I am going to be sharing with you some memories of our trip to Ethiopia. Each week I will reflect on what I saw among the Jewish people of Addis Ababa.
Health care in Ethiopia is scarce for all the Ethiopians, but for those who are among the Ethiopian Jews, there is no government provision.
However, since they have recently begun to be recognized as truly Jewish and allowed to make Aliyah, Jewish organizations from around the world have been a part of providing a clinic for them both in Addis and in Gonder. The clinic that I saw and stayed at was in a house in what had once been a much better neighborhood (close to the Israeli Embassy). It was a two bedroom sturdy brick house (unlike the ones pictured in other blogs on this site). There were three rooms in a row outside of the house that had once been servants’ quarters. At the end of this row of rooms was a combination “toilet” (like that pictured on a different blog) and shower area. A number of the 70 orphaned children of the Beta Israel community came and showered here on Fridays to get cleaned up for Shabbat. We stayed in one of the outside rooms while there; the other two rooms were used as the lab and as a counseling/education center. Inside the house the two bedrooms were the treatment rooms and the living room was the reception area.
All treatment was provided by two nurses. In Ethiopia, clinics are classified as lower, middle and upper clinics, depending on the types of services they provide. This clinic had quickly moved from a lower clinic to a middle clinic because of the quality and variety of services it offered. To be an upper clinic it would need to have a doctor there, which was being worked on while I was there, but was not yet actualized. There is no dental clinic for them, although the University of Addis dental clinic has treated some of their emergencies on occasion.
In the Beta Israel community in Addis there are two children who are physically and emotionally handicapped, one is pictured here. There is no treatment for them in Ethiopia. The parents of this child asked me to please try to get help for their son. They had seen a taste of what could be done for him when an organization had come for two weeks with a medical team and he apparently received physical therapy treatment in his home. These parents long for help for their child, but there is none to be had in their country. They expressed the desire to send him where he could get help.
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A Unique Opportunity
October 20, 2008
this entry is written by the webmaster (Gordon)
since Teresa has been very busy with other matters during the High Holy Days...
A central tenet amongst those of the Jewish faith is compassion. The Torah and the Prophets often mention the duty of the righteous to provide and protect the widow, the poor, the orphan, and the stranger. As life unfolds in front of us, we often find that there are more needy people around us than there are resources for relief.
And yet, it is evident that there are those whose standard of living is so far below ours, even pennies would help. During this feast season, the sukkah that we dwell in is a reminder of our dependency on G-d and the fragility of our dwelling against the immensity of creation.
I am blessed to be a part of this small effort to give you the opportunity to support the Ethiopian Jews. It is significant that we are not really giving them a handout, but “affirming their dignity” by purchasing handcrafted goods from them. We can give them a sense of honor and self worth as they provide for their families. Teresa, myself and others associated with Estranged People are all serving in our various capacities as an offering to Adonai- none of us is drawing a salary or taking payment for our services. 100% of the price of the items you purchase is sent to the Jews of Ethiopia, there are no middle men or skimming of the monies.
I hope you see this website, as I do- a unique opportunity to provide some relief to those who have been persecuted for their beliefs and find themselves waiting for over a decade for Aliyah. My wife and I thoroughly enjoy the colorful, whimsical tapestry work of the pillows and tallit bag that we purchased.
Baruch Hashem!
since Teresa has been very busy with other matters during the High Holy Days...
A central tenet amongst those of the Jewish faith is compassion. The Torah and the Prophets often mention the duty of the righteous to provide and protect the widow, the poor, the orphan, and the stranger. As life unfolds in front of us, we often find that there are more needy people around us than there are resources for relief.
And yet, it is evident that there are those whose standard of living is so far below ours, even pennies would help. During this feast season, the sukkah that we dwell in is a reminder of our dependency on G-d and the fragility of our dwelling against the immensity of creation.
I am blessed to be a part of this small effort to give you the opportunity to support the Ethiopian Jews. It is significant that we are not really giving them a handout, but “affirming their dignity” by purchasing handcrafted goods from them. We can give them a sense of honor and self worth as they provide for their families. Teresa, myself and others associated with Estranged People are all serving in our various capacities as an offering to Adonai- none of us is drawing a salary or taking payment for our services. 100% of the price of the items you purchase is sent to the Jews of Ethiopia, there are no middle men or skimming of the monies.
I hope you see this website, as I do- a unique opportunity to provide some relief to those who have been persecuted for their beliefs and find themselves waiting for over a decade for Aliyah. My wife and I thoroughly enjoy the colorful, whimsical tapestry work of the pillows and tallit bag that we purchased.
Baruch Hashem!