A Circle of Friends

Under the mature shade trees of Kibbutz Ayelet Hashachar, new immigrants learn Hebrew and a modern lifestyle, while teaching a growing circle of friends about themselves and their culture.

The Galil Absorption Center houses a total of two hundred and eighty Ethiopian immigrants. Located on Kibbutz Ayelet Hashachar, the grounds are shared with the kibbutz, verdant, clipped, lush and comfortably shady with benches and stone paths scattered amongst the two-story residence halls. Soon after our arrival, we were on our way to visit one of the residences.

Tigist with her young daughter.

Tigist Balata welcomed us into a tiny, tidy room, redolent with the aromas of roasted coffee, popcorn and sandalwood incense. We navigated our way around the few chairs to find a place to sit. Soft Ethiopian reggae played on a cassette deck as Tigist, a petite woman with doe eyes and a latte complexion, demonstrated the traditional buna (coffee) ceremony. Rarely raising her eyes and in a veritable whisper, she explained in stilted Hebrew the different stages of the buna, beginning with the roasting of the green coffee beans up until the adept pouring of the hot brew into tiny cups.

Tigist is safe and confident within the bounds of her "small Ethiopia," where social cues are comprehensible, time-tables flexible and the language understood. Dorit Heyman, Director of the Galil Absorption Center, grasps the complexity of bridging the gaps between her own world of technology, productivity and pressure and that of the 280 new immigrants living in the facility. She believes that the key is a people-to-people connection.

"The Upper Galilee is a region of small towns, kibbutzim and moshavim," explains Dorit. "Very few Ethiopians live here and once we facilitate the contact, there is a great openness amongst the veteran Israelis to get to know them.

Limor Haddad, Cultural and Social Director (r) sits with an immigrant girl to discuss her homework schedule.

Over two years ago, we approached Ruti Meister, a recently retired, charming dynamo of a woman from Rosh Pina to chair our Friends of the Absorption Center (Chug Yedidim). Although, initially hesitant to take on what to her was a novel proposition, once she agreed, she gave it her all. The Friends now comprise 30 members from all walks of life. Each one contributes in their area of expertise. Individual Friends give classes in topics ranging from driving to drama, and not only are personal relationships established, but each Friend uses his or her family, social, employment and community connections to widen our sphere of contacts."

"Firstly, Ruti introduced our immigrant community into her well established town of Rosh Pina. The upcoming Independence Day Celebrations, a central community event in Rosh Pina will include for the third year running joint performances by the Absorption Center's children's choir and the Rosh Pina children's choir, as well as solo performances by young Ethiopian vocalists." The children begin preparing with great enthusiasm months in advance, and in Rosh Pina, the fresh faces on the program and the warmth they bring, have rejuvenated the century-old gathering.

Give and Take

"We are determined to have a two-way relationship. We all can learn and we all can give, and we can do it together. Our immigrants recently hosted Friends in their homes for a buna ceremony, preparing and explaining the custom.

"Only a few weeks ago, one of our Friends, who is a police officer, organized a hike together with local policemen. After the hike, they all celebrated TuBish-vat with the planting of trees."

They taught the Friends a song in Amharic and we all took a nature hike in the area, led by one of the Friends who is a tour guide. Two of our Friends are nurses, and arranged for our children's choir to perform in the Pediatric Unit of the Ziv Hospital in Tsfat. They also brought carefully prepared baskets of well wishes and treats. Not long after, we brought them to Kibbutz Mahanayim where they livened up an afternoon in the retirement home."

Games, riddles, and a demonstration of high-tech forensic gadgetry were part of the fare for a series of public safety days organized by the local police. "One of our Friends is a policeman, and he made sure that our immigrants were fully involved in the proceedings. Ten of our young adults underwent appropriate training and volunteer regularly in the local Civil Guard.

Bicycles donated as presents for the Bar/Bat Mitzvah children.

"The beautiful Bar/Bat Mitzvah parties we hold each year are also thanks to the involvement of our Friends. Last year, the Bar Mitzvah ceremony was held in the synagogue of Moshav Safsufa near Tsfat, where the children were greeted with cheers of encouragement and bags of candy. The party was later held in the expansive property of our chairwoman, Ruti. The food, beverages, decorations, music, audio system and the presents were all gifts. The children's choirs performed, and a member of our Friends prepared a visual presentation on a huge screen. This past year, one of our Friends arranged for the donation of eighteen new bicycles, one for each Bar/ Bat Mitzvah child.

The Personal Touch

"As we are emphasizing the person-to-person element, I asked one of our Friends, Hezi, to consider taking a problematic teen-age boy under his wing. The boy, who dropped out of an academic framework, has no father and is experiencing increasing friction with his elderly mother.

right: Director Dorit Heyman sits with some of her staff. She says,"We would like to see more Ethiopians permanently settling in the area, but there is no government mortgage program in the north, and when they leave the Absorption Center, they understandably want to be near their families in the center of the country. We have created many positive relationships and try to prepare them as much as possible, but they inevitably lose some footing in the relocation process. For those who do settle in the area, the Absorption Center remains a secure base."

We were looking for some way to communicate with him. Hezi has been a lifesaver. He is here almost every day, helping with Hebrew, taking the boy on trips, and most impressively, he has convinced him to take part in the adult ulpan on our premises."

Using Connections to Get Ahead

"Finding a job, getting hired and integrating into the workplace is a daunting task for someone with elementary language skills and little technical know-how. However, it is imperative in the process towards independent living, and again our Friends have helped. Of course, it is often, friends of friends, or cousins of friends, as our network rapidly expands. Recently a few residents were hired by a local shoe company. The company welcomed them with a tour, extensive explanations and a mentor to assist each worker hands-on. Needless to say, this isn’t the typical procedure for the introduction of a new factory worker," adds Dorit.

Tables Turned

"One of our staff members came up with the laudable idea of running Amharic classes," continues Dorit. "Our Friends welcomed the idea and the students included nursery school teachers and other educators who work with Ethiopians, a volunteer here at the Absorption Center, and an assortment of interested parties, including myself. It was a basic ten hour course, after which the students were asked to host Ethiopians who happily tested their proficiency in basic communication. I can't tell you how thrilled the immigrants are when we approach them in Amharic. It is the most basic reaffirmation of their identity." Moving right along, Amharic 201 began last week.

"The Absorption Center is about creating partnerships with employers, schools, institutions and individuals. In the end, we all want to promote greater understanding, and see a better, more just society. The aforementioned is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of current activities and the future of our community involvement. The contacts multiply, empathy expands, and we learn to respect each other as individuals and care for each other as a community," concludes Dorit.