Beautiful Israel 

In mid April we celebrated the 65th Anniversary of the re-born State of Israel: a country that came into being on the 5th Iyar 5708, the 14th May 1948, and of which we remain enormously proud.

As the Declaration states: “The State of Israel shall be open for Jewish immigration and for the ingathering of the Exiles….” Since its inception, the State has ingathered millions of Jews, many who have sought refuge arriving here in only the clothes in which they stood.   This was certainly true of some 600,000 Jews arriving from Arab lands in the early days of the State.

As newly arrived immigrants ourselves - in 1998 - we regularly attended Ulpan in the hope of learning Ivrit. Aside from the language lessons, we celebrated and commemorated the Jewish festivals and significant anniversaries in our calendar. There were frequent lively discussions and on one occasion I said something about the number of refugees that Israel has absorbed successfully. The teacher immediately retorted: “We don’t have refugees here. We only have Olim Chadashim” – yet another important lesson we learnt that morning.     

ESRA has played a major role in the successful integration of English speaking olim. This was ESRA’s raison d’etre, conceived by our founder and Honorary Life President Merle Guttmann, in 1979. Through ESRA, these same English speakers have given so much back with their meaningful contribution to immigrants requiring multi-faceted support. ESRA volunteers were there to ease the way for the mass immigration that arrived from the former Soviet Union in the late eighties and what a success story this aliyah has proven to be for the country.

Acclimatizing to a new environment is not easy, especially when that environment is very different.   This has been one of the prime challenges of the aliyah from Ethiopia, where the change has been dramatic and at times painful for the newcomer. ESRA, through its Learning Centers, Right Track Centers, Dance Group, Students Build a Neighborhood project, Computer Programs, Sewing Centers and Embroidery Project has given a new life to both the young and their parents. How proud we can be that the first female Ethiopian lawyer to be accepted by the Tel Aviv Prosecutor’s office for an internship, while simultaneously taking her second degree in law, is a graduate of ESRA. Another one of our Ethiopian graduates, currently studying at the Wingate Institute, led the demonstrations last year calling for equal rights. These are two examples of the many achievers who were helped on their way by ESRA.

This year’s “Miss Israel” is the first Ethiopian born beauty queen. On receiving her crown, Yityish Aynaw said: “I want to show that my community has many beautiful qualities that aren’t always represented in the media”. Beauty is not only physical; it is also the way one feels inside. ESRA’s role is about ensuring that those who come to us for help will receive it, so that they too will feel good inside. On Israel’s 65th birthday, ESRA has every reason to feel proud of its past and in its future, will continue to contribute towards a beautiful Israel.

Chag Yom Ha’Atzmaut Sameach!

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Brenda Katten

Brenda Katten was born and educated in London, UK.  She was a member of Bnei Akiva and the Federation of Zionist Youth (FZY). Professionally she worked as a Relationship and Educational C...
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