NACOEJ/Vidal Sassoon Adopt-A-Student College Sponsorship
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Table of Contents 3 The Year in Review: Message from Evely Laser Shlensky, NACOEJ President Message from Barbara Ribakove Gordon, NACOEJ Founder and Executive Director 4 ETHIOPIA: Food, Education and Advocacy 6 ISRAEL: Limudiah: Intensive After-School Education Program 8 ISRAEL: NACOEJ/Edward G. Victor High School Sponsorship Program 9 ISRAEL: NACOEJ/Vidal Sassoon Adopt-A-Student Sponsorship Program 10 Statement of Financial Position 11 Statement of Activities 12 Thank You to Our Supporters 14 Board of Directors and Staff The Year in Review Message from Evely Laser Shlensky, NACOEJ President For those of and North Africa in the 1950’s. He and programs are also uniquely valuable to us concerned my mother often accompanied those the larger Jewish community. The work with the refugees as they headed for Israel. I of NACOEJ is a tangible expression quality of guess one could say that accompanying of our deepest Jewish values. Our Jewish life endangered Jewish communities is my projects offer a vehicle for diaspora in the next ethical inheritance. Jews, including young Jews, to express generation- commitment to Jewish peoplehood and -and History moves on and the endangered to social justice. generations Jewish communities in need of after that— accompaniment have changed. Since I suggest that that the linkage of Jewish recent studies first I learned of the situation of the values with the needs of the Ethiopian that document increasing detachment Ethiopian Jews decades ago, largely Jewish community can offer to younger from Israel and the Jewish people among through the efforts of Barbara Ribakove Jews a potent means to invigorate their young American Jews give cause for Gordon, I’ve wanted to “accompany” relationship to the Jewish people and the soul searching. That searching can them in whatever ways I was able: state of Israel. Please consider directing galvanize creative responses to staunch through advocacy, education, visits and the young people in your life to our the distancing of young Jews from monetary contributions. Involvement website for projects in which they can Zionist commitment. with the plight of Ethiopian Jews has engage to aid this treasured community. become for me a means to contribute to In so doing, my experience, and that of I’m thinking about the growing my people and to Israel. my parents before me, suggests that they detachment of this generation in light may well encounter an avenue to attach of my personal history. I grew up in an My experience may have application themselves to Israel and to the people intensely Zionist home. Much of my to others looking to play a part in Israel. father’s philanthropic work focused on Jewish history. As critical as NACOEJ raising money to help “ransom” Jewish programs are to the welfare of Ethiopian refugees coming out of Eastern Europe Jews in Israel and in Ethiopia, those Message from Barbara Ribakove Gordon, NACOEJ Founder and Executive Director The past 12 fund at least one meal a day for children our 28-year history is replete with new months have age four through six, till they enter our challenges, obstacles, unexpected events, seen extraordi- school at age seven (Ethiopian practice) and economic disasters and miracles. nary changes, and get school lunches. in NACOEJ’s What remains constant? Our devotion to efforts on be- In Israel, though the economic crunch the community we serve, our ability to half of Ethio- has forced us to reduce the number of overcome difficulties and make the most pian Jews in high school and college sponsorships we of opportunities; our incredibly loyal Ethiopia and provide for Ethiopian students, and even supporters— and our endless search for Israel, and in to close some of our crucial after-school the funds we need to achieve our goals our own orga- education classes for younger pupils, for the world’s poorest, most isolated nization everywhere we work. we’ve been able to open one new after- and neglected Jews. By the time you school program in Jerusalem (special read this, a new change toward which In Ethiopia we’ve met major goals, funding was available), and beginning we have been working constantly may helping the JDC reopen their closed free to find some funds for reopening some have occurred: an Israeli government clinic for the Jews, turning our new little classes and starting new ones elsewhere. decision to speed up and complete the Jewish Day School (grades one through We will continue to seek new sponsors Aliyah of the Jews remaining in Gondar six) into an expanded facility that just for our really remarkable high school and may have been made. If it happens, we received a prestigious award as the college students. will enthusiastically move into a new, second-best private school in the Gondar exclusively Israel-based dimension; if it City area, and (thanks to a generous In the U.S. we’ve moved our New York doesn’t, we’ll keep trying. We’ll never grant from the UJA-Jewish Federation headquarters into cost-cutting space, give up. That’s unchangeable. of New York) reopening our Feeding created new, active Board Committees, Center to provide two excellent meals a and started considering our long-term day to children age three and under, and goals. to pregnant and nursing mothers. Now we’re working on a new challenge: to NACOEJ is accustomed to change; 3 ETHIOPIA: Food, Education and Advocacy ETHIOPIA: Food, Education and Advocacy Feeding Center Reopens! Current Population Being Fed in For many years in both Addis Ababa the Feeding Center: and Gondar, NACOEJ funded Feeding Centers, supplying nutritious, twice- • 445 children age three and younger a-day meals to the most vulnerable populations in the destitute Beta Israel • 18 pregnant women communities: children under the age of • 41 nursing women six, and pregnant and nursing women. The Addis community has long since • 450 children age four to six need reached Israel, but in Gondar the Feeding to be fed. (Children in Ethiopia do Center continued to do its life-saving, not start first grade till age seven. Our life-changing work until we ran out of pupils then receive school lunches in funds in 2008. Tragically, the Gondar the Beta Israel Community Primary Feeding Center closed in June 2008, School in Gondar.) causing great physical, mental and emotional anguish both in the population it fed, and in all of us who care about hungry Jewish women and children. Passover In 2010, thanks to a generous grant Once again, we held the world’s largest from UJA-Federation of NY, we were Passover Seder. Approximately 6,000 finally able to reopen for a portion of people jammed into our synagogue space that population: the pregnant and nursing for candle lighting, matzoh eating, raisin women, and the most at-risk children, wine drinking, singing, dancing and age three and younger. Once again, after above all, experiencing the Hagaddah, In the Feeding Center this painful hiatus, at least some of the whose tale of leaving Egypt and reaching stunting and wasting of both body and the Promised Land stirs longing and hope in the Beta Israel community in Ethiopia. School Lunches mind, the weakened immune systems, the prolonged and frequent childhood illnesses, the unnecessary deaths, and the The Seder was led by Rabbi Menachem This year, NACOEJ continued to feed Waldman of the Israeli Chief Rabbis’ essential, nutritious school lunches to life-long debilitating effects of chronic malnourishment, have been mitigated. Committee on the Spiritual Absorption up to 1,000 destitute Jewish children of Ethiopian Jews and a contingent attending the NACOEJ Beta Israel As this is written, however, we still have of ordained Ethiopian-Israeli rabbis Community Primary School in Gondar, and teachers. The entire community— Ethiopia. Our well-balanced meals are a major problem. Children from age four through six, though slightly less including uncountable numbers of critical for the children, whose present excited children— went home at the end and future health, and mental and vulnerable than their younger siblings, were not being fed— again, for lack of with hand-baked matzoh for the whole physical development, are dependent week of Passover. upon adequate nutrition they cannot get funds. As painful as this is on a material level, the psychological pain— and at home. The lunches also enable them Now, if the final shouts of “Next year in to be alert and prepared to learn each day bewilderment— felt by these children, who have to accompany their mothers Jerusalem!” prove prophetic, the Seder of in school, rather than becoming lethargic 2011 will be one of the most memorable and even fainting from hunger in class. and younger siblings to the Feeding Center, and wait outside, hungry, while ever. A short time ago, we expanded the meals are being consumed inside, program to include modified Sunday is worse. Unbearable. We are now lunches for several hundred Jewish urgently seeking funds to provide those children who do not attend our school left-out children with at least one meal daily (they go to public schools offering a day. (We can not eliminate one of grades we do not cover) but come to our the daily meals meant for the younger school on Sundays for Jewish studies children, to cover the cost, because, and Hebrew language classes. A number according to our consulting doctors, of our regular students have begun to the younger children must be fed twice join these classes as well, improving to absorb adequate nutrition.) Perhaps their Hebrew and their knowledge of the by the time this report reaches you, traditional Jewish world they will find in those other children— future citizens of Israel.