74;.).3,== 7.9.(&1=):(&9.43= &3)=);4(&(>=+47= 9-.45.&3=*<8&,*=+ fgqj=tk=tsyjsyx Messages from the President and Executive Director ǽ ǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽ 2 Limudiah Intensive After-School Program for Ethiopian-Israeli Children ǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽ 3 NACOEJ/Edward G. Victor High School Sponsorship Program ǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽ 5 NACOEJ/Barney & Rachel Landau Gottstein College Sponsorship Program (AAS) ǽǽ 6 Additional Essential Programs ǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽ 7 Advocacy on Education: A Stormy Year ǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽ 8 Financials ǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽ 9 Donors ǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽ 11 Board, Staff, Volunteersǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽ 13 Mission Statement ǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽǽ 14 Thanks&,*=+ to Win Robins for Limudiah and other photos. This report covers the 2013-2014 academic year and the 2013 financial year. jxxfljx=kwtr=ymj=wjxnijsy= fsi=}jhzyn{j=nwjhytw NACOEJ’s main mission in Israel is to enhance the progress of Ethiopian Jews through good education, the foundation of all success in life. Our Limudiah programs for elementary school children, and our sponsorships for high school and college students, make a huge difference! But many needs are not being met -- in housing, employment, and other vital areas. We must press Israel’s government to take further appropriate steps on behalf of Ethiopian olim. Failure to do so can create a permanent underclass. Another vital challenge must also be met through advocacy. Most Ethiopian Jews who left their villages in Ethiopia in 2003 or 2010 have come to Israel. But some 5,000 still wait in growing despair in Gondar Province and Addis Ababa. Most have first-degree relatives in Israel. Their dream of aliyah has shaped the mission of their lives for many years. Many of the Jews still stranded in Ethiopia were rejected without being told why. How can they respond without knowing why they were denied the right to join their families in Israel? Advocacy on their behalf has already brought some results. The Israeli government has establishedblished a committee to review their cases. But so far there has been no report from the committee,e, and aliyah has been almost non-existent. We must press this important committee to finish its work without further delay, and determinemine which of the remaining Ethiopians they approve for aliyah. Over more than 30 years we’ve demonstrated that NACOEJ can make a huge difference nin th thee lives of Ethiopian Jews. They’re still counting on us, and we must not let them down now. Rabbi Jerome M. Epstein, President The title of an old Bob Dylan song -- “The Times They Are A-Changin’” -- has been running through my mind this year. We have seen so many changes, good and bad. The bad have been dreadful, with war, death, and suffering leading the list. By comparison, the good changes may seem small – but they are the ones that give us hope. Top of my “good list” is opening the first-ever NACOEJ Limudiah Illit (Upper Limudiah) for middle-school students. The photo on the opposite page shows how excited the students and I were when we met, just a month into the first semester in a girls’ school in Yavne. The girls said things like “For the first time, I took a math test really knowing what I was doing!” One teacher came in on her day off, bringing her new baby, just to meet us and join the whole staff in urging us to keep Limudiah Illit going through 12th grade. Can we? I’ll tell you next year! Next on my “good list” of changes is NACOEJ Israel Director Shoshana Ben-Dor’s wonderfulerful work on preserving Ethiopian Jewish culture. This year it’s a Siddur in Ge-ez and Hebrew, for thehe unique Ethiopian-Jewish Sigd festival, now a national Israeli holiday. And then, increasing our close cooperation with other like-minded organizations, we introducedoduced our NACOEJ family to beautiful gold jewelry made by Ethiopian Israelis in a special programm at the Yvel Jewelry Company. In the photos opposite and on this page, I’m wearing one of their eelegantlegant pendants. It says “love” in incised Amharic letters! Working together is always good for the Jews. For more items on my “good list”, please stay in touch. Barbara Ribakove Gordon, Founder and Executive Director &,*=, nrzinfm=!syjsxn{j="kyjw8$hmttq= izhfynts=ktw=ymntunfs8!xwfjqn=mnqiwjs Unlike Other After-School J Hires the best teachers who Programs are very sensitive to cultural 2013-2014 and familial issues, as well Limudiah Programs The NACOEJ Limudiah works with as poverty, that challenge Ethiopian-Israeli children in grades Ethiopian-Israeli children. ǽ752 students 1-6. It provides 10 weekly hours of J academic assistance in reading, Starts each session with a ǽ16 schools mathematics, and study skills, as nourishing hot lunch, crucial well as enrichment in arts and for hungry children from ǽ8 communities: crafts, music, and Israeli culture. impoverished homes. Gan Yavne, Kiryat Ekron, J Has built-in evaluation At least 80% of our children in Lod, Nes Ziona, Ramla, NACOEJ Limudiah Programs reach mechanisms: Using the students’ skills at the Rishon LeZion, Rehovot class level or higher. The Limudiah and Yavne. Program has been so successful beginning of the school year after year because of the year as a baseline, Limudiah following key elements: teachers check improvement NACOEJ began the Limudiah at mid-year and then J Begins in first grade, Intensive After-School Education improvement over those empowering children to Program for Ethiopian-Israeli achieve early academic levels at year’s end, tailoring children over 20 years ago. The success, preventing approaches to meet the needs program is still vitally important frustration, failure, and of individual students. for new immigrants who have subsequent dropping out. Limudiah teachers visit homes been arriving in Israel over the last several years, and need help J Works in the children’s if necessary, to understand urgently to break out of poverty. schools, ensuring close a student’s lack of progress. Over half of Ethiopian immigrant cooperation with home room Ongoing discussions among children in Israel live below the teachers. school administrators and fac- poverty line (which is set very low). J Maintains small grade-level ulty, as well as with municipal groups of no more than eight educational authorities, ensure Even children from families who students to one teacher. input and evaluation. arrived earlier often continue to need educational assistance, com- &,*=- ing from communities where little learning enrichment is available. Half of all Ethiopian-Israeli elemen- tary school children end the school year below grade level; this per- centage increases in higher grades if there is no intervention. Limudiah provides that intervention. Finally, NACOEJ serves a very di- verse student body, from new im- migrants and others needing ex- treme remedial help, to those with the capacity, talent, and skills to reach above grade level, but need ongoing support to do so. Our pro- grams are tailored to bring out the strengths in the children and to help them achieve their highest potential. &,*=. &"'(=2=i|fwi=+_=-nhytw .nlm=$hmttq=$utsxtwxmnu=wtlwfr Sparks of Science/Young Researchers His name is Yitzhak Adhenan. He He has been accepted into the prestigious Sparks of is a bright, personable Ethiopian- Science Program at the world-famous Weizmann Israeli teenager who is clearly Institute in Rehovot. Twice a week Yitzhak studies there headed for an exceptional future. until 8:00 pm. He completed his first year at Sparks with Fueling his trajectory toward suc- distinction and received a certificate of excellence at a cess are his two NACOEJ/Edward ceremony for exceptional students. G. Victor High School Sponsorship Noting his outstanding record, Sparks of Science sent Program sponsors, Eliot Abramson him on to a special Young Researchers Program to and the Lattman Foundation. study human biology, physics, and more. And he was Because of these sponsors, he is able to attend a pres- chosen to demonstrate scientific experiments at the tigious academic high school where his talents have Weizmann’s yearly Festival of Science. been encouraged, showcased, and grown. This is what the High School Sponsorship Program is all Yitzhak loves biology, P.E., and English. He’s earned about – enabling Ethiopian-Israeli high school students extra credits in electronics and physics. That’s just the to reach their highest potential. beginning. The Importance of High workers, dentists and more -- en- School Sponsorships abling them to break out of pov- In the 2013-2014 erty and succeed. Since 1997, the NACOEJ/Edward School Year... G. Victor High School Sponsorship Bright, Deserving Students Program has enabled thousands 915 Ethiopian-Israeli Need Help of Ethiopian-Israeli teenagers to ǽ attend good local high schools. high school students But each year there are many Basic high school tuition is covered had NACOEJ sponsors. bright, deserving students on by the Israeli government, but local our waiting list who do not have schools charge additional fees that ǽThey were spread across sponsors. It is our goal to add are often beyond the means of 52 schools in 16 cities many more sponsors to our rolls Ethiopian immigrant families. this year so these young people ǽ245 sponsors participated will also receive the support they What is Included in NACOEJ in the program. need to move forward to success. Sponsorships The NACOEJ sponsorships, pro- vided by generous sponsors, cover The Future: How nearly all the required high school fees, including books, school sup- Sponsorships Help plies, lab fees, educational school Good high schools enable Ethio- trips, uniforms and more. Thanks pian teens to be well-prepared for to this NACOEJ program, many the Bagrut (matriculation exams) Ethiopian students can take full so they can be accepted at Israeli advantage of all the educational, universities and colleges -- so they cultural, and social activities their can go on to become doctors, law- schools offer.