Page 10 The Jewish Floridian of Tampa/Friday, December 12,1986
Gondar Revisited
By ROBERTA FAHN
The future of Ethiopian Jewry
 its survival as a community, the
"Operation Moses" rescue to
Israel and absorption into Israeli
society has been long discussed
and debated in the Jewish
community.
I visited the Ethiopian Jews in
Gondar province in 1982. This
past June, I went back to Gondar
to revisit this time the rem-
nants of that community some 18
months after thousands had
escaped government and religious
oppression by making their way to
Sudan and the airlift to Israel.
On my first visit, as the Anti-
Defamation League's represen-
tative in a National Jewish Com-
munity Relations Advisory Coun-
cil delegation, we were unable to
obtain official permission to enter
any Jewish village. Arranging a
two-day excursion into the Simien
National Park, we left the main
road and walked to the village of
Benkar. There we learned of the
problems the Jews faced, of
hatred directed at them by their
Christian neighbors, the dif-
ficulties in trying to teach Hebrew
and the community's desire to
leave for Israel.
This year the situation was dif-
ferent. The war continues. Ter-
ritory north of Gondar city is clos-
ed to travelers under tight securi-
ty but Jewish groups continue to
tour Ethiopia, bringing desired
foreign exchange. In return, now
many are allowed to visit the re-
maining Jews.
I returned as part of a mission
organized by the North American
Conference on Ethiopian Jewry
with 17 participants from the
United States and Israel. We flew
from Tel Aviv to Cairo to Addis
Ababa and finally boarded a small
aircraft to Gondar. Seeing the
lush, green countryside and the
flourishing crops, it was hard to
imagine the drought that had
scourged the land.
Gondar seemed nearly the same
except for increased military
presence.
After checking into the hotel, in-
Roberta Fahn is associate direc-
tor of the Anti-Defamation
League's Israel office in
Jerusalem.
congruous in its elegance, we
boarded the bus for the ride to the
Jewish village of Wolleka. Since it
was in the security zone north of
the city limits, we had to show a
travel permit to soldiers guarding
the road.
Children ran quickly to an-
nounce our arrival. Wolleka is the
only Jewish village with a tourist-
oriented commercial enterprise,
originated by ORT, selling black
clay figures. The project is being
furthered by the government with
the recent opening of a factory-
cooperative.
We went directly to the
synagogue, painted white, a
Mogen David on the roof. We
were met by the Kess (the spiritual
leader) who conversed in Hebrew.
Children sang Hebrew songs for
us. Considering the experience
this village has had as a showpiece
for groups like ours, I mentally
questioned how genuine this
display was. Still, I appreciated
the attempt to maintain some
Hebrew and Jewish identification.
People thrust photographs at us
of family members in Israel. Some
held letters yellowed and torn at
the edges. The women cried when
they pointed out their children in
the photos, but seemed proud of
their clean, modern clothing and
their healthy look. This was in
stark contrast to the children still
in Wolleka, dressed in rags. We
took pictures, along with names
and addresses, to give to their
families in Israel. We saw very
few males between the ages of
16-30, the age group most able to
make the trek to Sudan and the
"operation Moses" airlift.
Later, we drove to Aba An-
tonius, a small village with some
200 people, all Jews. Living condi-
tions were extremely poor and the
people sickly and malnourished,
though far healthier than the hor-
rible scenes of famine-induced
Agam Menorah
For Sale
Just in time for Chanukah. Beautiful Agam
Menorah available through the Tampa Jewish
Federation.
For information call:
875-1618
i!
THE PREPARATORY
SCHOOL
at Achieve, Inc.
A private school for those who desire
a meaningful education
GRADES 6 -12
 Individualized college and business
preparatory curriculum
 Small classes
 Emphasis on study skills, self motivation,
and responsibility
 Focus on how to think '
 Computer and media-assisted instruction
 Program of sports and enrichment activities
for all students
Helen V.H. Baines, Ph.D.
Director
3418 Swann Avenue, Tampa, Florida 33629
(813)876-1393
starvation we had once seen on
television.
Elsie Roth, a nurse from
Missouri accompanying us, notic-
ed that the entire village was suf-
fering from conjunctivitis, the eye
disease commonly known as "pink
eye."
The synagogue, as in Wolleka,
was white and clean. There was a
Sefer Torah and some prayer
books. The old men spoke almost
no Hebrew but when they learned
that I had come from Jerusalem,
their eyes lit up and they smiled
warmly. One tapped his leg over
and over again. Finally it came
through: he would walk to
Jerusalem if he could. Again, we
were swarmed by people with
photographs and letters from
relatives in Israel. Here the
children knew no Hebrew; some
knew English.
We learned that many people
had tried to leave for Sudan, giv-
ing up land and livestock. Turned
back at the border, they returned
only to find their possessions in
the hands of Christian neighbors.
Again, there were no young
men. Some said they were in Gon-
dar studying. The Kess, however,
said many had left for Israel.
The next morning we went back
to Wolleka for Shabbat. The
synagogue was filled within
minutes, men to the right, women
to the left. Children in between.
The service was in Hebrew but
with Ethiopian melodies and pro-
nunciation. The children joined in
the prayers and many of the songs
 all in Hebrew. We counted
about 250 people but only about
20 adult males, most over the age
of 45.
While singing Hebrew songs
with some of the children out-
doors, suddenly we were inter-
rupted by three strangers in
western clothing. A 14-year-old
boy whispered to me in English,
"Enough." We carried on in-
nocuous conversation as they ap-
proached. One said that he was
from the Education Administra-
tion in Addis Ababa. Later, the
same boy told me he was "securi-
ty." They stayed for 20 minutes,
looking around the synagogue
windows and watching our
activity.
We visited the family of Matti
Fanta, a man who appeared in
ADL's film, "Operation Moses." I
recognized him from the pictures
his grandmother and sister
displayed. The tukel (house) was
neat, but filled with smoke from
the Shabbat fire. There was a
separate corner with one raised
bed, a vat for Wot, the Ethiopian
spicy goulash, and anjera, the
pancake-like sour bread eaten dai-
ly. I was offered special Shabbat
bread.
Two windows offered little ven-
tilation. Floors and walls were
mud, the roof thatched straw.
Chickens claimed much of the
floor space. Earthen benches
were covered with skins. The only
decoration, outside of beautiful
utilitarian baskets and
photographs of family in Israel,
were two matzoh boxes. (I would
see those same decorations in
other villages.)
After lunch, we returned to Aba
Antonius to minister some
elementary eye treatment to the
entire village. The villagers were
helpful in dividing the population.
Some men assisted, holding thel
children's arms, calming the]
mothers and translating. My only
sentence in Amharic: "Eye nan-\
chehu b'janchu a tinku" or
"Don't put your fingers in your
eyes!" The children were frighten-;
ed, soothed somewhat by the can-
dv we offered.
1
HTha ^r6or-
Wteatote ^MAietn tftantittp
648 Vou/A iA(ac ySi#.rf***tu*
879-3457
Children and adults
BVRIV BOAS, M.S., CCC
SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST
1 12 south magnolia
Tampa. Florida 33606
2S1-OOB3
8902 NORTH Dale Mabry
Tampa. Florida 33624
933 2764
WAduM* PoutA
Give Someone You Love A Massage
For CHANUKAH
Gift Certificates Available
Will Travel To Your Home!
Tina Kalbfleisch
Lie. NO. MA0004953
935-9355
by appointment
Let The
Tampa Airport Marriott
Cater To
\our Every Need.
Our professional staff, attentive service and gracious
accommodations will make a success of your Wedding,
Bar Mitzvah, Banquet, Business Meeting or Reunion.
We also provide outside catering services. See our Catering
Department for information or please call 879-5151.
TAMPA
AIRPORT
Harriott