So I guess now is when it becomes real.
Im in the plane, I have the whole row to my self.
Getting on the plane and seeing small black women as Stuartest wearing white robes makes you understand that yes, this plane is on the way to Ethiopia 🇪🇹.
I am going to do my small part on bringing the Jewish Ethiopians back. 3000 years is klong enough, it is finally time.
When G-d told isiae that he will collect the jews from the 4 corners in the world, we'll I guess Ethiopia was on that list.
Up till now in the back of my head I had that fear of "what if I don't succeed" what if this whole effort is a flop? All this money down the drain. But now it is ll behind me. It doesn't matter if i fail or succeed. Why matters is that I am doing my part, I am putting my shoulder under the stretcher. Just being part of the returning of the Jewish people is enough of a thrill, rush for me.
I used to read books of the Jewish people coming to the land in the late 1800s, then early 1800s, after the holocost, the Russians in the 90s. All in the best, and I would wish that I could be back then and help and be part of the process, but all of those dreams is just the easy way out of acting now . At the time they must of know that something big was happening bit probably not knowing that they where writing one of the biggest parts of history. The first time ever a people returns to a land after 2000 years of exile.
Well, I don't know if I'm writing history bow, maybe I'm just being a child, trying to do a dream. Some of my friends at home think that I'm just looking for adventure, anther good excuse to get away from doing the right thing.
But all excuses aside.
Now I am taking off to a new arison, now I am tackling one of my strongest fears : to fail, and to loose throw away money.
But I am putting my trust in the one above as he said "open up just a tiny opening for me the size of the point of a needle, and I will open up for you, like the doorway of the tabernacle.
Amen
Monday, April 9, 2018
And I'm off 02
Saturday, March 31, 2018
Let my people go! 01
So how did it all start?
I had a test in Arabic that afternoon, and I found out that I have the wrong type of dictionary. A fast WhatsApp to the university group "urgent, anyone has a white dictionary I can borrow for the test?"
Adina, an Ethiopian girl texted me "sure, ill bring it to you".
Adina is orthodox, very shy an not seen much in campus, but you can always recognize her from far by her long thin black braids that remind me of the black girls in the rap movies except that she has a calm relaxing shy beauty to her always with a big white smile.
After 3 hours of a very hard test in Arabic (which i scored 93) i sat down across the street from school eating a burger and drinking a celebration beer, finished my hardest test of the year.
Adina came to pick up her book, which turned into a long conversation about the Ethiopian Jews.
"yes, there are still thousands there, they are very poor, they eat one meal a day at the soup kitchen, they want to make Aliya but the Gov isn't bringing them because they don't have the money".
That sounded very weird to me. "how can the Gov leave our brothers behind" i thought to my self.
she told me that she is going there in a week with a group of volunteers and shell find out more details.
I drove home and came into an upside-down kitchen, the boys were asleep already but their bowls were piled up in the sink with their leftover food drooping on the sides. The girls were by the table complaining their usual evening complain "there is nothing to eat".
My wife tells them: "you can make an egg, Malowach, cut a salad" but the girls with their usual "no! I'm not in the mood for that! there is nothing to eat!".
With the visions of the poor Ethiopians that have nothing to eat going through my head i just couldn't bare what i was seeing. "you know that there are starving Ethiopian Jews today, who only had one meal, and you are complaining in front of a full fridge that there is nothing to eat?!".
My girls looked at me shocked, "dad came home crazy today" they were probably thinking to them selfs.
I also felt a little crazy, the visions of my mom telling me when I was a little kid and complained about food "in the Holocost kids used to dream about eating an orange peel" and me not understanding what that had to do with me wanting fruit loops and all there was to eat was cherios. the holocost was forever ago, and now I am hungry!
But this felt different, this is now! our brothers need us and we don't leave our brohers behind! or do we?
The next day i made a phone call, it was to a frined that works with the media: "how come ther are no articlse about it? why dont people care?"
But my frined tried to talk me out of it. I didnt let go and kept on pushing. so he said "listen, there is this girl Alisa, take her email and talk to her"
10 mintes later i was on the phone with her. I sounded to my self like a little kid: "i want to help bring them back home, it is time! 3000 years is more then enough!".
I think that she couldnt figure out who and what i wanted but she explaned to me the situattion a bit more. she sent to me Gov decisions from a couple years ago that was decided to bring all 7691 jews to Israel. she even sent me charts of the exact cost spred out to 3 years.
The Ethiopian Jews left there home towns and all came together and where waiting for israel to bring them since 1999!!! because they left their towns, they left their busnesses, their agriculture and livestock, and wher eliving like refugees. every Goverment i the past 20 years said that they wil bring them but when it came to passing the bill they didnt alocate the finances to bring them, it was a finacne problem.
I thought to my selfe, how can a finance problem stop the btining home to Israel 8000 jews, especialy that they are sick and poor!?
The next stop that day was to find out their Halachic statis, i arrived at Rav Gissers office, "so wats the story" i asked.
"It is very clear that they are from jewish decedints and that they have kept the torah for all these years.
"so why are they not here?"
"Listen, its hard to know how many, today if you bring all 8000, tomorow all of a sudden another village will come and want to make aliya as well"
"ok, but right now, there are all those jews ther, how can we bring them home?"
"listen, no doubt they will come, the question is when. for political reasons the gov doesnt want to alocate the money in the anual bill, but every one knows that edvetually they will come.
For me that was enough, we have Jewish brothers in Ethiopia, poor, hungy and sick. they want to come home to israel, but because of a financual (and burucratil) problem they arent here yet. Passover is coming up, we will be celebrating freedom, when they are not free. i had to do something but didnt know what.
That night I thought to my self, i was aware, so then most people arent aware. I have to make people aware, ill fly there and make a super powerfull moving video then push it in social media.
Ezri Tubi, a buddy of mine and also a realy talented movie producer and campainer was the next step. "would you want to come with me to Ethiopia?" i texted him.
"thanks for the invite, but im to busy building my org".
"LOL, im pretty busy my self, but we have to bring our brothers back".
The phone rang "are you serious?" he asked.
I explaned to him my visiion, and even drove to meet him in his office that evening. he thought about it, 2 days later he was in. he offered me such a good price that i understood that he wasnt doning it for the money but only because he believed in it as well.
I knew that if i would succed i would be able to raise the money, the flights with the movie are going to cost about $15,000 plus to push a simple starters campaing for awareness and to raise money at the same time would be about another $15,000.
I can start now and raise the money while im doing it, i have no choice, i have to do this.
I told my board that im taking 5 days vacation after pesach in order to give a push at bringing our Ethioopian brothers home. Very surprizingly, thy where very suportive. i purcahsed tickets.
Up till now it is mostly ideas and dreams, but from now the technical aspect kikcs in. to produce a good movie you need a great prosenter, is what Ezri says. We need to find some one, write scripts.
I walk to our PR company and they let me know that White people generly dont donate to black people, thats jus thow it is. Well i wanst about to paint them white, ill have to do the best with what they are.
I had a test in Arabic that afternoon, and I found out that I have the wrong type of dictionary. A fast WhatsApp to the university group "urgent, anyone has a white dictionary I can borrow for the test?"
Adina, an Ethiopian girl texted me "sure, ill bring it to you".
Adina is orthodox, very shy an not seen much in campus, but you can always recognize her from far by her long thin black braids that remind me of the black girls in the rap movies except that she has a calm relaxing shy beauty to her always with a big white smile.
After 3 hours of a very hard test in Arabic (which i scored 93) i sat down across the street from school eating a burger and drinking a celebration beer, finished my hardest test of the year.
Adina came to pick up her book, which turned into a long conversation about the Ethiopian Jews.
"yes, there are still thousands there, they are very poor, they eat one meal a day at the soup kitchen, they want to make Aliya but the Gov isn't bringing them because they don't have the money".
That sounded very weird to me. "how can the Gov leave our brothers behind" i thought to my self.
she told me that she is going there in a week with a group of volunteers and shell find out more details.
I drove home and came into an upside-down kitchen, the boys were asleep already but their bowls were piled up in the sink with their leftover food drooping on the sides. The girls were by the table complaining their usual evening complain "there is nothing to eat".
My wife tells them: "you can make an egg, Malowach, cut a salad" but the girls with their usual "no! I'm not in the mood for that! there is nothing to eat!".
With the visions of the poor Ethiopians that have nothing to eat going through my head i just couldn't bare what i was seeing. "you know that there are starving Ethiopian Jews today, who only had one meal, and you are complaining in front of a full fridge that there is nothing to eat?!".
My girls looked at me shocked, "dad came home crazy today" they were probably thinking to them selfs.
I also felt a little crazy, the visions of my mom telling me when I was a little kid and complained about food "in the Holocost kids used to dream about eating an orange peel" and me not understanding what that had to do with me wanting fruit loops and all there was to eat was cherios. the holocost was forever ago, and now I am hungry!
But this felt different, this is now! our brothers need us and we don't leave our brohers behind! or do we?
The next day i made a phone call, it was to a frined that works with the media: "how come ther are no articlse about it? why dont people care?"
But my frined tried to talk me out of it. I didnt let go and kept on pushing. so he said "listen, there is this girl Alisa, take her email and talk to her"
10 mintes later i was on the phone with her. I sounded to my self like a little kid: "i want to help bring them back home, it is time! 3000 years is more then enough!".
I think that she couldnt figure out who and what i wanted but she explaned to me the situattion a bit more. she sent to me Gov decisions from a couple years ago that was decided to bring all 7691 jews to Israel. she even sent me charts of the exact cost spred out to 3 years.
The Ethiopian Jews left there home towns and all came together and where waiting for israel to bring them since 1999!!! because they left their towns, they left their busnesses, their agriculture and livestock, and wher eliving like refugees. every Goverment i the past 20 years said that they wil bring them but when it came to passing the bill they didnt alocate the finances to bring them, it was a finacne problem.
I thought to my selfe, how can a finance problem stop the btining home to Israel 8000 jews, especialy that they are sick and poor!?
The next stop that day was to find out their Halachic statis, i arrived at Rav Gissers office, "so wats the story" i asked.
"It is very clear that they are from jewish decedints and that they have kept the torah for all these years.
"so why are they not here?"
"Listen, its hard to know how many, today if you bring all 8000, tomorow all of a sudden another village will come and want to make aliya as well"
"ok, but right now, there are all those jews ther, how can we bring them home?"
"listen, no doubt they will come, the question is when. for political reasons the gov doesnt want to alocate the money in the anual bill, but every one knows that edvetually they will come.
For me that was enough, we have Jewish brothers in Ethiopia, poor, hungy and sick. they want to come home to israel, but because of a financual (and burucratil) problem they arent here yet. Passover is coming up, we will be celebrating freedom, when they are not free. i had to do something but didnt know what.
That night I thought to my self, i was aware, so then most people arent aware. I have to make people aware, ill fly there and make a super powerfull moving video then push it in social media.
Ezri Tubi, a buddy of mine and also a realy talented movie producer and campainer was the next step. "would you want to come with me to Ethiopia?" i texted him.
"thanks for the invite, but im to busy building my org".
"LOL, im pretty busy my self, but we have to bring our brothers back".
The phone rang "are you serious?" he asked.
I explaned to him my visiion, and even drove to meet him in his office that evening. he thought about it, 2 days later he was in. he offered me such a good price that i understood that he wasnt doning it for the money but only because he believed in it as well.
I knew that if i would succed i would be able to raise the money, the flights with the movie are going to cost about $15,000 plus to push a simple starters campaing for awareness and to raise money at the same time would be about another $15,000.
I can start now and raise the money while im doing it, i have no choice, i have to do this.
I told my board that im taking 5 days vacation after pesach in order to give a push at bringing our Ethioopian brothers home. Very surprizingly, thy where very suportive. i purcahsed tickets.
Up till now it is mostly ideas and dreams, but from now the technical aspect kikcs in. to produce a good movie you need a great prosenter, is what Ezri says. We need to find some one, write scripts.
I walk to our PR company and they let me know that White people generly dont donate to black people, thats jus thow it is. Well i wanst about to paint them white, ill have to do the best with what they are.
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