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So, my internship is over. Goodbye to Branco Weiss (the name of the organization). It was a bumpy ride, but not without its positive moments and people. So, I wanted to tell you guys about some of the special teachers and students I met while working in these schools in Israel.

People make a place what it is

Leah Schneier
2007-03-08 17:04:59

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So, my internship is over. Goodbye to Branco Weiss (the name of the organization). It was a bumpy ride, but not without its positive moments and people. So, I wanted to tell you guys about some of the special teachers and students I met while working in these schools in Israel.

Yasu is a thirty-something man. He came to Israel from Ethiopia, part of the lost tribes of Israel. In the 1980s, the Israeli government found this "lost tribe" of Israel, in Ethiopia. At the time, Ethiopia was a very dangerous place for Jews, as there was a war going on. The Israeli government at the time, decided that they needed to do something to rescue these newly found Jews. They did a secret military operation and airlifted hundreds of these Ethiopian Jews. This wasn't like "ok guys, the plane is here, jump on". They had to escape Ethiopia first, by walking and hiding from the muslims with guns who were trying to kill them along the way. I don't remember how long they walked for, but it was several days, and many died along the way, from starvation and exhaustion. Most of the Ethiopians who came on this Operation Moses to Israel were young kids and teenagers, who left their families behind. Yasu was one of these kids. Now, twenty something years later, Yasu has a family and kids of his own, and works with immigrant kids who came to Israel, just like him.

Another man I met was named Joel. He was one of the executive directors of the organization I worked with, called Branco Weiss. Joel is an American who made aliyah (became an Israeli citizen) when he was a young man. The first time I met Joel was on my first trip to Israel almost 7 years ago. He spoke to my group and told us his story of being an Israeli soldier. His particular story was telling us how he had been part of the secret military operation to rescue the Ethiopian Jews. He helped rescue Yasu. This year, I met Joel again at a ceremony for some of my students. Now, as one of the executive directors of their ...