sms@eisx.UUCP (Samuel Saal) (12/10/84)
There is a large community of Ethiopian Jews who are starving in the famine in Africa. Because they are Jews living under communist rule, they are getting even less aid than the average starving peasant in that region. Currently, Israel and various philanthropic agencies are trying to get these Jews out of Africa and in to Israel. Recently, several thousand managed to escape Ethiopia and get to Sudan. However, they will starve here unless they can be transported out of the region entirely. UJA has determined that it will take approximately $72 million to get all of these people out of Sudan and *settled* in Israel. They have already raised $12 million from various agencies and it is now up to us to come up with the rest. The remaining sixty million dollars translates to a mere $36 for each Jew in the United States. We must lNok at this as if we were trying to save Europe's Jewry before World War II. We do have an advantage in this case. There is no question *whatsoever* about the outcome for these people if we do not help them. They will die. We are responsible to these people. UJA has set up a special operation called "Operation Moses" to save the group which made it to Sudan. You can make checks out to UJA and by noting on it that it is for Operation Moses it will be used specifically for this crucial project. By making that special notation your contribution will *not* be counted in your regular donation to UJA so you will not increase your pledge bracket. It is IMPERATIVE that you act NOW. Call your local UJA for details. Sam Saal ...!ihnp4!eisx!sms
gek@ihuxv.UUCP (glenn kapetansky) (12/17/84)
This note is response to the recent article on Operation Moses. The original article claimed that the UJA was putting money into a special fund for helping Ethiopian Jews resettle in Israel, and that this special fund would be used 100% for this purpose. Uh-uh. The UJA is up to its usual tricks on this one, at least in Chicago. I called, and the lady who claimed to be in charge said that there is no special fund set apart for Operation Moses. Instead, the UJA has made a commitment for X amount of dollars and is assuming that we will raise our contribution amount to cover it. Yep. That means our starving brethren in Ethiopa et. al. will get whatever money is left after UJA bureaucrats have had their share. Also, any above-and-beyond generosity of ours this year will be expected of us next year... Well, I'm gonna call the Jewish United Fund to see if they have a more fair setup. I WANT to help the Jews in Africa. I don't want to cut the UJA in the deal, that's all! -- glenn kapetansky "The time has come", the Walrus said, "To talk of many things..." ...ihnp4!ihu1j!gek
gek@ihu1j.UUCP (glenn kapetansky) (12/18/84)
I received several requests to pass on any further info on better avenues than the UJA for Ethiopian relief. Well, there are many organizations like Oxfam and Save The Children, but I decided on the "Rescue Emergency Fund" run by The American Association for Ethiopian Jewry. I called them, and they said that they are sending doctors, food, and medical supplies directly to the villages rather than merely setting up centralized stations. Also, they are getting people to Israel on "educational scholarships", but only on the order of 10-20 people a shot. They say most Jews left in Ethiopia are very old or very young, so food and medicine is more important now than resettlement. Their address is: AAEJ Rescue Emergency Fund 2789 Oak Street Highland Park, Ill. 60035 Telephone: (312) 433-8150 (Thanks to Marc Harrison in Holmdel for the phone # and address) -- glenn kapetansky "Think of it as evolution in action" ...ihnp4!ihu1j!gek
naiman@pegasus.UUCP (Ephrayim J. Naiman) (12/19/84)
<munch, munch> >> This note is response to the recent article on Operation Moses. >> The original article claimed that the UJA was putting money into >> a special fund for helping Ethiopian Jews resettle in Israel, and >> that this special fund would be used 100% for this purpose. >> >> Uh-uh. The UJA is up to its usual tricks on this one, at least in Chicago. >> >> I called, and the lady who claimed to be in charge said that there >> is no special fund set apart for Operation Moses. Instead, the UJA has >> made a commitment for X amount of dollars and is assuming that we will >> raise our contribution amount to cover it. I called the UJA in New York and evidentally the "commitment for X amount of dollars" is the way The Jewish Federation of Greater Chicago is handling checks earmarked for "Operation Moses." Many other local federations are sending the checks right through to the national UJA; which in turn send them right on Israel. Check with your local Jewish Federation to see what strategy they are using in dealing with "Operation Moses" with the national UJA. Basically, all I'm trying to say is that -- >> is no special fund set apart for Operation Moses. Instead, the UJA has The word UJA in the above sentence should be changed to "Jewish Federation of Greater Chicago" (or whatever they call themselves). I think this is what Glenn meant in the first place. -- ==> Ephrayim J. Naiman @ AT&T Information Systems Laboratories (201) 576-6259 Paths: [ihnp4, allegra, ahuta, maxvax, cbosgd, lzmi, ...]!pegasus!naiman