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!smsgek@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