Today was AFUWOFI’s last day at Beit She’ean and for the last event the
American and Israelis went together to an Ethiopian museum. At the museum we met Chava who told us the museum
was called “Germachi” which means pride in one’s culture, color, and
lifestyle. She then proceeded to explain a few customs from Ethiopian culture. Since coffee originated from Ethiopia, Chava
handed guests coffee as they walked in. She added that coffee is also
used in Ethiopian culture to solve conflicts as well as a polite way to ask a father permission to marry his daughter.
Another custom is for mothers to carrt babies on their back., The mother holds the baby this way while doing household chores like cooking and cleaning. Doing these things together creates a special connection and bond between them, notes Chava..
Chava also told us of her journey to Israel. Ever since she was a little girl she would hear her parents talk about how they don’t belong in Ethiopia, they belong in Jerusalem. When
she was 9, her brother finished high school, and as an 18-year-old he had to join the Ethiopian army. He didn’t want to do this, so he created a plan for himself and his friends to get to Israel through the Sudan.
Chava heard about his plan and told her parents that she wanted to join her brother. Her parents emphatically said no. However she snuck out with her
brother and his friends without anyone noticing she was there. For a
couple of days she proceeded on the journey without anyone seeing her.
Then one day she fell in the river and couldn’t get out. She called her
brother for help and everyone then realized that she had been hiding with them. They couldn’t tell her to go back home since
it was too far away. They allowed her to stay but told her that she had
to keep quiet. She was then given a letter from her brother that was actually from her father that said “keep yourself safe”. (Chava said that she keeps that message with her till this day.)
The journey continued for three long, brutal months. One night, bandits
caught them and took all of their cattle, food, and money; they were left
with nothing. Later on Chava’s brother almost passed out, but she found
water to give him and he was able to continue the journey with everyone.
A couple of days before they reached Sudan they ran out of food and water. However, Chava remembered that her mother tied a piece of candy to her clothes. Chava took the piece of candy and split it
between her brother and her. That piece of candy ended up saving their
lives and enabled them to reach Sudan.
When the group reached the border of Sudan, the Red Cross helped them
out. Still, many of them died throughout the journey. Chava and her
brother were able to make aliyah in 1984. Chava arrived in Israel as a
teenager so it was very difficult for her without her parents.
However she pushed on and thrived. She is now married, a mother of
eight, works as a professional counselor, and runs the center for
Ethiopian culture.
(Additional material about Chava’s present life comes from the blog
of Sarah Pincus)
Q.What is your favorite color?
A. Green because I grew up in nature.
Q.How did the Aliyah process affect your life?
A. I didn’t see my parents for a while so I was lonely. Since I didn’t have
parents, nobody was there to recognize my talents. I’m proud that I was
independent but i missed having a normal childhood. That is why I got
married young when I was around 17. I also got married young because in my culture women don’t learn and don’t have jobs. Now I make sure that my eight children have a better life then I had when I was
a child.
Q.What are the struggles that face Ethiopians in Israel today?
A. There is tension between parents and their children. Since the two generations grew up in different cultures, they see things differently. For example, parents
don’t want their children to get body piercings.
Q.How did you end up living in Bet Shean?
I didn’t intend on moving to Bet Shean but my parents moved here (when they made aliyah) so Iwanted to be here with them.
Q.Do you miss Ethiopia?
A. No. But I am planning on going back in a couple months. I was in a choir when
I lived there. I want to return and write a song and produce a CD about my childhood in Ethiopia.
After Chava told us her unbelievable story, we heard from Lital, an Ethiopian teen. from our program. She was born in Israel; however her parents came from Ethiopia. She says she goes to school like normal Israeli teenagers and participates in
theater. I then had the opportunity to ask her a couple of questions
regarding her experiences.
Q: What do you do that is different than most Israeli teenagers your age?
A: My life is not that different than most teenagers. I am very connected
with Israeli culture and all my friends are Israeli. However, we do have a
center just for Ethiopians where we go on many different trips and do
many Ethiopian cultural activities to make sure the customs won’t be forgotten.
Q: Have you ever been a victim of racism?
A: When I was younger, people used to call me names and tell me that I
wasn’t Jewish, but it has gotten better.
Q: Do you ever feel like you are treated differently because you are
Ethiopian?
A: I haven’t really had many problems. I really feel accepted in my
community.
Q: How do you have so much confidence in yourself?
A: I used to not have so much confidence. But I think the more I got
involved in theater the more I got comfortable in my skin. In my plays I
have skits where I talk about who I am and why I am special and why it’s
beautiful to be black. I am not longer scared of how I look. I love it
and embrace it.
She then proceeded to tell me a part of her lines in her skit:
אני לא כושית, אני צבע שוקולד, וכולם אוהבים שוקולד . גם, אני נולדתי שזופה,
אני לא צריכה לבזבז זמן להשתזף כמו אנשים אחרים. אני נולדתי יפה.
I’m not black. I’m the color of chocolate and everyone loves chocolate.
Also I was born tan, I don’t have to waste time tanning like everyone
else. I was born beautiful.
With that I stopped the interview because I understood that Lital truly was
born beautiful.