Ten Kilos

Photo by Author of Children after Synagogue services in Gondar, Ethiopia – July 2019

That’s what he weighs. Three-year-old Daniel in Gondar, Ethiopia, whose mother is dead and who eats thanks to the help of Meketa USA and folks who care about Jewish kids even, as some I met in Ethiopia say “Jewish, even though our skin is not white.”

Today Gondar, Ethiopia is once again in chaos and we are called to take action. Whether it is sponsoring a child or speaking up so internally displaced refugees of Jewish heritage are brought on Eagles Wings to safety whether that is in Israel, or if it must be so, elsewhere.

What can you do? If you’re in the USA, call your Federation and make certain they are among those supporting Struggle to Save Ethiopian Jewry as they endeavor mightily to feed kids, and like Meketa, North American Conference on Ethiopian Jewry and Operation Ethiopia, keep them alive and in good health. Ask whether and when the next plane will leave for Ben Gurion Airport or Heathrow or JFK with families aboard.

Ten kilos. It’s only a heavy burden if it’s dead weight. For Daniel’s sake and others like him. Let’s choose Life.

Note: An earlier version of this piece appeared earlier on the author’s Substack feed.