The OJC the Ohio Jewish chronicle. (Columbus, Ohio), 1991-06-13

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Ohio Hist.Society Libr
1982 Velma Ave.      '
Columbus, Ohio
43211 COMP
The Ohio Jewish Chronicle
Sewing Columbus and Central Ohio
Jewish Community for Over 60 Years •
VOLUME 69
NUMBER 24
JUNE 13,1991
1TAMMUZ57S1
DEVOTED   TO. AMERICAN   AND   JEWISH   IDEALS
Jewish groups welcome
Bush decision to
waive Jackson-Yanik
Amendment
.   page 2
Florence Melton
receives honorary degree
.•..'■;,'„•-      .       '.'■*"•'/' page 2
run* ,'n" **?"> ^ivw*"*
JNF houses Ethidpiiaris
page 4
Fbrmer Ethiopian Jew
speaks at Federation
page 9
Kol Ami holds
Gbttimencement
;; pagel2
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BEHIND THE HEADLINES
At absorption center in Ashkelon,
Ethiopians adjust to new lifestyle
By Cathrine Gerson
ASHKELON, Israel (JTA)
— IIk sounds are strange, the
smells are different, but the
"Shalom" is the same greeting used by Jews all over the
world.
It is used by Israelis whose
parents came from Germany,
Poland and Morocco. Now the
greeting is offered with the
same Intent and meaning' by
dark-skinned Ethiopian children playing on a lawn in Ash-
kelon.
They stare at a reporter's
white skin and blue eyes with
unabashed curiosity and, if
they can gather the courage,
cry out "Shalom, Shalom."
Almost two-thirds of the 578
newly arrived Ethiopians
housed at the former French
Recreation Village in Ashke-
lon are children. As usual,
they are the quickest to adapt.
While their parrents are busy
dealing with the seemingly
endless paperwork involved in
registering as new immigrants, the Jewish Agency has
set up a day-care center to
amuse the nearly 400 children.
Until a few years ago, Israelis came here to vacation in a
Club Med environment. Now,
the facilities have become an
absorption center for the Ethiopian immigrants who arrived in Operation Solomon at
the end of May.
Kindergarten teachers organize play groups and continue Hebrew lessons begun at a
school run by the American
Jewish Joint Distribution
Committee in Addis Ababa.
The children familiarize
themselves with the heaps of
toys donated by Ashkelon residents. The weather has been
benevolent as well. It is sunny
with mild breezes. The youngsters can sit on the lawn,
which allows for easy access
to their parents.
Walking around the well-
kept grounds, one can see that
the Ethiopians are trying hard
to adapt themselves to the
new, unfamiliar surroundings.
Most of the women wear
their traditional white gowns
but with Israeli sneakers. Ilie
children play in colorful
T-shirts donated by an auto
rental agency. They throw a
worn-out basketball at each
other, wearing baseball caps
donated by another company.
The manager of this Jewish
Agency-run absorption center
is a woman familiar with the
problems of settling in a new
country. Ofra Aloni came
from Morocco about 30 years
ago. She manages three absorption centers in Ashkelon.
"Each group has its own
problems," she said, "but in
the end, most sort themselves
out."
Aloni had only 48 hours to
prepare for the Ethiopians sent
see ETHIOPIANS pg. 3