As we follow the news from Israel, one of the most troubling situations we see is the presence of African refugees from Sudan, Eritrea and other nations who have sought safety in that country. Many are seeking refuge from torture, death threats and systemic rape. The situation is beyond complex.

In the past several weeks we have received first-hand reports about a true humanitarian crisis currently underway in Tel Aviv where more refugees find themselves with neither shelter nor basic food. With an unusually cold and wet winter, the situation has gotten only worse; so much so that a few weeks ago someone actually died of exposure while sleeping in the park.

To meet the extraordinary challenges brought about by this crisis, a few small organizations have joined together to locate an appropriate shelter where many people can spend the night, protected from the cold and rain. With the shelter now in place until warmer weather arrives, we learned about the need for simple mattresses. Within but five minutes this morning a call was made to Israel and we were able to arrange for the purchase of 100 mattresses, at a cost of less than $2000.

Compassion and tolerance…also integral parts of tikkun olam.

Tziona, 18 years of age, is a young woman whose parents came to Israel from Ethiopia through Sudan. She is their first Israeli-born child and to show just how central this aliyah was to her parents, they named her Tziona (towards Zion).

This past year Tziona had the opportunity to meet a gentleman named Zion Moshe Tezazo, who helped many Ethiopian Jews make their journey to Israel. Tezazo has been designated as a Prisoner of Zion, a title given to those who were persecuted for their Jewish or Zionist actions before making aliyah. Hearing his story gave Tziona a new perspective on her parents, their sacrifices and their own journey to Israel. Suddenly, her heritage took on new significance.

Tziona’s introduction to Tezazo and other Prisoners of Zion only came about because of a new project begun by Atzum, a small Israeli non-profit which focuses on social justice issues and founded by Rabbi Levi Lauer. Project Abrah (meaning illumination in Amharic) is an oral history film project for high school students which focuses on bridging the generation gap in Israel’s Ethiopian community by bringing attention to the Prisoners of Zion and their brave actions, introducing the rich cultural heritage of Ethiopian Jewry, and developing community organizing skills among the Ethiopian students who take part.

It was an honor for the Good People Fund to provide significant funding for the early stages of this project and we were thrilled when we received the follow-up from Yael Rosen, Project Abrah’s coordinator:

Tziona wanted to sing at the evening (program). She chose a song called "Reaching the Dream". She explained to the audience why she chose this song and what the meeting with Prisoner of Zion Moshe Tezazo did for her. She started crying when she sang and it took her a few tries until she managed to sing. Afterwards she said that the whole experience made her think of her older sister, who died in Sudan on the way to Israel and whom she never got to meet. It was very moving.

In our summarizing conversations that we held with each of the participants, Tziona said that she didn’t used to think much of her name, but now she is proud of it.

As we are proud of having provided some of the funds to make this all possible.

Here are links to two of the films produced by Project Abrah’s students.

Prisoner of Zion Yalo Malke (English translation):

Prisoner of Zion Moshe Tezazo:

Tania* was a Mom to four children, resourceful and dedicated to their well-being. She had also been a victim of domestic violence for more than 16 years. With the help of a city domestic violence agency she was finally able to secure a safe place to live in public housing and resume an independent life.

All was well until Tania ran into difficulties paying her rent and soon found herself in the midst of eviction. It was then that our friends, Liz and Bruce Gitlin, founders of the New York Center for Law and Justice, met Tania. The Center provides assistance to the New York indigent deaf and hard-of-hearing community, and with their help Tania was able to remain in her apartment. All was well until her former batterer discovered her location-Tania and her children had to quickly move in with a relative and forego their independence.

Determined to return to independent, safe living Tania worked hard to locate a new apartment which would be unknown to her batterer. Last December her dream was fulfilled as she and her family moved into a new apartment in a safe city neighborhood. When we heard Tania’s story we were pleased that her life seemed to be turning around, but were stunned to hear that the family was sleeping on the floor with no furniture or other basic household items. Something needed to be done and with the help of our donors the Good People Fund immediately stepped in. Within a few days, our funds, along with the help of a generous storeowner, provided the family with beds, a couch, table and chairs and other household items.

Once again, small actions, do have huge impacts.

*Tania is a pseudonym

It is such an essential part of our work…using modest sums of money to make a world of difference–we see this every single day.

When Pam Koner from Family to Family called a few weeks ago, she reported that the Thoreau, New Mexico Navajo community that she works with had an opportunity to get more frozen and fresh food product at reduced prices (or even free), if they could come up with more refrigeration.

When you realize that unemployment in Thoreau stands far above 50% and the region’s lack of paved roads and infrastructure, sub-standard housing and poor transportation, you just know that hunger is a huge problem here.

The Good People Fund’s investment of only $700 purchased a large refrigeration unit which will bring more food, at lower cost, to this nearly forgotten community.

It was that easy.

Over the years, we have gotten beautiful notes of thanks from all of our programs–each warm and heartfelt. But–the email that just arrived from our friends at FoodForward really put a smile on our face. It is clear that Rick Nahmias>/strong>, the program’s founder, and his cool staff really do love the new MACS that the Good People Fund provided in a recent grant.

We are rarely surprised by the wonders of technology…how close we all are despite the physical distance that may separate us.