The Worka Family: Learning to Believe in Miracles
by Yael Eckstein-Farkas
When I walk around Israel and see many Jewish cultures mixing into one, it gives me such joy to know that The Fellowship plays a big role in the ingathering of His people.
Growing up in America, I never saw a Jew from India, Ethiopia, or Iran. I couldn’t have imagined that there were Jews living in those countries that were then so foreign to me. It is such a blessing that I am now raising my daughter in the Holy City of Jerusalem, where it is the most normal thing in the world to see an Ethiopian Jew walking down the street wearing a kippa (a traditional Jewish head covering).
The Fellowship helps many Ethiopian families make aliyah (immigrate to Israel), as well as providing them with klitah (resettlement) assistance once they arrive in the Holy Land. Last week I got the honor of meeting one of these extraordinary families, the Workas.
When Mr. and Mrs. Worka married, they made a commitment to always be proud of their Judaism, instead of hiding it like so many other Jews in Ethiopia choose to do. As Mrs. Worka told me with a big smile on her face, “it is an honor to be part of the Jewish people, so I refuse to ever be shy about it.”
In Ethiopia, Mr. Worka sold cattle and cheese at a local market. They lived a comfortable life – until one day when they came face to face with the harsh reality of anti-Semitism. Mrs. Worka remembers that day with tears in her eyes and shaking hands. “The police banged on my door, rushed into my home, grabbed my husband and took him away in front of my three children,” she says. “They didn’t tell us where they were taking him or why. All I know is that we didn’t see him for two full years and didn’t know if he was dead or alive.”
The police imprisoned Mr. Worka simply because he was Jewish. They beat and tortured him until he nearly died. For two years he was in a small cell with his feet and hands tied behind his back. To this day Mr. Worka walks with a cane because of the permanent damage the Ethiopian police inflicted. For the two years that he was jailed, he was never told what crime he committed. The police constantly called him anti-Semitic names.
Mr. Worka remembers praying in jail for a miracle. “Each day I would turn to the God of Israel and beg Him to take me home to Jerusalem,” he says. “I was sure that I was never going to leave the jail cell alive, but then God answered my prayers. A policeman entered and told me if I give him all of my money he will set me free. I complied with this bribe and was granted the gift of freedom the next day.”
Mr. Worka returned home to his wife and three children who were ecstatic to see him. The first thing he said to his wife was “We need to get home to the Promised Land immediately, before they come and arrest me again.” With no money or job, the Workas did not know how this would happen – but by this point they believed in miracles.
They asked every Jew they knew how to get to Israel and one person told them about The Fellowship’s On Wings of Eagles program. The next day they went to the immigration office and told The Fellowship’s partners in the Jewish Agency about their urgent need to make aliyah. Two weeks later they were on a plane to Israel.
As Mr. and Mrs. Worka retold this story their faces came alive. They still can’t believe that they are raising their beautiful children in Israel and truly living the prophecy of the Bible. They want to thank everyone for making this dream come true. “All of The Fellowship’s friends should be credited with our aliyah, because it wouldn’t have been possible without you. We are now living our lives Jews openly and are not scared of persecution because we are now living in our land. Thank you so much!”
Yael |
