Rachel: A Dream of Jerusalem, Fulfilled
Like many Jews in her native Ethiopia, Rachel—a beautiful, soft-spoken forty-year-old woman—had always dreamed to coming to Israel. When you hear her story, it is difficult to imagine the hardships she has endured to make it to her biblical homeland.
At age twenty-five Rachel began a grueling trek on foot to the Holy Land with her family and many from her village, lead by a guide who took all of their money with the promise that he would escort them to Jerusalem. Their spirits were high because they believed that arriving in Jerusalem would be well worth anything they might have to endure.
The path to Israel was extremely hazardous and took Rachel's group through hostile lands. In the Muslim country of Sudan, they were beaten brutally when the police discovered them crossing the border illegally. Many were killed, including Rachel's parents, grandparents, and two sisters. Rachel survived, but was forced to spend three years in a Sudanese prison. After her release, she was sent back to Ethiopia.
Despite all of this Rachel never gave up her dream of living in her Jewish homeland. "They did not kill my spirit," she says. "Jerusalem was running through my blood. I just knew that it was my home."
Rachel was married with children when she got word that The Fellowship's On Wings of Eagles program would make her family's long-held dream a reality. Wings funded Rachel's family's aliyah to Israel as well as their resettlement when they arrived. The family settled in a Fellowship absorption center where they were provided with Hebrew language classes, guidance on integrating into Israeli culture, an Israeli mentor to help the children with their homework, and more. Three years later, when the family moved into an apartment in Jerusalem and could not afford beds for the children, The Fellowship once again stepped in and provided them.
Rachel is deeply grateful for this continued support throughout her long and challenging journey. "Thank God for The Fellowship," she says. "We are determined to succeed and I know that we will, thanks to your help!" Please give generously today to On Wings of Eagles—and help dreams come true for so many other Jewish people like Rachel who long only to come home.
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