On May 25, 1991, 14,000 Ethiopian Jews were airlifted in the midst of the civil war and flown to Israel. This program examines how the new immigrants are faring in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The Ethopians suffer, among other things, culture shock and language difficulties as Israel makes its best effort to "absorb" the newcomers. "

Information about this PBS special "Surviving Salvation" can be obtained from the American Association for Ethiopian Jews, who are the video distributors of the broadcast. They can be reached at 1-202-223-6838.

"Surviving Salvation", the Book

This book is the product of as unlikely a pairing of authors as one is likely to encounter, and many readers are probably curious as to how the world's most famous psychosexual therapist teamed up with a scholar whose previous works included a study of medieval Ethiopian monks. Like many people, Dr. Ruth was captivated and moved by the dramatic scenes broadcast around the world at the time of Operation Solomon. For her, however, as a Holocaust survivor who had immigrated to Israel as a 17-year-old orphan, they struck a deeper chord than for most. Almost immediately, she began to make plans for a documentary film that would tell the story of these latest immigrants and those who had preceded them. Working with her usual energy and speed (which is something like a hurricane at fast-forward), she had everything in place by July and was ready to start work in Israel. In addition to assembling a film crew that included an Academy Award-winning director, and Emmy Award-winning producers, Dr. Ruth had also made contact with the Jewish Agency and the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), two of the key organizations working with Ethiopian Jews in Ethiopia and Israel. Working closely with the JDC's director of special operations, Amir Shaviv, and its director in Israel of programs for Ethiopian immigrants, Ellen Goldberg, Ruth began to compile a list of topics to be explored and people to be interviewed. Among the latter was Steven Kaplan of Hebrew University, who had just completed a book on the history of Ethiopian Jews for New York University Press.

After hearing about each other for several weeks, we finally met over dinner with Ellen Goldberg's family in Jerusalem. Although only a quick exchange of ideas was possible, it soon became clear that there was much to discuss. We arranged to have lunch later in the week.

As she has done so often in the past, Ruth decided to forgo the normal formalities and trust her instincts. On the walk from the Laromme Hotel to lunch at the Jerusalem YMCA, before discussion of the film could even begin, she proposed collaboration on a book. Steve, in preparation for talking about the documentary, had brought with him two pictures of an Ethiopian family taken just before and just after their registration at an absorption center. These pictures, which appear on the cover of this book, concisely illustrate the speed with which changes have taken place in Israel. Worth the proverbial thousand (or in this case two thousand) words, they immediately provided a theme and focus for the book. Moreover, they also made it clear that there was a brilliant photographer, the Diaspora Museum's Doron Bachar, with a similar vision of the story. Less than an hour later, Doron was contacted in Tel Aviv. Most of the photographs in this book that illustrate Ethiopian life in Israel are his work.

However unusual the joint effort that produced this book may appear at first glance, it is on many levels quite appropriate. As was noted above, the disciplinary interests we bring to this book (the study of the family and Ethiopian culture) are precisely the combination it needs. Moreover, it neatly suits our professional goals. For Ruth it offers the opportunity to remind people that she doesn't only talk about sex; for Steve, it offers the chance to share his ideas with a much wider audience than ever before.