Three Brave Young Men

Pinchas, Yosef and Reuven Three brave young men Fleeing a war-ravaged land Came to a country of sand Ethiopian Jews driven out by a Soviet-backed Eritrean rout Separated from their loved ones Parents, wives, daughters and sons Flown to Israel with no language or money They'd heard it was the land of milk and honey Now that they'd made it, they'd give it their best A foreign language and culture, their very first test Shepherds before, lacking formal education Never saw electricity, plumbing, or a filling station But they'd read the Torah in their native tongue Faith, Hope and Love, the melody their hearts sung In just two months they could make conversation Adjusting fast to their new-old nation Six weeks later they could read a line of the Torah Tears of joy they did cry; then we all danced the hora I am privileged to say 'we' because without bragging or preaching I was the lucky fellow who did these newcomers' language teaching ________________________________________________________ This narrative is 100% true. In 1977 Soviet-backed Eritrean troops invaded neighboring Ethiopia, uprooting many families, including those of Pinchas, Yosef, and Reuven, three young men in their mid-20's, married, two of them with children. As far as I know, they never heard from their families again... Miracles do happen. These three great fellows were part of a group of the first 120 Jews Israel ever airlifted out of Ethiopia -- in the dead of night, at tremendous risk ~ gw