Chassida Shmella is a young and dynamic non-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded by members of the Ethiopian Israeli community living in North America. We began in late 2004 when we saw the need to share our rich history and religious customs with our fellow Jews and non-Jews alike in North America who did not know much about us. We also saw the great need to form an organization to help Ethiopia
n Jews maintain their ties to Israel and for us to advocate for our community in Israel and in North America. Our goal is to preserve the rich 3,000 year old legacy that is unique and vital to the full history of the Jewish people. We also want to build bridges with the various other Jewish communities that make up a rich tapestry of customs and share with each other our common beliefs and goals while preserving our unique stories as well. Chassida Shmella is unique in creating programs to teach our heritage through participatory programs that teach about Ethiopian Jewish culture through the perspective of the Ethiopian Jews ourselves. We also are creating programs to bring Israelis/Americans/Ethiopian Israelis together as one people. We advocate for the acceptance and assimilation of Ethiopian Jewish Culture to the larger Jewish community. We wish to assist Ethiopian Jews in advancing through inter-community networks, educational opportunities and communal partnerships. Our main goal has always been to help the Ethiopian Jewish community in North America to fully integrate into the greater Jewish community while preserving our uniqueness as well. We chose our name carefully to express this connection, and uniqueness:
“Chassida” is Hebrew for “Stork, " the loving bird that cares for its young and the orphaned young of other storks. The stork epitomizes kindness.
“Shmella” means stork in Amharic, the language of Ethiopia. For thousands of years, storks have migrated from Jerusalem to Ethiopia. When the stork would appear overhead in Ethiopia, the Jews would welcome it with this song: “Shmella, Shmella, agerachin Yersalem deh na? “Stork, Stork how is our beloved Jerusalem?”
