Gonder
Amhara Region
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
April 20, 2011

Gary Metzger
Administrative Director
NACOEJ – North American Conference on Ethiopian Jewry
New York, New York
USA

Dear Mr. Metzger,

cc: Family and Friends

Thank you for providing me with the contacts at the Jewish Community in Ethiopia.  Asher and Rabbi Waldman from Israel were generous hosts.

The Ethiopians in the Jewish Community were welcoming and kind.  Despite the difficulty of their lives, everyone was smiling and eager to meet me – especially the children.

Ozoda Sayidakhmedova
Samarkand, Uzbekistan
May 29, 2009

Dear Ozoda,
Cc: Family and Friends

Thank you for being my personal guide in Samarkand. Without you, it would have been much more difficult to visit some of the sights. And since you are training to be a guide, I appreciate the information that you provided.

The Jewish Quarter in Samarkand was easy to find. But we did have to search around for the “Synagoga” and the lady with the keys. Tamara explained that the old Jewish public bathhouse and the synagogue are still in use but her children, like most of the young people, have emigrated to Israel. She was a bit sad when she admitted that no bar mitzvahs or weddings had taken place here in a long while.