About Us

SFEJ was founded, and is now headed by Asher Naim, who served as Ambassador of Israel to Ethiopia at the time of the airlift. More about Ambassador Naim appears below.

Officers and Directors
The officers and directors of SFEJ are the following:

Chairperson:	Ambassador (Ret.) Asher Naim
Honorary Chairperson:	Hon. Rudy Boschwitz, U.S. Senator 1978 – 1991
Founding President:	Sidney Haifetz (deceased)
President:	Rabbi Richard Yellin
Vice President:	Jerome Krassenstein, C.P.A.
Treasurer:	Harvey Greenstein, C.P.A.
Secretary:	Roger Gorman, M.D.
Assistant Secretary:	Louis Levy, M.D., Ph.D.
Director:	Harry Adwar
Director:	Stanton Cherry
Director:	Marlene Herzog
Director:	Rabbi Peter Kasdan
Director:	Victor Levadi, Ph.D.
Director:	Edwin Sherman

Ambassador Asher Naim

Ambassador Asher Naim immigrated to Israel from Tripoli, Libya, fought in the War of Independence, and holds a Master of Jurisprudence degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is a veteran of Israel's Foreign Service. In Tokyo, Japan (1956-60), he was Cultural and Press Attaché. He taught Hebrew at Tokyo University and tutored Prince Mikasa, brother of the Emperor.  In Kenya and Uganda (1961-64), he laid the foundation for Israel's diplomatic relations with nascent Africa and created a basis of friendship with the leaders of these countries. In Washington, D.C. (1968-73), he served as Councilor of Information and Culture. He subsequently served as Consul General of Israel in Philadelphia (1976-81), where he was responsible for New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia.

In 1984, he was sent again to Washington, D.C. to coordinate the activities of Israel's ten Consuls General in North America. As Ambassador to Finland (1988-90), he negotiated the passage of Russian Jews from Leningrad and the Baltic States via Helsinki as a transit point for immigration to Israel.

Asher Naim was the Ambassador of Israel to Ethiopia (1990-91) at the time of Operation Solomon. He was instrumental in the negotiating process with President Mengistu and, later, with the victorious rebels, headed by Meles Zenawi. The airlift to Israel of 14,200 Ethiopian Jews during a period of 36 hours occurred largely as a result of his efforts.

In 1991, almost immediately after returning to Israel at the end of his assignment to Ethiopia, he was sent to the United Nations to represent Israel in a crucial meeting of the Third Committee. There, he persuaded the Committee to annul the infamous UN Resolution equating Zionism with racism.

His last assignment was as the first Ambassador of Israel to the Republic of Korea.

After retiring from the Israeli Foreign Service in September, 1995, Ambassador Naim has continued his activity on behalf of the Ethiopian community, to ease its absorption and integration into Israeli society, mainly through higher education.  

He also chairs the Israel-Korea Friendship Association, which works toward closer relations between the two countries in the field of education and the promotion of economic ties, and is a Fellow of the Truman Institute for Peace at the Hebrew University.

Ambassador Naim has co-authored two books on Jewish education and a book on Jerusalem in both Japanese and Korean. His most recent book, Saving the Lost Tribe: the Rescue and Redemption of the Ethiopian Jews, published by Random House in 2003, describes Operation Solomon; a second edition has just been printed in Jerusalem (copies of this book may be ordered directly from Gideon Naim -- gnaim@centrak.com). He and his wife, Hilda, have three children and reside in Jerusalem. 

Ambassador Naim has just been named recipient of the 2009 Raoul Wallenberg Humanitarian Award.

The Hon. Rudy Boschwitz was   U.S. Senator from Minnesota during the years 1978-1991. He served as the representative of President George H.W. Bush to Ethiopia during Operation Solomon.