[sak9645]

We live in Gaithersburg, Maryland, a Washington, DC suburb. My daughter, who is from China and is currently in sixth grade, attends a Conservative Jewish day school. There are quite a few Ethiopian and Eritrean Jewish children in the school. They are almost all the children of families who fled the conflicts in their countries. In general, the families went first to Israel. Then they got visas to come to the U.S.

At this point, adoption from Ethiopia hasn't yet brought large numbers of children into Jewish families. However, with the country becoming very popular with families because the children receive good care and because the time frame is relatively short, I expect this to change. Within the next five years, I think that my daughter's school will be seeing children adopted from Ethiopia, much as it now sees children adopted from China, Korea, and so on.

Fortunately, the "face" of the Jewish community in our area is changing. If you go to Reform and Conservative (and a few Orthodox) synagogues, you will find plenty of non-White children. Some came to their families via adoption. Others are the children of immigrants, of converts, or of transracially married parents.

If you are looking for a good place to raise and educate a Jewish child of color, the Washington area is really an excellent choice.

Sharon