Israel’s deputy consul general gives talk at UA
Posted on Thursday, September 14, 2006
Belaynesh Zevadia, the deputy consul general of Israel to the Southwest, presented a lecture to University of Arkansas students Wednesday titled “ From Africa to the Middle East: An Ethiopian-Israeli Perspective. ”
Born in the village of Ambovar in the Gondar region of Ethiopia, Zevadia immigrated to Israel in 1984. She joined Israel’s Foreign Ministry in 1993, becoming the first Ethiopian woman in Israeli Diplomatic Service.
“ I was one of about 4, 000 other Ethiopian Jews at that time, ” Zevadia said. “ You see, Ethiopian Judaism started about 2, 500 years ago, but the first time a European came to Ethiopia and said ‘ I’m a Jew, ’ we were like ‘ no, there are no European Jews. ’ ”
According to Zevadia, the Ethiopian Jewish community was isolated from the rest of the Jewish community for centuries and at one point believed it was the only remaining Jewish community in the world. They struggled to guard their religious traditions from outside forces, often sacrificing themselves to Christian kings, wars and oppression.
Ethiopian Jewish immigrants began trickling into Israel in the 1950 s when 50 children were brought to study in Israel and return to Ethiopia as teachers. In the 1970 s, Ethiopian activists and their families began crossing into Israel via Sudan.
“ The government decided to allow Ethiopians into Israel to study, ” she said. “ My brother went there to study for 10 years. When he came back, he was my teacher. ”
After finishing high school at age 16, Zevadia immigrated to Israel.
“ I didn’t want to leave my family, but my father convinced me that it was the right thing to do, ” she said. “ While I was over there, I started helping the Ethiopians go to Israel. About 8, 000 Ethiopians arrived in Israel throu gh Sudan. ”
Between 1977 and 1984, 3, 000 to 4, 000 Ethiopian Jews came to Israel. Operation Moses brought another 8, 000, mostly from Gondar. Operation Solomon saw another 15, 000 Ethiopian Jews reach Israel, and small groups have continued to immigrate ever since.
“ Today in Israel, there are 100, 000 Ethiopian Jews, ” Zevadia said. “ Ethiopia is a wonderful country, but the educational system is very poor. I was lucky to get a good education. But the transition from Ethiopia to a developed and high tech place like Israel isn’t easy. Fortunately, the government has assisted many of us with the transition. ”
According to Zevadia, Israel continues to draw people in from around the world.
“ This country has gone through so many hard times, but we always manage to survive, ” she said. “ So many people from different countries are making their home in Israel. They are developing Israel’s economy and technology. That’s what we’re trying to promote — Israel beyond the conflict. ”
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