The winners of Israel’s largest award for social innovation, the Sussman-Joint Award 2022, were announced by the Joint (JDC) last week. There are three categories for this prestigious award: one is work in mental health, another is projects that help women and girls in extreme situations, and the third is promoting economic stability and financial inclusion for populations living in poverty.
FEJ is very pleased to post that Asher Elias won the award in the third category for his work in assisting and promoting the Ethiopian Israeli business community through the establishment of BIBC – the Beta Israel Business Community.
(Asher Elias is on the left)
In their announcement, the Joint wrote: “Elias has been working for the past 20 years for the economic development and advancement of the Ethiopian community in Israel. In 2017 he founded the Beta Israel business community. The Beta Israel business community was created for the Ethiopian community and is managed by the Ethiopian community and deals in three areas: consulting for business owners and entrepreneurs who aspire to open businesses, creating partnerships between businesses and sharing information and developing public awareness to support businesses owned by members of the Ethiopian community. The community provides advice and training to hundreds of business owners and entrepreneurs from the Ethiopian community.”
According to a 2020 report from the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), poverty levels in Ethiopian-Israelis households stand at 33.7%, compared to 19.1% in society at large. There has been progress, however. In 2005, the poverty rate for Ethiopian-Israeli households was 59%. This steady improvement is no accident. It reflects the work of nonprofit programs in Israel – like those supported by FEJ – that have focused for decades on economic equity for Ethiopian Jews and moving from labor jobs into professional fields.
Asher Elias also founded Tech Career – the very successful computer and technology training school for Ethiopian Israelis – in 2002. Again, the purpose was to lift the Ethiopian Israeli community out of poverty by positioning them to enter one of the most lucrative and employable fields in Israel – high tech. Tech Career graduates are snatched up by high tech companies at salaries above the national average.
FEJ supports BIBC with grants and fiscal sponsorship in the U.S. To learn more about BIBC, click here. To support BIBC with a tax-deductible gift thru FEJ, click here.
Congratulations to Asher Elias for his vision and commitment to the Ethiopian Jewish community – and winning the Sussman-Joint Award!