The New Israel Fund (NIF) has awarded the “Guardian of Democracy” Gallanter Prize to Efrat Yerday, the chair of Israel’s Association for Ethiopian Jews (AEJ) and a talented, transformational leader of the progressive movement in Israel.    Efrat spoke via video on September 13th, 2020, to receive the prize and tell her story. Efrat was awarded the cash prize in recognition of her profound moral vision which is both deeply rooted in her own community and based in the universal principles of fr...

A powerful article about Ethiopian Israeli mothers taking a stand for their community and their children: The Black Jewish 'wall of moms' fighting Israeli police brutality 'The message we wanted to convey was: ‘We are here and you can’t do what you want to our children,' says Shula Mola, a founder of the Ethiopian Israeli mothers’ group Leah Hailu      Aug. 30, 2020 | 10:37 PM Ziva Mekonen, right, protesting police violence against Ethiopian-Israel...

Last year, Yossi and Ruti Turetsky published a ground-breaking comic book for adolescents called “The Journey to Ethiopia in the Footsteps of Beta Israel" bringing the story of Ethiopian Jews into the mainstream of Jewish history and curriculum taught in Israeli schools.   It was a smash success, and they are now working on Book #2 - the history of Ethiopian Jewish leader Yona Bogale and the many Ethiopian Jewish Prisoners of Zion. Now Yossi and Ruti need your help to get "Yona Bogale and the...

The new Digital Brochure from Keren Hanan Aynor Scholarship Program is terrific.   Take a look!  

Congratulations to Pnian Tamano-Shata on her appointment as Minister of Aliyah and Klita! FROM THE ALGEMEINER: “I am excited and proud to take on the role of minister of aliyah and integration,” Tamano-Shata told Israeli daily Maariv. By Benjamin Kerstein, The Algemeiner MK Pnina Tamano-Shata was set to become the first Ethiopian-born Israeli cabinet minister after she was appointed to head the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration by Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz on Thurs...

We hope you and your families are staying well and safe during this unprecedented crisis. It is a difficult time, full of uncertainty and anxiety. Please take care and stay safe. Many nonprofits are struggling to stay afloat and keep their programs open, especially those serving vulnerable populations such as Ethiopian Jews. We thought you might like an update on how various Ethiopian Israeli groups are coping, and how you might help:...

A must read piece by Micha Odemheimer: I was wrong, and my Ethiopian-Israeli friends were right The vicious kind of racism I thought didn't exist in Israel is endemic, especially among police. A ray of hope can be found in Ashkelon Click HERE to read the original on The Times of Israel website MAR 2, 2020, 7:07 AM by Micha Odenheimer Mea Culpa. I plead guilty. It took the Kiryat Malachi police department to thrash me into confessing. Over the past six months, since Solomon Teka, a...

Cop goes on trial for killing Ethiopian Israeli youth, Solomon Tekah -  Click here to read the story on Ynet News.

Rivlin, dignitaries sign anti-racism pact Police frequently apprehend Ethiopian youth for no plausible reason, and trigger-happy officers have been known to shoot and even kill Ethiopian young people. By GREER FAY CASHMAN Reprinted from The Jerusalem Post FEBRUARY 2, 2020 19:15 President Reuven Rivlin surrounded by the signatories who convened at the President's Residence on Sunday, to sign an anti-racism pact initiated by Israelis Against Racism, February 2, 2020   (photo credit: M...