In the recent April elections, the Israeli Knesset received two new Ethiopian Israeli Members!  They are Gadi Yervarken and Pnina Tamano-Shata, both allied with the "Blue and White" Party.   Pnina was a MK from 2013-2105, so this is her second term.  Gadi, a captain in the reserves and former military intelligence officer, is a social activist and looks forward to serving the Israeli people and his community.   Pnina is a lawyer and journalist, who has been a community activist, spokesperson and...

The Heroic Ethiopian Jewish Women’s Conference was a huge success- inspirational, professional, well-organized and groundbreaking. On March 5th, organizer Shmuel Yilma welcomed over 400 people to celebrate the bravery of Ethiopian Jewish women, centered around the stories of 11 breakthrough women and 2 keynote heroes. The conference received wide media coverage and was lauded by the President of State, the new Ethiopian ambassador, and the Kessim.

Last month, FEJ held its Fifth Annual Conference for Ethiopian Israeli groups, programs and projects, at the Neot Kedumim conference center, set in a beautiful nature park. Twenty-six of the foremost Ethiopian Israeli leaders met for a day-long discussion of their programs, best practices and most urgent issues facing the community today, along with FEJ board members.  

Shlomit Bukaya is the new Director of AEJ, replacing Ziva Mekonen-Degu who has retired after eight years of impressive service as the leader of Israel's oldest Ethiopian Jewish advocacy organization. Shlomit is an attorney.  Her law practice has focused on civil and commercial litigation with special emphasis on complex litigation matters and class actions in one of Israel's largest law firms.  Shlomit received her LLB and her BA in Government, Diplomacy and Strategy from the Interdisciplinar...

On March 5, 2019 at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque!    To Register (seats are limited), Click here. Heroic stories of the Jews of Ethiopia are unknown in Israeli society. The actions of heroic Ethiopian Jewish women , who risked their lives to save Jews and help them immigrate to Israel , are even less familiar. The conference will highlight two unknown heroines and 13 other Ethiopian Jewish women who have risked their lives to save Jews and help them immigrant to Israel. STUNNING CONFERENCE...

The International Center for the Study of Ethiopian Jewry at Ono Academic College launched a Chair for Research of Ethiopian Jewry on Sunday, the first such academic position in the country and likely the world. Excerpted from the January 9, 2019 Jerusalem Post -  Israel Online News  - by Jeremy Sharon Rabbi Dr. Sharon Shalom, (pictured here) the head of the international center, will serve as the first chairperson for the institution. Present at the launch was Ethiopian Ambassador ...

This year in Jerusalem:   The Sigd holiday - the Ethiopian Jewish holy day expressing the commitment to return to Zion -  was observed in Jerusalem on November 7, 2018 with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin making a stirring address denouncing discrimination and promising to help Ethiopian Israeli youth offenders clear their records. A JTA news article stated,   "Rivlin and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked issued a special appeal to the Ethiopian-Israeli community to submit requests for pardons f...

The Ethiopian Jewish holiday of Sigd is national holiday in Israel nowadays, thanks to the tireless efforts of advocacy groups such as the Association of Ethiopian Jews, which is based in Jerusalem.    Sigd is an Amharic word meaning “prostration” or “worship” and the holiday falls on the 29th of the Hebrew month of Cheshvan. This date is exactly 50 days after Yom Kippur, usually happening in late October or November, and according to Ethiopian Jewish tradition is also the date that G-d first...

Fentahun Assefa-Dawit, Executive Director of Tebeka, Equality and Justice for Ethiopian Israelis, the Ethiopian Israeli legal aid and advocacy organization, is running for City Council in Ashdod.    Elections are October 30, 2019. We wish Fentahun - a tireless crusader for civil rights for all minorities - very good luck! UPDATE:  We are sorry to report that Fentahun did not win a seat on the Council.  He was first runner-up.