It is not easy to be a new oleh. The different languages and cultures, the lost sense of belonging and even daily activities all involve continuous challenges.
Even more so if you are from Ethiopia. Those making Aliyah from Ethiopia usually come from the poor, simplistic lifestyles of rural Africa where the culture, mentality and way of life are vastly different from what they meet when they arrive into the heart of Israeli cities.
More than 100,000 Ethiopians live in Israel today, half of them under age 19. The integration of the younger generation in Israel will be successful only if we give them a chance.
The Ministry of Immigrant Absorption and the Jewish Agency accompany the new olim during their first stages in the country, together with the support of professional teams. But this cannot take the place of contacts or friendships that create opportunities, open doors, give support when needed and help people to feel connected.
A recent campaign of the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption and the Babait Beyahad / At Home-Together program of the Jewish Agency is opening our eyes to the great potential for successful integration of Ethiopian olim into Israeli society. The campaign calls upon all Israelis to take part in this project, because success depends on each and every one of us.
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Meeting in Café Ethiopia
To complete their successful transition into Israeli society, Ethiopian immigrants, Menan and Almiyo Adonya turned to Babait Beyahad. They hoped they could meet and become friendly with a typical Israeli family.
At the same time Efrat Rosho, a Sabra living in Nahariya, saw the television campaign and decided to assist an Ethiopian immigrant family. The Babait Beyahad coordinator in Nahariya connected the two families. The families meet frequently and the women speak on the phone every day.
Meno and Almiyo: "Efrat’s wonderful family made us feel part of the local society. We feel at home with them and even our five year old son asked to sleep over at their house…”
Efrat: “When they stayed with us, I showed them the photos of my Hina party and they were very excited. I love drinking Ethiopian coffee (Boneh) that Menan makes for me, and I like listening to Ethiopian music. I believe that we have made friends for life.” |
We Call Upon Israeli Employers
Thousands of Ethiopian young adults have successfully completed their academic education, but only a handful has found work in their profession. Many other non-academics hope to find suitable work.
If you are an employer and you are interested in employing Ethiopian olim, please contact us to receive resumes of suitable candidates.
We Call Upon the Israeli Public
There are a variety of voluntary positions that will enable you to express yourself in a way that is comfortable and suitable to you and your needs, such as helping students, activities with children and young adults, courses in art, cooking, music, health, computers, road safety and sports, participation in Hebrew conversation groups, etc.
Volunteers who can help on a one-time or continuous basis may contact us for details. Tel: 1 - 800 - 22 - 13 - 14.