Jan 24, 2013

Mission Brings Ethiopian-Israeli Teens Back to Their 'Roots'

This March, 15 Ethiopian-Israeli teenagers from Pardes Channa-Karkur will embark on a 10-day journey called “Roots,” taking them to Ethiopia and allowing them to witness the reality of life in the African nation. They will gain a better understanding of the sacrifices and difficulties their parents and grandparents had to endure, enabling them to become Israelis.

With financial support from the Pardes Channa Ethiopian Israeli Initiative of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, the 16- and 17-year-old students will travel to the Gondar area of Ethiopia, where a majority of Ethiopian Jews made aliyah to Israel. Participants will have the opportunity to perform mitzvah projects at the Jewish Agency for Israel compound in Gondar, as well as participate in a seder with Ethiopian Jews preparing for aliyah. The trip will allow the teens, all born in Israel, to better connect with the rich cultural heritage of their Ethiopian Jewish roots, hence the name of the trip.

“Many of the Ethiopian-Israeli teens born in Israel are not attached to their family’s traditions,” Sheree Savar, Chair of the Pardes Channa-Karkur Ethiopian Israeli Initiative, said. “While it’s wonderful that they are proud Israelis, not only preserving, but understanding their Ethiopian Jewish culture is paramount. Even though they are first-generation Israelis, they are very unfamiliar with where their parents were born and grew up.”

There are currently 130,000 Ethiopian-Israelis in Israel who are facing unique challenges, including a higher incidence (in relation to non-Ethiopian-Israelis) of unemployment, poverty, substance abuse and family violence. For many Ethiopian-Israeli immigrant families, difficulties in acculturation have prevented the adults from being a solid source of support for their children, impacting the students’ self-confidence in their abilities, as well as their scholastic maturity and success at school.

“Before they come to Israel, the Ethiopian Jews have to learn how to use stairs, how to hold a toothbrush, they’ve never flown on a plane. Now consider they come to a modern country, centuries ahead in terms of technology,” Noah Mentesnot, the project's director, said. “Their children are brought up with computers, cell phones, televisions. It’s no wonder the parents and kids don’t relate to each other.

“Our starting point is cultivating a positive sense of self-recognition and acceptance based on knowing from where we came and to where we are going. This 'Roots' journey is an added stepping stone for our youth to connect with themselves and with their identity,” Mentesnotsaid.

The Fidel Association, which operates the Federation-funded youth program in Pardes Channa-Karkur, will prepare the group before leaving, getting them ready for what will surely be an intense experience. As part of the preparation process, the students will take a short photography course and learn how to keep a journal of their trip. When they return to Israel, they will put together a photography exhibit documenting their experiences. The Fidel Youth Program offers activities such as computer clubs, sports, crafts, music and games. Ethiopian-Israeli counselors serve as mentors, and youths participating in center activities have shown a substantial decrease in drug use, violence and other dangerous behaviors.

Since 2005, Federation has been engaged in an initiative to work with the Ethiopian-Israeli community of Pardes Channa-Karkur, located between Tel Aviv and Haifa. Federation sponsors several special efforts in the community, including a dance program, a mentoring program for elementary school students, teacher training at Haifa’s Gordon College of Education; and the Scholastic Assistance Program (SPACE) at the Elisheva Girls High School, which provides after school tutoring, workshops and mentoring in small group settings.

For more information on the Ethiopian-Israeli Initiative, click here, email [email protected] or call 786.866.8445.