MY FAMILY
THE BETA ISRAEL CURRICULUM
STORY 1: ISRAELA
“Israela Tadela, 30, is an Ethiopian Jew and a first-generation Israeli. Her parents arrived in Israel in 1984 during Operation Moses, the Israeli government’s secret evacuation of Ethiopian Jews from Sudan. Three siblings did not survive the treacherous journey across Ethiopia to Sudan.
“As a youth, Israela had difficulty relating to her parents who struggled with the Hebrew language as well as Israel’s modern society-a complicated family situation similar to so many Ethiopian Jews in Israel. Yemin Orde welcomed Israela to the Village in 2000 when family strife distracted her from achieving success in school and diminished her self- confidence…
“[A]t the Village, Israela strengthened her cultural identity as well as learned to respect the traditions and cultures of other immigrant youth… After high school graduation, she served in Israel’s air force and later earned a double B.A. degree in Education and Sociology from the University of Haifa…
“Today, Israela serves as a News Producer at Israel’s Channel 2… [and] volunteers for IsraElite, Israel’s only gap year leadership program specifically geared for at-risk immigrant women… [and] for Tebeka, a free legal service for Ethiopian-Israelis.”158
158 “Israela Tadela: Strengthening cultural identity as an Ethiopian Jew,” Impact Israel: https://www.impact-israel.org/graduates/israela-tadela/
