Happy New Year from Ono’s International Center for the Study of Ethiopian Jewry
The year 5784 is about to end and we will soon begin 5785. There is a traditional new year’s saying:”May the old year, with all of its curses, end, and may the new year, with all of its blessings, begin.” We cannot remember a year that we have been happier to leave, with all of its curses.
The past year has been a very difficult one for the country, for the Beta Israel community and for Ono’s International Center for the Study of Ethiopian Jewry. Twenty-five of our students and graduates were murdered, some of them while in Hamas captivity. The Ethiopian Jewish community has born casualties above their percentage in the population, losing 30 soldiers and policemen in addition to three civilians who were murdered. This derives in large part from Beta Israel’s dedication to the State of Israel and their over-representation in front-line combat units.
During this period, Rabbi Dr. Maj. Sharon Shalom, the Founder and Director of the International Center for the Study of Ethiopian Jewry at Ono, spent months mobilized in the IDF reserves, serving as a senior officer in the IDF Casualties Directorate, doing the incredibly difficult work of informing families that their loved one had fallen and accompanying them through the grieving process. His personal experiences, especially during the war’s first days, were incredibly painful and traumatic. Dr. Adv. Sgt. Maj. Samuel Schwartz, Ono’s Director of International Programming, performed more than 100 shifts as commander of a unit in the Ra’anana Police Civil Guard, frequently manning road-blocks to prevent the infiltration of terrorists into Israel.
While the horrific sights we witnessed will stay with us forever, we also experienced the revival of a pulsating Israeli spirit that emerged in many sectors, in stark contrast to the situation that existed before the war. As Rabbi Sharon noted, this new spirit is a “Light in the Fog,” and something that inspires us to, “Go, go, go, to keep walking and never stop.”
While many of our projects in the first half of the year were delayed by the war, Ono’s International Center for the Study of Ethiopian Jewry rebounded in the year’s second half. Here are some of the meaningful projects we worked on:
- Recruiting 8 Ethiopian-Israeli Ono students to participate in a UJA-sponsored seminar to reduce tensions between various groups in the community. The participants are completing their social interventions and will present their findings at a summary conference in the Fall
- Preparation and distribution of articles and short movies highlighting the connection between Beta Israel and the Iron Swords War
- Establishing a Beit Midrash study seminar examining the classic Beta Israel theological texts. The 12 Beit Midrash members participated in nearly two-dozen study sessions and are currently drafting articles for a book that will emerge from the project
- Soliciting Scholarships for Ethiopian-Israeli students from generous donors
- Participating in community memorial events for fallen Ethiopian Israeli soldiers
- Jerusalem Day lecture marking the capital’s reunification and remembering the Beta Israel who perished on the way to Israel
- Publication of articles, books, courses, interviews and seminars on various academic and social platforms about Beta Israel
- Hosting a Trauma Conference on the fallen of Ethiopian Aliyah and Iron Swords War together with the Wuste Tsega organization
- Development of curricula and enrichment for the Israeli education system and promotion of the curriculum developed last year for the American Jewish education system
- Hosting Ethiopia’s new Ambassador to Israel at the Ethiopian Center on Ono’s New Campus
- Lecturing at academic, cultural and religious institutions in London, Washington, D.C., Boston, Baltimore, Zurich and Montreal
- Collaboration with Israel’s Rabbinate on issues related to recognition of Beta Israel
- Headlining a national conference on academic activities for Ethiopian Jews hosted by Israel’s Council of Higher Education
- Outreach to students and faculty at Ono to educate them about Beta Israel including lectures and conferences
- Hosting one hundred Ethiopian-Israeli high school students at Ono to learn about academic and career opportunities
- A prayer and memorial event for the hostages, soldiers and casualties around the Sigd holiday led by a Keis
All of us at Ono’s International Center for the Study of Ethiopian Jewry would like to wish you a healthy and happy new year. May it be better than the previous one.
We are very grateful for all the assistance and support we have received along the way and look forward to additional collaborations in the future.
