Education for Equality Conference

On March 22, Ono Academic College’s Education and Social Studies Program, together with its International Center for the Study of Ethiopian Jewry held a one day conference exploring the topic of “Education for Equality, Multi-Culturalism and Solidarity in Israel” with the Center for the Study of Ethiopian Jewry serving as a test case.

The conference’s program looked at the integration of Ethiopian Jewry into the mosaic of Israeli society and delved into the questions of integrative identity and multidimensional discourse as it relates to multiculturalism and societal solidarity. The program included:

  • Introductory remarks by Mr. Ranan Hartman, Founder and CEO of Ono Academic Campus and Prof. Tova Hartman, Dean of the School of Humanities and Society.
  • Facilitation by Dr. Rachel Hillel Avraham, Director of the Education and Social Studies program and Dean for Teaching.
  • Lecture: “Ethiopian Spiritual Leadership versus Orthodox Rabbinical Leadership” – Keis Roi Tamano, the young spiritual leader of the Beta Yisrael community in Hadera
  • Lecture: “The general and the particular in Ethiopian Jewish studies: methodological notes” – Dr. Adana Zeudo, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Tel Aviv University.
  • “Equality and multiculturalism in Ethiopian theology” – Rabbi Dr. Sharon Zeude Shalom, Director of the International Center for the Study of Ethiopian Jewry and lecturer in the Judaic Studies
  • “Judaism and Jews in Africa in 2021: The past comes to life” – Dr. Malka Shabtai, an applied anthropologist, Jewish Studies Department, Ono Academic College.