The IDC

There are many treasures within the structure of
the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (IDC) –
including a vibrant Hillel House, numerous
extracurricular activities, a growing international
school and the support for students who have
the potential to be future leaders in Israel and
throughout the world but do not have the resources
to push themselves forward. But, without doubt, the
jewel in IDC’s crown is its treasured Israel at Heart
Ethiopian Scholarship Program.
IDC Vice President of External Relations Jonathan
Davis said, “Now that we’ve entered our fifth year of
the program, it’s possible for us to begin assessing
our accomplishments thus far. We invest so many
resources, energies and efforts into each and every
one of these potential future leaders and it’s of great
importance for us to see this investment bear fruit.”
One of the Ethiopian project’s aims is to thrash stereotypes by having these
young, passionate and highly driven young people receive a top quality
education by internationally renowned lecturers. They can then head into
roles that would previously have been unavailable to them because of their
low economic standing and the absence of opportunities.
“WE INVEST SO MANY RESOURCES,
ENERGIES AND EFFORTS INTO EACH
AND EVERY ONE OF THESE POTENTIAL
FUTURE LEADERS AND IT’S OF GREAT
IMPORTANCE FOR US TO SEE THIS
INVESTMENT BEAR FRUIT”
- Jonathan Davis, IDC Vice President of External Relations
As each of the current 44 students makes his or her way to and from
classes, spending the days socializing and studying with fellow students on
campus, the worth of this project becomes clear. IDC has truly managed to
break the racial barriers within Israeli society and introduce these students
as equals in all spheres of student life.
The history of Ethiopian Jewry is not exact, due to the lack of written records
that forces a reliance on oral tradition to build the story of their past. Three
main theories, however, have been accepted by most historians, namely:
1) They are the descendants of the lost tribe of Dan.
2) They may descend from Menelik I, the fabled son of King Solomon and
the Queen of Sheba.
3) They are probably the descendants of Jews who left Israel and headed
towards Egypt after the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE.
What we know for sure is that for thousands of years, Ethiopian Jewry kept
a very strict pre-Talmudic biblical version of Judaism, including: kashrut,
the laws of ritual cleanliness and the observance of the Jewish Sabbath and
Jewish festivals.
As early as 1980, Israel began secret operations, working to smuggle
Ethiopian Jews out of Ethiopia and bring them to Israel. By the end of
1982, around 2,500 Ethiopian Jews had been brought to Israel and over the
following year, Ethiopians began their exodus on foot into Sudan, the site
of an additional rescue effort. Eventually, the large numbers of Ethiopian
Jews spilling into Sudan caused Israel to plan large scale operations
16 < IDC Winter 2010
Joey Low, founder and hero of the Israel at Heart
program, received an Honorary Fellowship from
IDC in 2006 to highlight his tremendous efforts
for the sake of Ethiopian youth in Israel
to ensure the safe and secure emigration of these people.
Operation Moses, which began on November 21, 1984, was
the first of such attempts, and between then and January
5, 1985, around 8,000 Ethiopian Jews entered the Holy
Land. This was later followed by Operation Solomon
in 1990. However the integration of these Jews into
Israel was not simple.
Many came from urban societies and were not
used to being part of the industrialized world;
meanwhile the social and cultural differences
also caused these new immigrants much distress.
For many, their family lives changed too, with
the children taking over leadership of the family
because they could read and understand Hebrew
far quicker than their parents. Many children were
also sent to Israel without certain members of
their families and so family life changed from large
families living together, to smaller families living in
confined spaces. Many marriages broke up and children were left in single
parent families.
All in all, for many of these families, poverty has been a reality, not only
in Ethiopia but also in their new homeland. Today children are forced to
work to support their families and something as basic and fundamental as
education, although valued, has fallen to the wayside or been put on hold.
By taking young Ethiopian adults out of their low socio-economic
environment, IDC, through Israel at Heart, has taken up the task to ensure
that the potential of these young people is reached and that they are given
the opportunity to prove themselves.
“Our challenge at IDC is to raise the necessary funds that will make it
possible for the students to cut down their work hours and concentrate on
school. We are truly indebted to the donors who make it possible for this
program to continue and grow,” said Davis, stressing that of this project’s
first group of 14 alumni, 11 have already landed respectable jobs while the
remaining three are well into the hiring process.
“This is perhaps the highlight of our program,” continued Davis.
“Unfortunately, throughout the recent years in Israel, we’ve seen that
discrimination is still alive and well and therefore our effort to find gainful
employment for these graduates, speaks for itself.”
“ONLY AT A PLACE LIKE IDC COULD A
PROGRAM LIKE OURS BE LAUNCHED,
NURTURED AND GROWN INTO A
MODEL OF HOW ETHIOPIAN ISRAELI
STUDENTS COULD EFFECTIVELY BE
INTEGRATED INTO ISRAELI SOCIETY”
- Joey Low, founder, Israel at Heart
Davis also pointed out that the initial goal was for the students to become
gainfully employed in key areas amongst the movers and shakers of Israel,
throughout the spectrum of career areas: “We wanted them to be visible -
for Israel’s citizens to see and value their potential and significance as equal
members of our society.” Davis stressed that it is precisely the success of
these students in the professional arena, and their ability to be working
shoulder to shoulder with their fellow Israeli peers, that is the key to
changing stereotypes.