The IDC
The IDC The IDC
christian and muslim Yikealo Beyene, who fled Eritrea two years ago, studies by day and works by night to afford his tuition but is thankful to be a free man 52 < IDC Winter 2010 Ephrem Solomon from Eritrea, who says that even though he is often so tired from working and studying, nothing will stop him from achieving his educational dreams African refugees two years ago, yikealo Beyene fled for his life from eritrea, a country located along the red sea and bordered by sudan and ethiopia. it is a single party state in which national elections have never been held and those who criticize the government are summarily arrested and held without trial. today, Beyene is one of six African refugees studying at the rris: two in the government track, three in communications and Beyene, who is studying psychology. they are six among thousands of Africans who have entered israel seeking refuge from persecution in their home states. “i must apologize in advance,” Beyene says to me moments after we meet. “All yOu will heAr Are sAD stOries.” Somalian refugee, Daher Said, always carries a smile on his face despite the many hardships he has faced Beyene, 25 years old, was one of 23 nationwide students selected to matriculate at Eritrea’s Institute of Technology. Excited at the prospect of higher learning, he arrived at the institute only to discover that the ‘college’ was run more like a military camp, with students forced to rise at 5am for physical training and every academic post held by a member of the military. It wasn’t long before Beyene, an avid poet and writer, published a controversial article under a pseudonym in Eritrea’s single newspaper. After a brief investigation he was caught, imprisoned and ultimately released on bail to await trial. Beyene decided then to seek freedom and began a long journey that took him first to an Eritrean refugee camp in Ethiopia where he lived for 2 years, then into a deteriorating Sudan and finally through Egypt’s Sinai desert and into Israel. “I was told that crossing into Israel meant risking my life, because the Egyptian troops shoot at people,” says Beyene, as we sit on comfortable couches drinking coffee in the lobby of the Sammy Ofer School of Communications. It’s raining outside but warm and cozy in the lounge
find an Academic home and the thought of this earnest young man running for his life seems unimaginable. “I have a half brother in America, so I asked him for $600 to pay the smugglers,” continues Beyene, “and they brought me to the Sinai border with Israel. When we climbed the fences it was very hard, and the Egyptians were shooting at us. When I think about it now, I don’t know if it was reality or a nightmare. And then I entered Israel.” Israel presented Beyene with a new set of difficulties to overcome; he went from job to job, often cheated out of his wages by dishonest employers. He spent a freezing winter without enough warm clothes, working day and night in a variety of menial jobs and dreaming of a future in which he could refugees finD AcADemic hOme continue his education. “I worked as a security guard at night,” says Beyene, “and so I spent a lot of time reading. I love reading and writing, especially poems and stories. And then one day I read Dale Carnegie’s How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, which I bought for 72 shekels.” Determined to follow the book’s advice and “start living,” Beyene decided it was time to find an English language degree program, and began visiting universities. “i heArD thAt iDc wAs the Only PlAce tO stuDy in english, AnD sO i cOntActeD them AnD they inviteD me fOr An OPen DAy, which i AttenDeD. i wAs very insPireD AnD DeciDeD tO APPly AnD fOrtunAtely i wAs AccePteD – with A 50% schOlArshiP. For that I am very grateful.” we sit On cOmfOrtABle cOuches Drinking cOffee in the lOBBy Of the sAmmy Ofer schOOl Of cOmmunicAtiOns. it’s rAining OutsiDe But wArm AnD cOZy in the lOunge AnD the thOught Of this eArnest yOung mAn running fOr his life seems unimAginABle IDC’s six African refugees with IDC Founder and President, Prof. Reichman and IDC Vice President of External Affairs, Jonathan Davis. Each of these young men has fought his own personal battle to find freedom in Israel and they are now putting their passion and energy into the one thing that they know will make them truly free – an education IDC Winter 2010 > 53
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find an Academic home<br />
and the thought of this earnest young man running for his life seems<br />
unimaginable.<br />
“I have a half brother in America, so I asked him for $600 to pay the<br />
smugglers,” continues Beyene, “and they brought me to the Sinai border<br />
with Israel. When we climbed the fences it was very hard, and the Egyptians<br />
were shooting at us. When I think about it now, I don’t know if it was reality<br />
or a nightmare. And then I entered Israel.”<br />
Israel presented Beyene with a new set of difficulties to overcome; he went<br />
from job to job, often cheated out of his wages by dishonest employers. He<br />
spent a freezing winter without enough warm clothes, working day and<br />
night in a variety of menial jobs and dreaming of a future in which he could<br />
refugees finD AcADemic hOme<br />
continue his education. “I worked as a security guard at night,” says Beyene,<br />
“and so I spent a lot of time reading. I love reading and writing, especially<br />
poems and stories. And then one day I read Dale Carnegie’s How to Stop<br />
Worrying and Start Living, which I bought for 72 shekels.” Determined to<br />
follow the book’s advice and “start living,” Beyene decided it was time to<br />
find an English language degree program, and began visiting universities.<br />
“i heArD thAt iDc wAs the Only PlAce tO stuDy in<br />
english, AnD sO i cOntActeD them AnD they inviteD me<br />
fOr An OPen DAy, which i AttenDeD. i wAs very insPireD<br />
AnD DeciDeD tO APPly AnD fOrtunAtely i wAs AccePteD<br />
– with A 50% schOlArshiP. For that I am very grateful.”<br />
we sit On cOmfOrtABle cOuches Drinking cOffee in the lOBBy Of the sAmmy Ofer<br />
schOOl Of cOmmunicAtiOns. it’s rAining OutsiDe But wArm AnD cOZy in the lOunge AnD<br />
the thOught Of this eArnest yOung mAn running fOr his life seems unimAginABle<br />
<strong>IDC</strong>’s six African refugees with <strong>IDC</strong> Founder and President, Prof. Reichman and <strong>IDC</strong> Vice President of External Affairs, Jonathan Davis. Each of these young men<br />
has fought his own personal battle to find freedom in Israel and they are now putting their passion and energy into the one thing that they know will make them<br />
truly free – an education<br />
<strong>IDC</strong> Winter 2010 > 53
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