Stories and Pathways

In addition to my internship at The Ethiopian National Project, I am also taking a course on The Ethiopian Immigration to Israel but I find the best way to learn about anything is actually through hands on experiences. I arrived in Israel on January 18th and since I have been in Israel I feel like I have learned more about the world, life and myself than I have thus far in college. Experience is the top method of learning and the sharing of stores is a part of that. Yesterday, I had my second day at the ENP Youth Outreach Center in Beit Shemesh, which I will be traveling to once a week. The past two weeks we have predominately been working with Hailu, the center’s director, on his English. It is an extremely interesting experience to be teaching a language to someone whose language you are currently studying yourself. Hailu is very good in English but wants to gain more confidence in his speaking skills. We, meaning Danielle (another ENP volunteer) and I decided this last session tha...

I just had one of the most fascinating and informative discussions of my life. I have come to Israel to help with the Ethiopian National Project. This is an organization set up to help the immigrants from Ethiopia successfully integrate themselves into Israeli life. It operates youth centers, after school programs and social services for the immigrant community and is sponsored by the Israeli government and donations from various Jewish sources around the world. Many North American Federations are sponsors of the work of the ENP. Since every student in Israel has to pass an examination in, among other subjects, English, there is a need for additional help with this area of study- By the way English is an incredibly difficult language if you are not a native speaker. Its rules, grammatical exceptions and sounds are very challenging for those who are not familiar with it. Nevertheless, English is the international language and the key to the world culture we take for granted. Poss...

On my first day as an Intern at the Ethiopian National Project in Jerusalem, I was given the amazing opportunity to join a visit by the Neveh Shalom Synagogue Community of Portland to Ramla. Ramla is a very multicultural city and has a predominately low socioeconomic class and I was excited to have the chance to go and visit ENP's school-based scholastic assistance program, a free after-school program for Ethiopian-Israeli teens to help them achieve better grades in school. I discovered that for many, this is the only extracurricular activity they can attend due to the expense of other programs. Before the program began, I was able to sit and chat with the teenagers; we talked about their favorite American and Israeli Musicians. They were impressed that I spoke Hebrew and that I could sing along to some of the Israeli songs they had on their cell phones. They then began to explain to me the kind of help that the program gives them - math, English and even the chance to par...

Israel is seen around the world as a home for Jews. That picture of a country of Jews typically paints itself in a way that is far from the truth. In America the majority of Jews are Ashkenazi, meaning Jews that descended from Eastern European countries. I personally can count on my hands how many Jews I know in America that has a family history not deriving from one of these countries. When in the United States I live in the metropolitan city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, have always attended school in the city and therefore live a life full of diversity. However, my Jewish community was not as internally diverse and therefore I, as well as most of the United States, applied the same expectation of diversity in the Minneapolis/St Paul Jewish community unto Israel. This is my second visit to Israel and I continue to be amazed by the diversity of people living in this country. Last week, I began my internship at the Ethiopian National Project with a mission where around ninety Jewish ...