Interning at ENP: Translating Books, Teaching Surfing, and Singing Hatikva

    I’m Sacha Toberoff, a summer intern at Ethiopian National Project (ENP) through the

Columbia/Barnard Hillel Onward program. I’m studying history and political science at Columbia

University. I grew up in a secular Jewish home in Malibu, California. I’ve always had a strong

connection with my cultural background and recognized the importance of Israel, as my Safta grew

up here. This is my first time in Israel and I have been delighted to connect with the land of my

ancestors. I chose to intern with ENP because it is doing pivotal work to support the Ethiopian

Israeli community by sponsoring scholarships and hosting leadership and English language

programs. I have a background in service and legal work and am excited to bring these skills to ENP.

Before coming to ENP, I knew little about the struggles of the Ethiopian Jewish community making Aliyah. For many years, they dreamed of returning to Israel, and when it was finally possible it took tremendous effort and sacrifice to make the journey. In my first week at ENP, I edited a translation of the third edition of Ti’ud, a collection of interviews of Ethiopian-Israelis about their journey to and integration in Israel. Reading about these stories and editing them, I gained meaningful insight into the experience of Ethiopian Jews in Ethiopia, their struggles in making Aliyah, and their integration into Israeli society. Roni, the Director General of ENP,  supplemented this experience by sharing his first-hand experience of making aliyah through Sudan as part of Operation Moses. On this tiresome journey, he was robbed, abandoned, and starved, but he refused to give up because he had a dream. He later was involved with Operation Solomon which helped over 14,000 Ethiopian Jews complete their lifelong dream of coming to the Land of Israel. These inspirational stories have greatly expanded my understanding of the Ethiopian Jewish community and its rich cultural history. 

With my colleagues, I organized activities for part of the fourth annual ENP-JFGP-SB National Youth Summit in Jerusalem. The program I ran was called “My Favorite Things.” The idea for this activity came from my love of teaching surfing and learning about others’ passions. I also wanted to instill in these youth a sense of the importance of having interests and hobbies, as they make life more fulfilling and meaningful. Going to the conference was so much fun, particularly when we ate lunch with and got to know the kids. They were ecstatic about American culture and they took the time to have conversations with us in English even though it wasn't their native language. We were also very interested in learning about their life into Israel. I taught them surfing and my co-worker, Brian Rush, taught them rugby. The children shared their love of art, reading, basketball, soccer, and dancing with us. The conference culminated in a moving rendition of Hatikva, Israel’s national anthem, a song that I had never heard before. Each child stood up and began to sing in unison as if we were all one. This experience highlighted the connection that all Jews share, despite our varying backgrounds and customs.

    Although it’s only been three weeks, I have also developed a bond with my co-workers as we connect with Israel through our work to fully integrate Ethiopian-Israelis. As my internship goes on, I am excited to continue learning about Jewish communities from around the world and grow my own community in Israel. 

Written by Sacha Toberoff