Founders

Yuvi Tashome: Yuvi made Aliya to Israel from Ethiopia with her extended family in 1984, as part of Operation Moses through the Sudan, when she was five years old.

When Yuvi completed her military service in the IDF Education Corps in 1998, she was recruited to work as a summer camp counselor at Camp Ramah in New York - which she did for two sequent years. Upon her return to Israel, she joined a special Multicultural Orienteering Program for Ethiopian Israeli youth, and worked as a youth counselor and regional director for 7 years, directing dozens of staff members and developing culturally sensitive educational programs.

Yuvi, mother to Shaked, completed her Bachelor Degree in Israel Studies and Education, and is continuing her studies as a Parents Group Counselor in the Adler Institute. In 2005 Yuvi initiated the Community Gar’in in the Israeli town of Gedera, and is directing it.

The Gar’in includes a group of families and young adults, whom Yuvi joined around common vision and goals, through community action and discussion on personal and Jewish identity. The Community Gar’in Yuvi directs works with approximately 200 youth and young adults – most of whom are Ethiopian Israelis.

Nir Katz: A native Israeli, Nir happened to reach the remote Quara region in Ethiopia in 1997, while travelling in the country, and meet its forgotten amazing Jewish community. He then continued to advocate for their Aliya until it became a reality in 1999.

As a result of this unique encounter, Nir founded and directed a special Multicultural Youth Orienteering Program, which worked annually with over 1,000 Ethiopian- and FSU-Israeli youth-at-risk, giving them pride in their diverse Jewish heritage and in the Land of Israel (1998-2005).

Nir trained dozens of youth volunteers as well as dozens of Amharic speaking counselors, as part of the program, and developed a whole new approach to working with parents.

In 2005 Nir founded with a group of friends the Israeli NGO Friends By Nature – Community Empowerment, and became part of the Gedera Community Gar’in – a group of families and young adults, who chose to live in the impoverished neighborhood in this town, unite as a group with common vision and educational goals, and take responsibility for the community.

For Nir, father to Itamar, Friends by Nature – Community Empowerment is a direct development of his work with the community since his visit to Ethiopia in 1997. He is the director of Friends By Nature, and copies the model to more locations.

Moshe Solomon: In 1983, when Moshe was 8 years old, he made Aliya to Israel from Ethiopia throughSudan. Ten years later, he began the Yeshivat Hesder program which combines military service and religious studies. He studied at Etziyon Hesder Yeshiva and became an officer (Company Commander) in the Paratroopers.

Moshe initiated the Community Gar’in in Kiryat Gat, which includes families (mostly Ethiopian Israelis) who moved to Kiryat Gat out of a feeling of community commitment. As part of his job, he works on developing new Community Garinim.

For two years, Moshe directed the Multicultural Program, and there were approximately 50 counselors and 1,000 immigrant Israeli youth under his supervision. Consequently, he directed the Bnei Akiva youth movement’s Community and Absorption Department, where he led approximately 200 coordinators and counselors and 4,000 youth.

Moshe also coordinates a program for Ethiopian Israeli students at the NCJW Research Institute for Innovation in Education (at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem).

Qess Samay (Shimon) Elias: Samay made Aliya to Israel from Ethiopia with his family in 1987 throughSudan when he was 16 years old. On their way to Israel, the family stopped for three years in a remote area in Ethiopia, and Samay’s father served as Qess (Ethiopian Rabbi) of the Jewish community there. “My father’s self sacrifice made a great impact on me”, says Samay, who himself became a Qess in 2004 – one of the very few Ethiopian Israeli immigrants who became Qesses in Israel.

Samay, who completed a Bachelor degree in Sociology and Education, works at Atzma’ut Program in Rishon LeZion (a joint venture of JDC and Metro West, New Jersey Federation) and volunteers as Qess.

For many parents and youth he represents a successful integration between Ethiopian Jewish tradition and Israeli life.