Israel Active

Israel’s Science, Technology and Space Ministry has announced that is marking the Ethiopian-Jewish holiday of Sigd by allocating scholarships totaling some NIS 1.8 million to Ethiopian students.

There are currently 141,200 citizens of Ethiopian origin in Israel. Of those graduating from high school, 89% took the matriculation tests compared with the national average of 94%.  The dropout rate of 1.21% was slightly lower than the 1.4% among all Jewish students.

Avraham Yitzhak will be the first colonel of Ethiopian descent in IDF history when he becomes chief medical officer of the IDF Southern Command. Yitzhak came to Israel in 1991, graduated in medicine at Ben Gurion University and was the first Ethiopian-Israeli combat doctor

Marcelo Crivella, winner of the election for mayor of Rio de Janeiro, expresses his love for Israel at every opportunity. He celebrated victory by flying to Israel with a delegation of family and friends, where he met mayor of Jerusalem Nir Barkat and discussed cooperation.

25-year-old Yityish ‘Titi’ Aynaw was crowned Miss Israel in 2013.  On her fifth speaking tour of the USA, the Ethiopian-born Israeli emphasized that the world must learn how “unique and diverse” the Jewish state is. She is currently studying international relations at the IDC Herzliya.

Three IDF lieutenant-colonels have been promoted to full colonels including Liron Donal - the first woman to command a Home Front district (Dan) which includes Tel Aviv. Carmel Wahabi is the first Druze Israeli to lead an IDF court as head of the army’s Court of the General Staff. Olga Polyakov becomes chief medical officer for Home Front Command.

Noach Braun ran Nov 6 New York City Marathon to raise awareness about the lifesaving role guide dogs play in healing. Braun co-founded the Israel Guide Dog Center for the Blind in 1991 and ran the marathon tethered to a blind runner.

John Hagee Ministries distributed more than $2 million to Israeli and Jewish charities at the 35th annual “Night to Honor Israel”. Keynote speaker, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton said, “If Israel is not secure, the United States is not secure”.

American Friends of the IDF (FIDF) held a star-studded gala for 1200 guests in Los Angeles to honor IDF soldiers. The event raised a record $38 million, to provide benefits and educational opportunities for IDF soldiers.

In a historic first, two female lawyers were appointed as Israel's first Ethiopian judges, as the Judicial Nominating Committee named Adenko Sebhat-Haimovich to the magistrates' court, and Esther Tapeta Gardi to the traffic court. Both were appointed on their legal merits.