PowerPoint Discussion Guide Ethiopian Israelis

Transcription

1 The following guide provides a suggested script (in italics) and tips for your PowerPoint presentation. The text in bold will appear on the slide (it is not necessary to read this text out loud). We suggest that you go through the PowerPoint beforehand to familiarize yourself with the flow of the presentation and the order in which information appears on the slides. Thank you for taking the time to educate your community on social justice issues in Israel, and to inform people about the work of the New Israel Fund. CHECKLIST Computer enabled to show PowerPoint and video (internet or DVD player) Copy of Discussion Questions (for facilitator to lead discussion) Optional: Copies of NIF 101, Participant Handout and Related Articles (to distribute at end of presentation) Optional: copies of Evaluation Form for Program Participants Before you start the PowerPoint, you may show Justice, Justice You Shall Pursue (~12 min) to provide an overview of NIF. (Click on link in Facilitator s Packet or insert DVD) PRESENTATION Slide 1: Introduction a. State the purpose of the event: We are here to discuss one of the social justice issues facing Israeli society. This presentation will focus on the integration of. b. You may want to start with an icebreaker, such as asking what experience each person has had with social justice issues, or what knowledge they have about Ethiopian Jewry. Slide 2: Israel s Declaration of Independence Ask a person in the group to read the quote. Point out that this is the ideal NIF works to uphold. The State of Israel will be based on freedom, justice and peace it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or gender Israel s Declaration of Independence, 5 Iyyar 5708 / 14 May 1948 Slide 3: What is NIF? The New Israel Fund is the leading organization committed to equality and democracy for all Israelis. NIF s primary focus is supporting the creation, development and operations of organizations working towards these goals (choose a participant to read the following): To protect the civil and human rights of all Israelis, To close the social and economic gaps between Israel s diverse communities, and To promote religious pluralism and tolerance. Slide 4: How does NIF work? 1. Grant making Since its founding in 1979, NIF has granted over $200 million to more than 800 non-profit organizations. 2. Capacity-building

2 In 1982, NIF established SHATIL ( seedling in Hebrew) to provide organizational development and training for organizations. SHATIL teaches skills such as fundraising, coalition-building and working with the media. 3. Leadership Development NIF has leadership programs for Israelis and Diaspora Jews who want to work in the field of social justice. 4. Public Advocacy Advocacy includes educational events and campaigns to create public awareness about social justice issues in Israel, such as NIF s campaign to kick racism out of soccer. Slide 5: Now to our main topic of discussion, the Integration of. Slide 6: Basic Facts Beta Israel Also known as Beta Israel, the Ethiopian Jewish community has a long and rich history. Some believe they descended from the lost tribe of Dan or from the union of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba 2,500 years ago. The term Falash Mura has also been used to describe some Ethiopians. The Falash Mura are descendants of Ethiopian Jews who converted to Christianity, often under threat. Their desire to return to Judaism and immigrate to Israel has sparked debate among Israeli political and religious authorities. Operation Moses, 1984 Facing persecution, famine and suppression of their Jewish identity under a new regime in Ethiopia, Ethiopian Jews requested aid from the Israeli government. Israel then engaged in military operations, such as the well-known Operation Moses, to help Ethiopian Jews escape these conditions by bringing them to Israel. This operation brought about 8,000 Ethiopians to Israel from Sudan, where Ethiopians had fled to escape the civil war. Operation Solomon, 1991 This airlift brought about 15,000 more Ethiopians to Israel. 120,000 in Israel Today there are about 120, % of the current population came in the 80s; 47% came in the 90s and 34% came after About 30% of were born in Israel. Languages: Amharic and Tigrigna These are two of the main native languages of Ethiopia that many still speak.

3 Slide 7: Challenges This slide includes issues discussed in the Related Articles, which we encourage you to distribute at the end of your presentation. Choose participants to read the short passages in bold. These are some of the challenges they face: Discrimination 2009: Sephardi Chief Rabbi (Shlomo Amar) declared that students of Ethiopian origin could not be accepted into religious schools in Petah Tikva because of "halakhic reasons. Ethiopian Jews are particularly troubled by stereotyping and discrimination by both society and authorities. In this case, the High Court ruled that the schools had to enroll the students. Youth-at-risk Ethiopian parents ability to act as strong role models weakens as they struggle to integrate into Israeli society. As some youth see their parents struggle, they fail to understand the value of learning about their Ethiopian heritage and culture, and gradually stray away from their family. The gap between many members of the older and younger generations has also been worsened by the government s policy of sending Ethiopian high school students to state-run boarding schools where they tend to lose their Ethiopian culture and language, as well as the guidance of their parents. Poor living conditions The majority of Ethiopians live in impoverished development towns where they are isolated from mainstream Israeli society. In these towns there is a lack of educational and employment opportunities. Like many new immigrants, many are unfamiliar with Israeli bureaucracy and do not know how to work with the system in order to access their rights to education, healthcare and other vital services. Slide 8: Looking at the Numbers These challenges have resulted in the following statistics: 14% of the Ethiopian Israeli community is unemployed o This is in comparison to only 6.6% of the general population. More than 75% of the Ethiopian Israeli community came from rural, agrarian environments and have few skills to work in a modern economy. 65% of children from Ethiopian families live in households below the poverty line o This is in comparison to 25% of the general Jewish population And only 36% of Ethiopian students who attempt matriculation exams actually pass o High school drop-out rates for Ethiopian youth are double that of the general population Slide 9: Now we will watch an episode of Against All Odds (~20 min). (Click on link in module or insert DVD) Afterwards, open the discussion by asking the group for their thoughts on the episode, or by referring to the Discussion Questions. But first, propose some of the following discussion guidelines:

4 Participants should listen with curiosity ask questions to expand their view before offering a different /opposing view. Participants should express their perspectives in terms of how a situation impacts them, instead of labeling it (e.g., I strongly agree/disagree with instead of S/he is right/wrong ) Participants should not interrupt one another. Everyone s voice should be heard (people should not monopolize the conversation). Remember Clarify points of confusion by restating individual contributions to confirm understanding and ensure that they are heard by the whole group (e.g., I hear your view as., is that right? ). The facilitator reserves the right to redirect the conversation. In the last few minutes of the discussion, ask for two final comments and continue to the next slides to wrap up. Slide 10: Responding to the Challenges Asher is one example of someone from the community working on social justice issues. Other have also established organizations to strengthen and empower their community. These organizations are working to (choose a participant to read the text in bold): Address poverty, unemployment and housing issues in the Ethiopian community Ensure equal access to education for all Ethiopian children Provide opportunities for Ethiopian youth-at-risk Empower Ethiopians with the skills and confidence to change their own situation Slide 11: Making a Difference on the Ground Here are two examples of organizations: TEBEKA Center for Legal Aid and Advocacy for Ethiopian Jews in Israel Legal assistance and empowerment activities to advance the rights of citizens of Ethiopian origin For example, Tebeka fights discrimination against Ethiopian children in the Israeli school system and promotes legislation to outlaw all forms of ethnic discrimination Friends by Nature- Community Empowerment Developing civil society, young leadership and increasing community involvement for the successful integration of the Ethiopian immigrant community For example, Friends by Nature started youth clubs for tutoring and helped the school drop-out rate among significantly decrease in the city of Gedera. Slide 12: How can you get involved? Attend NIF events Stay informed: sign up for NIF s e-newsletter Follow NIF on Facebook and Twitter Join New Generations (20s and 30s) See NIF on the ground: join an NIF trip to Israel Apply for NIF fellowship programs (20s and 30s)

5 WRAPPING UP 1. Propose next steps, such as scheduling next event to learn about another topic (Migrant Workers, Women, Human Rights or Palestinian Israelis) and connecting with NIF. 2. Distribute the Participant Handout, NIF 101, and Related Articles so the group can learn more about the issue and NIF. 3. If possible, ask participants to fill out the survey online ( or the Evaluation Form for Program Participants. And be sure that you fill out the Evaluation Form for Facilitators. Conclusion: Today we learned about a minority group in Israel that has faced a lot of difficulties. On a positive note, we have also seen how have stepped up to the challenges and established organizations to empower their community. NIF works towards this goal, empowering all communities in Israel, on a daily basis, and as the organizations demonstrate, progress has been made. I d like to thank all of you for taking the time to learn about this social justice issue in Israel. Note on sources: This information has been gathered over the past decade by the New Israel Fund, based on current events, government policies and information from NIF grantees. Numbers and statistics have largely been provided by the Israel Association for Ethiopian Jews, ( Also see Beta Israel of North America ( and The Question of Jewish Identity and Ethiopian Jewish Origins, by Ephraim Isaac, Ph.D. January Last updated April 2011.