Thursday, May 3 | 6:30 p.m.
Temple Beth Elohim
10 Bethel Road
Wellesley
Featuring the film Operation Moses: Thirty Years After
Brought to us in partnership with The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot, Israel
CJP’s Boston-Haifa Connection warmly invites you to Ethiopian Israelis: Stories of Resilience and Culture. The evening features three members of an Ethiopian-Israeli delegation who will tell the story of how they first came to Israel as well as what their lives are like now.
The event features a 50-minute film by Orly Malessa for Beit Hatfutsot, Operation Moses: Thirty Years Later. It recounts the covert evacuation of nearly 8,000 Ethiopian Jews from Sudan and sheds light on the Ethiopian-Israeli community as it is today.
Following the film, we’ll meet Dege, Oshra, and Elias, whose personal stories reveal their resilience and the rich and nuanced culture of Israel's Ethiopian community. These guests are closely connected to the work that CJP is doing to support the Ethiopian-Israeli community that has been an integral part of CJP's Boston-Haifa Connection.
Light appetizers and Ethiopian fare will be served. Dietary laws will be observed.
For more information or special accommodations, please contact Molly at mollyg@cjp.org or 617-457-8593.
PANELISTS
Dege Feder
Dege is a talented performer of Ethiopian music, dance, and plastic arts. Dege joined and co-founded several Ethiopian modern dance troupes, where she choreographed and toured in numerous festivals throughout Israel and internationally. Dege has participated in Kurat, a program of CJP’s Boston-Haifa Connection, which fosters high-level employment skills and entrepreneurship. With the support of the Kurat program, she established and managed an Ethiopian art center in Haifa, Tezi-Teza Gallery, in the Ethiopian Contemporary Art House, where she presented her plastic arts and handicrafts work.
Oshra Friedman
Oshra moderates the national Israeli TV show “Outside the Bubble,” and is Co-chair of the Boston-Haifa Ethiopian Jewry Committee in Haifa. She emigrated from Ethiopia as part of the clandestine “Operation Moses” when she was seven years old. She is currently studying for her doctorate in education and leadership at the University of Haifa. As a leading activist in the Ethiopian-Israeli community, Oshra served as a member of the Round Table established between the police and the Ethiopian community.
Elias Mahari
As the Director of the Fellowship Home for Ethiopian Jews, Elias focuses on creating an effective army experience for Ethiopian recruits. He is an instructor and leader for parent groups and commanders’ workshops for Netivim, a program of CJP’s Boston-Haifa Connection. Elias has extensive training and management in working with new immigrants from Ethiopia and other countries. He also serves as a member of the Ministry of Justice Committee for the Elimination of Racism in Israel.