Ethiopian Jewish Experience
March 16 – 18, 2012
IMMERSE YOURSELF in Ethiopian Jewish Culture at this first-ever weekend-long retreat.
- EXPERIENCE Ethiopian Jewish ritual
- HEAR first-hand stories of the Ethiopian exodus
- LEARN about the challenges facing Ethiopians in Israel
- PARTICIPATE in Ethiopian Jewish dance, music, and craft activities
- INTERACT with Ethiopian Israeli leaders
and, of course,
- EAT savory and healthy Ethiopian food
If you're new to Isabella Freedman, check out our Frequently Asked Questions for information about where we're located, arrival and departure times, what to bring, etc.
Roni Akale is the Director-General of the Ethiopian National Project. Like thousands of others who endured the hardships of aliyah during Operation Moses, Dessie (Roni) Akale crossed Ethiopia by foot, walking 800 kilometers, then waited in Sudan until finally reaching Jerusalem in December 1983 at the age of 20. Roni obtained a BA in Social Work from Haifa University in 1990, and later went on to obtain an MA in Management and Public Policy Administration from Ben Gurion University. He holds additional training experience in the realms of educational leadership and non-profit management. Roni served as a Mental Health officer in the Israel Defense Forces. He played a critical role during Operation Solomon in May 1991, applying his personal and professional experience to assist the newcomers during this historical airlift in which 14,325 Ethiopian Jews were brought to Israel in 36 hours.
Roni brings rich professional experience to the role of Director-General. He was Manager of the nation-wide network of moked klitah service centers for immigrants on behalf of the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, overseeing 21 cities and towns. He served as a family social worker in the municipality of Ashdod, and was the Director of Ethiopian Job Placement and Counseling with the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption. In addition, he has carried out a wide variety of volunteer roles and has served in myriad leadership positions in his rich career of aiding the Ethiopian-Israeli community with his expertise, including being elected as Chairman of the Representatives of Ethiopian Jewish Organizations in Israel between 2008 to 2010.
Roni, 47, concluded his post as the Chief Executive Officer of FIDEL Association for Education and Social Integration of Ethiopian Jews in Israel, which he has held since 2007, to assume the role of Director-General of ENP in April 2011. Roni lives in Ashdod, is married and father of four sons.
Dege Feder was born in 1976 in Ethiopia in a village named Wozaba in the district of Gondar. This was the region in which lived the majority of the Ethiopian Jews. Her family worked in agriculture and from an early age the children went out to work to help the family. Dege worked both in agriculture and as a shepherdess.
Dege left her village during Operation Moses. After a long and hard journey the group reached the border of Sudan, later arriving in Israel in 1984, separated from her family. Dege lived with her grandmother in the Merkaz Klita (absorption center) in Be'er Sheva and after a few months moved to the Merkaz Klita in Zefat where her uncle was living, not knowing anything about the rest of her family and whether she would ever see them again. She was later reunited with her family and moved to Tiberias. Dege started to go to school, moving in 6th grade, like many Ethiopian children, to a religious boarding school and later to Hodayot religious boarding school near Tiberias which enabled her to be closer to her family.
Dege's father passed away in Israel when she was 13 years old. Her eldest brother died as a soldier in the Ethiopian army. Her mother lives in Kefar Saba and her eight brothers and sisters are living in different cities in Israel. In 1998, Dege started to learn in Haifa University, majoring in arts and education. During that time she started to dance in Eskesta Ethiopian dance troupe with which she traveled worldwide. The dance troupe, named now Beta, continued also after her graduating from university in Matnas Neve Yosef in Haifa. Dege also sang in different music groups and recorded dance soundtracks with the Israeli composer Oded Zehavi.
Dege teaches Ethiopian dance in Yokneam where she leads the Desta dance troupe. This dance troupe concentrates on Ethiopian traditional dance in order to bring the youth closer to their culture and make them proud of it. In addition, Dege also teaches Ethiopian dance and song workshops.
Dege is living in Kiryat Tivon with her husband and has a child.
Grace Rodnitzki, Director of International Relations at the Ethiopian National Project, works closely with field workers and professionals in Israel, delving into the critical day-to-day work they carry out so that she can illustratively tell ENP's story. In her capacity as ENP's Director of International Relations, she shares her in-depth knowledge of the amazing potential and the compelling need of Ethiopian IsraelisÊwith individual donors, foundations, and federations.
Grace hails from King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. She has felt a calling to inform others about Israel's uniqueness since her youth, when she was actively involved on the regional and international levels of the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization. Grace received a B.A. in Politics from Brandeis University in 1990, and studied aÊyear abroad at Oxford University. Following her undergraduate career, while a Raoul Wallenberg Fellow at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, she witnessed first hand the miraculous Ethiopian airlifts and the massive emigration from the Soviet Union, and endured the insecurity of living in Israel during the Gulf War.
In 1992, Grace was invited to Australia to study and lecture as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, traveling the continent and speaking about her experiences in Israel. She returned to Israel in May 1993, herself a new immigrant. Grace then worked for over seven years as an International Relations Associate at the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee in Jerusalem. Grace Rodnitzki lives in Modi'in, Israel with her husband and three children.
Registration Information
All-inclusive weekend prices, including food and lodging, start at $258 per person for a double-occupancy room, with early registration and other discounts available. If you are coming alone and request a shared room, you will be paired with a roommate of the same gender. Single-occupancy upgrades are available for an additional fee. See rates here. We strive to make our programs affordable to everyone. Click here for information about Financial Aid.
You will receive a confirmation email once you have registered and made a payment online or by phone. If you do not receive this email within 24 hours of registering, please call us at 800.398.2630 x4.
Register by February 17 and save 10%.*
*The early registration discount cannot be combined with any other special offers or discounts.
