Ethiopian-Israeli Students Get a Leg Up by Interning in Vancouver
This week, members of the Lower Mainland’s Jewish community said tearful goodbyes to two Ethiopian-Israeli university students from Israel. Completing a month-long internship in Vancouver, Ahuva Tsegaye and Mazal Menashe were as highly impacted by their experience in Vancouver’s Jewish community as the community was by their visit.
Students Given Opportunity of a Lifetime
Ahuva and Mazal attend one of the most highly regarded and prestigious universities in Israel, The Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya, thanks to individuals in our community and across Canada. Through a Jewish Federation program, individuals support Israeli law and business colleges that provide full scholarships to outstanding Ethiopian-Israeli students who lack the means to pay for their own education.
Every second year, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver hosts two IDC Herzliya Ethiopian students through the Israel at Heart program. The programs selects scholarship students who have a combination of leadership skills and experience to study advocacy, public speaking and English in addition to their majors, and to travel to different Jewish communities around the world to work and tell their stories.
Jewish Federation arranged for the students to live in Greater Vancouver with local families and gain work experience with local firms in their chosen fields—operational management for Ahuva and law and government for Mazal. This international experience gives the students an edge in finding top positions in their field following graduation.
Mazal repeatedly described their experience in our community as “an amazing opportunity for us”—and it is. Having international experience gives any student a competitive edge, especially at such a competitive school in competitive fields. Erez, a student from the program who interned in Vancouver at Lawson Lundell Lawson & McIntosh in 2009 is now a successful lawyer at one of the top law offices in Tel Aviv.
Students Jump Hurdles as New Immigrants
The students come to Vancouver as representatives of both Israel and the Ethiopian-Israeli community. Both Ahuva and Mazal are first generation Israelis. They immigrated to Israel as infants with their families during Operation Solomon, in which the Israeli government helped thousands of Jewish Ethiopians make aliyah.
The Ethiopian-Israeli community has faced challenges similar to new immigrants all over the world. Highly skilled as farmers and artisans in Ethiopia, in Israel they must learn a new language and skills needed for life in an industrialized society very different than their own.
Amidst these obstacles, the opportunity Mazal and Ahuva have received will go a long way in securing their future and the future of their families. “I am so thankful,” Ahuva said. “I know all of the parents in my community wish they could give us more, but coming here (to Israel) in your fifties with no profession and no Hebrew, it’s very hard.” She adds, “We try to keep our traditions from Ethiopia, but it’s even more important we keep the Jewish traditions. Our roots are the same as all Israelis. We are first Jews, and now Israeli citizens, and I feel this is the main thing.”
Students Share About Life in Israel Firsthand
Not only does the internship benefit the students, the local Jewish community was deeply impacted as well. While visiting Vancouver, the students acted as ambassadors for Israel, speaking to dozens of Jewish and non-Jewish groups across the Lower Mainland. They told their personal stories—the hardships of getting to Israel, the important work the Government of Israel did in helping Ethiopians immigrate, the inclusiveness of the State of Israel, and how they have shaped their identities as Israelis. Their stories also served to dispel accusations that Israel is an apartheid state.
Interns Welcomed as Family
Both Mazal and Ahuva gush about their experience living and working in Vancouver. “The community here welcomed us with open arms,” Ahuva shares. “They have been very interested in hearing our story and asked a lot of relevant questions. It’s an amazing opportunity for both of us to meet a lot of professionals and network within our profession. I think it’s the most amazing experience we could have wished for.”
“We want to thank our host families for opening their hearts, homes and families,” Ahuva adds. “We could have not dreamed about this internship without the Federation organizing it.”
Jewish Federation would like to add their thanks to the students’ host families and the organizations who hosted the students as employers and mentors. Our community thanks you!
Much to Miss, Much to Anticipate
As they prepared to leave for home, Ahuva and Mazal reflected on the appreciation they gained for the challenges of being Jewish outside of Israel. “In Israel, it’s very easy to be Jewish and to keep the traditions,” Mazal explains, “so it’s amazing to see how in other countries people actually work hard and donate a lot of money to keep the Jewish community alive. We take that for granted.”
They unanimously agree they will miss Vancouver’s relaxed vibe and amazing views, but acknowledge they can’t wait to get back to their families—and the food. Mazal sighs, “I’m just waiting for the food.”
