Ethiopian Bar Bat Mitzvah Blog

The Ethiopian Bar and Bat Mitzvah Programme is one of several strategic educational and welfare programmes supported by UJIA to aid the integration of Ethiopian immigrants into Israeli society and to encourage Jewish life thus creating a 'living bridge', connecting the UK communities and the communities in Israel.

UJIA has long been committed to improving the absorption of Ethiopian Jews and advancing their integration into Israeli society, beginning with their stay in absorption centres.

Below is the first hand account of one of our participants, please read and experience the impact of the programme for yourself.

My Shared Experience by EBBM Participant, Gianina Dwek

"A prayer that was certainly answered was that of my Ethiopian twin, Yetubanesh Radya and her family, about a year and a half ago when they safely arrived in Israel.

Having spent many years in a refugee camp, in very cramped, poor and unhygienic conditions, where they never knew whether they would survive another night, the only dream that kept them alive was that of reaching their true homeland, Eretz Yisroel.

They had left their home in a hurry, just as generations of Jews have been doing from time immemorial, with the one hope that their prayers of reaching Israel would be finally answered.

The poignant words of "acheinu" hold a particularly special place in my heart as I know that today we still have brothers and sisters in many parts of the world who are desperate to be free and to be able to practise their religion without fear; to reach "the Promised Land" ever clinging onto the hope that their promise will be granted.

In July I was fortunate enough to be in Israel where I celebrated my Bat Mitzvah with Yetubanesh, thanks to the UJIA who had co-ordinated the whole twinning process. Having had this opportunity has been the most meaningful experience of my life. After corresponding with my twin for almost 6 months, through emails and a fantastic interpreter, not only have I made a new friend in our homeland, but I've also learnt about the life and culture of the Ethiopian Jewry, about whom I knew very little until recent months.

Over the course of 3 days, I was lucky enough to receive a special blessing at the Kotel, along with 7 other male and female participants from Great Britain (although I was the only girl from Manchester) and 40 new Ethiopian olim; I spent my first morning getting to know my twin better, through our joint participation in hands-on activities at the Ein Yael living museum, a place where we had the chance to try out Biblical craft and art techniques; then we spent that evening - a magical and most memorable night - with all the British families, the olim and their madrichim, celebrating our joint simcha as one big family. The following day was the Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremony itself, where all the twins' families and friends from Great Britain and Ethiopia, as well as an FZY Summer Tour group, came to celebrate with us and we were even honoured by the presence of the Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Yona Metzger.

The highlight for me must have been the mesmeric atmosphere created by all the enthusiastic Ethiopian children who were clearly enjoying every minute of this wonderful occasion, as we were singing and dancing together 'in one language'. I even learnt the words of the well-known "Kol Ha'olam Kuloh" (The whole world is a very narrow bridge) in Amharic, the mother tongue of the Ethiopians! The following day, we were hosted by all the Ethiopian families in their own homes in the Absorption Centre where they lived in Tzefat. We were made to feel like royalty as all the mothers prepared special holiday bread and popcorn for us which was only baked by them on very special occasions. We felt truly honoured to be their guests as they really made us feel welcome.

I learnt that the Ethiopian children's Jewish education starts 6 months before our joint celebration in Jerusalem, where all 40 children participate in a "Family Roots Project using the Media", which is a multi-media research project on their personal, family and communal history. This intensive program is led by an incredibly dynamic Rabbi and his wife, Rabbi Micha and Rebbetzen Bracha Peled, whom we all had the privilege to meet, and who certainly inspired me into continuing the acts of chesed which I have started by involving myself in this twinning project. The one message which I took away from the Rabbi was that we should wake up every morning thinking what we can do for others, and not what others can do for us."

To find out more about the programme and how you can your family can take part please contact Ilana Kosky or call 020 7424 6422