We Are the Ones to Leverage Ourselves
My name is Eti Yaacob. I have a Bachelor degree in economics and a Masters degree in finance and international relations. I currently work in the Business Department of the Central Bureau for Statistics in Jerusalem, where I am responsible for planning and implementing research of biotech companies and R&D in the business sector. I completed my graduate degree at the age of 23 and received a scholarship for academic excellence. I would like to pursue a PhD in the future.
I made Aliyah to Israel from Ethiopia in 1984 under the auspices of "Operation Moshe". This was not your usual Aliyah story, where a family prepares passports, buys plane ticket and lands in Israel after a plane ride. For my family and for many other families, this was a journey that took months and entailed a difficult trek through harsh conditions in the deserts from Ethiopia to Sudan. The journey was made by men, women, children and the elderly. We walked at night in complete darkness, and hid during the days as to not awaken the suspicions of the local villagers on route. We feared that we would be reported to the Ethiopian authorities, which would lead the end of our journey if we were lucky or to our demise if we were not. Accompanied by wild animals, lacking food, water and medicine we continued. We encountered many robbers on the way who stole the little that we had. Our guides abandoned us halfway through the journey, leaving us to find our way without guidance. We were left helpless, but not hopeless, as we always had the goal of reaching Yerusalem, Jerusalem of Gold in, our hearts. For six months my family and I stayed at a refugee camp in Sudan. The camp was established by the Red Cross in order to give shelter to the refugees of the wars in southern Sudan and the area. We are told that over four thousand people perished en route to Israel. In March 2007, a monument in their memory was established at Har Herzl in Jerusalem. The fact that the monument is located in Jerusalem is very meaningful, as it allows closure for those who never lived their dream of reaching Jerusalem.
My absorption was not easy. We were regarded as quasi-Jewish, and quasi-cultured. We were asked to change our names, or in some cases they were changed without our knowledge. It was hard for people to accept that they are dark skinned Jews.
There is no doubt that many mistakes were made in the way the Ethiopian Jews were absorbed into Israeli society, similar to other populations who made Aliyah. Despite this, I am sure that together, we can make a change. Each and every one of us strives for a better society, in our tiny, multi-faceted country of Israel. Because we have no other country. I know the Ethiopian population is just a drop in the bucket number-wise, (one hundred and ten thousand people out of a population of 7.1 million) and that we have only been here for a short while. We still have to create the networks others find in youth groups, the army or at university. This impedes on our integration into society, particularly into the workforce.
There are many academic members of our community who are employed by the community itself it positions that do not always correlate with their skill sets and professions. Although community work is crucial, I feel that these academics could benefit more if they were employed in positions that match their credentials, in large companies, government positions and others, that would lead to personal and social development.
I believe that we need to find those who have vision, those who strive for and dream about an equal opportunity society. Our meetings with the founders and volunteers of "Olim Together" prove that this is possible. We see this as a great opportunity for members of our community to establish a real network of friends and acquaintances from all over the map, and to use this network in order to find jobs that better suit their assets and talents. This is an opportunity to expose the business world to the Ethiopian university graduates and what they have to offer, and to expose the graduates to job opportunities that weren't available to them before.
Everyone knows that the key to success in western society is education and employment. I have no doubt that with a little help from the business sector we can leverage ourselves faster and more successfully. We need to play the biggest role in leveraging ourselves. That is why I believe we cannot sit back and wait for things to happen. We need to take things into our own hands and move forward. There's an old saying that I remember "A chain is no stronger than its weakest link". The more each and every one of us strives to become the strongest link, the faster we will become an equal and stable society.
My dream is to see more economists, engineers, doctors, lawyers and academics of Ethiopian descent in key positions in the private and government sectors over the next few years.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the people who have opened their hearts and doors to the Ethiopian community and have helped its members integrate into the job market. Thank you all project members, who are fabulous both personally and professionally, who have done so much to promote outstanding opportunities for mutual learning, sharing and achieving
By Eti Yaacov, Graduate of first participants group (2007)
