Three Ethiopian-Israelis will be speaking at Elon University on Thursday, March 3, starting at 11:30 am in Moseley 216. They speak fluent English and are hoping to engage in a lively conversation with Elon students, faculty & staff.
PIZZA & drinks will be provided free of charge. Latecomers are very welcome to attend. Please RSVP to Nancy Luberoff, Campus Hillel Director, nluberoff@elon.edu
All three speakers were born in Ethiopia or the Sudan and escaped to Israel as a part of Operation Moses, which is a special Israeli rescue operation.
They will be sharing their unique perspective on Israel’s multi-cultural society, technology, foods, military service, politics, race, immigration and their hopes and dreams for the future. The Ethiopian-Israelis are participants of Israel at Heart, a not-profit organization.
Rachel Tabay is 29 years old and has a BA in Communications.. She was born in 1981 in Sudan and immigrated to Israel with her family in the early 1980s. They walked from Ethiopia to Sudan and then waited in a Sudanese refugee camp, where Rachel was born, until the Israeli Mossad rescued them.
Hava Matbabo is a 27 year old, second year student of Government. She was born in 1983 to a Jewish family in Ethiopia. Hava and her family immigrated to Israel in 1984 during Operation Moses after walking through the Sudanese desert. Hava aspires to be a lawyer after graduating from university.
Tomer Marsha is 29 years old , He was born in 1981 to a Jewish family in Ethiopia. Tomer arrived in Israel with his family when he was one year old during a secret operation lunched by the Israeli government in 1981. He was raised as the third of 10 siblings. Tomer hopes to become a lawyer and help better the lives of the Ethiopian community in Israel.