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Ethiopian Jewry: Israel's First Jewish Ethiopian-born Ambassador

In February 2012, the Israeli Foreign Ministry for the first time ever appointed a citizen of Ethiopian origin as ambassador. Belaynesh Zevadia, who was the first Ethiopian cadet in the Foreign Ministry, will serve as the Israeli diplomat to Addis Ababa, the capital of the country where she was born and lived in before moving to Israel.

Zevadia, who is 43-years-old, immigrated to Israel at age 17 when thousands of Ethiopian Jews were brought to the country. She studied at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and has a BA degree in international relations and African studies, and an MA in African studies. In the course of her diplomatic career, she served in Chicago, Illinois and in Houston, Texas.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman welcomed the appointment: “The appointment is a message to the Israeli public, one that is currently fighting racism against Ethiopians,” said Lieberman. “This transmits a message of fighting discrimination. In Israel, people are chosen based on their ability to serve the

From Ethiopia to Israel, and back again

Israeli ambassador to Ethiopia Belaynesh Zevadia talks to the "Magazine" about the unprecedented relationship between the Jewish state and the country known as the "gateway to Africa."

By HERB KEINONUpdated: JULY 14, 2016 13:52
For a few weeks in late June and early July, Israel’s ambassador to Ethiopia Belaynesh Zevadia was a celebrity in Addis Ababa.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit – the first ever by an Israeli prime minister to a country that shares a long history with Israel and the Jewish people – thrust her into the limelight.Ethiopian television networks sought her out, wanting to do a segment on the prime ministerial visit. Israeli journalists turned to her for questions about the state of Ethiopian-Israeli relations. And Netanyahu brought up her name in public appearances throughout his four-country, four-day African visit last week, as an example of how Ethiopian immigrants to Israel have successfully integrated into the highest levels of Israeli society. In addition to

Belaynesh Zevadia

Israeli diplomat

Belaynesh Zevadia

Born1967 (age 57–58)

Gondar, Ethiopia

NationalityIsraeli
Alma materHebrew University of Jerusalem
OccupationDiplomat
Known forFirst Ethiopian-born Israeli ambassador
TitleAmbassador

Belaynesh Zevadia (Hebrew: בליינש זבדיה; born 1967) is an Ethiopian-born Israeli diplomat. She was appointed Israeli ambassador to Ethiopia in 2012 and was the Israeli ambassador to Rwanda.

Biography

Belaynesh Zevadia was born to a Jewish family in the Gondar region of Ethiopia.[1] She immigrated to Israel in 1984 at the age of 17, during Operation Moses.[2] She is a graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.[3]

Diplomatic career

Zevadia was the first immigrant from Ethiopia to enter the Israeli Foreign Service as a trainee,[1][4] working at Israeli consulate posts in Houston and Chicago.[5] In 2012, she was appointed ambassador to Ethiopia, becoming the first immigrant from Ethiopia to Israel t

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