The Ethiopian Jew who brings Ethiopian culture lives in Tel Aviv

Born on the side of a highway during Operation Solomon, which airlifted more than 14,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel in 1991, Ashager Araro’s beginning of life was far from conventional. Her name, which means “move on” in Amharic, is appropriate given the nature of her birth on the way from her family’s small town of Gondar in Ethiopia to the capital of Addis Ababa in hopes of being rescued.

Graduating at the top of his class as a paratrooper lieutenant in the Israel Defense Forces, much of Ashager’s tenacity comes from the time he spent in a male-dominated unit.

“It was there that I learned to speak and behave confidently, and I have built on this strength in future areas of my life,” he said.

“This opportunity was truly a turning point, providing a springboard where I could use my voice to represent my community and fill a gap in knowledge of the Jewish people globally, many of whom are unfamiliar with the Ethiopian Jews of Israel. “, said.

As a black Jewish woman, Ashager is no stranger to the bigotry and racism faced by millions of people around the world.

“I can hide my Jewish origin as an Ethiopian Jew, but out of respect for my parents and religion, this is something I would never do,” she said. “But the color of my skin is there on the surface, so I can also relate to the discrimination that many black people of all backgrounds feel.”

However, as an Ethiopian Jew, it goes deeper.

“Before escaping to Israel, my parents lived in danger due to their religious beliefs,” Ashager said. “They were referred to as ‘falash’ [‘strangers’ in Amharic] and subjected to tremendous hatred for being a Jew. “

Although Ethiopian Jews have come a long way to integrate into Israeli society, riots and racism remain pressing problems. Last year, thousands of Ethiopian Jews gathered in Tel Aviv to express their frustrations at racism and police brutality in a massive show of unity. Similar to scenes from the recent Black Lives Matter protests that swept across the globe, crowds gathered in anger and anguish to honor 19-year-old Solomon Tekah, an Ethiopian Israeli who was tragically shot and killed by Israeli police in the Haifa neighborhood of Kiryat Haim.

Ashager, from a long line of strong women, was propelled into action to protest in the way she knows best: education.

Last year he founded Battae, a one-of-a-kind Ethiopian-Israeli heritage center located in Tel Aviv’s eccentric southern neighborhood. Its humble roots first flourished as a restaurant, run by Ashager’s aunt and serving traditional Ethiopian cuisine, before fully blossoming into an interactive cultural center that welcomes hundreds of people to soak up the beauty of Ethiopian culture to through dance, art and history.

“We offer an important leadership development program for young people, sharing ideas of Zionism through influential figures in Ethiopian-Jewish history,” Ashager said. “It’s amazing to see a shift in perspectives from simply exploring new ideas, and how owning and telling our own stories has the power to educate, inspire, and defend against discrimination, often born out of ignorance.”

With Jews around the world living with a growing fear of anti-Semitism (Tel Aviv University’s annual report found an 18% increase in anti-Semitic attacks in 2019), Ashager also speaks of a sentiment common to many Jews that they live all over the world.

“This apprehension is felt among many young Jewish Zionists, who are uncomfortable speaking openly about their support for Israel,” he said. “I am a madly optimistic person and I truly believe that if Jews from all walks of life come together as one, we can protect our history and dismantle anti-Semitism step by step.”

His message to the next generation of Jewish leaders is clear: follow the example.

“If we are bold and proud to own our truth, no one else can define it for us,” he said.

In the future, Ashager will continue her life by calling as an educator in the history of black Jews.

“By taking ownership of our own narratives in history and defining them, and by celebrating our differences, we can give each community a space for their stories to grow in an open and accepting Jewish community of Ashkenazi, Mizrahi, Ethiopian Jews and people of all religious connotations, “she said.

In doing so, Ashager hopes to change the perspective of a complex story.

“If we can remove a message, it’s this: never underestimate the power of a story,” he said. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.