Premiere of Film Documenting Ono’s Mission to Ethiopia

On November 3, 2025, Tel Aviv’s Cinematheque hosted the premiere of Conversations of Love and Fear, a new documentary by filmmaker Yossi Ashdot. The 40-minute film chronicles the 2023 mission to Ethiopia led by Ono Academic College’s International Center for the Study of Ethiopian Jewry. The sold-out event was held in the presence of His Excellency Tesfaye Yetayeh, Ambassador of Ethiopia to Israel, and was sponsored by A’aleh Betamar, the Zalman Shazar Center, and Ono Academic College.

The evening opened with a musical performance by the Yemenite-Israeli ensemble Yama Teiman. Prof. Yuval Elbashan of Ono, who took part in the mission, emceed the event with humor and reflection, remarking that while he thought he had gone to Ethiopia to teach, he soon realized he was there to learn. Dr. Rachel Yedid, Director of A’aleh Betamar, an organization promoting Yemenite Jewry, shared the origins of the mission, Adv. Zeev Kaso, founder of Ono’s Ethiopian Student Integration Program, highlighted 25 years of Ono’s work empowering Ethiopian-Israeli students, and Asaf Avraham of the Zalman Shazar Center spoke about advancing marginalized Jewish communities worldwide.

A video message from Dr. Awigechew Amarei of Gondar University recalled the historic joint conference “Ethiopia and Jerusalem – 3000 Years of History” held during the mission. Filmmaker Yossi Ashdot described the production as an exploration of “love and fear,” asking whether Israeli society is ready to embrace new immigrant communities.

The documentary itself unfolds in three parts: confronting racism in Israel, exploring heritage and identity through the delegation’s visit to Ethiopia—including Zeev Kaso’s emotional return to his home village after 39 years—and envisioning future cooperation to preserve Bete Israel heritage.

After the screening, Prof. Elbashan led a moving panel with participants of diverse backgrounds. Rana Shorapha, an Ono alumna and lecturer, shared how the film resonated with her experience as an Arab growing up in Jewish society, while Noam Cohen, from Ono’s Religious Zionist Administration, reflected on the evolving acceptance of Mizrahi and Moroccan Jewish identity in Israel.

The evening concluded with a flute performance by Yossi Inbram, a member of Ono’s Beit Midrash for the Study of Bete Israel texts—an uplifting finale to a night celebrating shared heritage, dialogue, and unity.