{"id":35848,"date":"2026-06-28T11:25:41","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T11:25:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/?page_id=35848"},"modified":"2026-06-28T11:30:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T11:30:14","slug":"knesset-conference-highlights-ono-uja-cooperation-on-reducing-conflicts-in-the-ethiopian-israeli-community","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/knesset-conference-highlights-ono-uja-cooperation-on-reducing-conflicts-in-the-ethiopian-israeli-community\/","title":{"rendered":"Knesset Conference Highlights Ono-UJA Cooperation on Reducing Conflicts in the Ethiopian Israeli Community"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns: 62% auto\">\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><video src=\"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/06\/Final-26.6-UJA-Knesset-Conference-23.6.26-web-SUB.mp4\" controls=\"controls\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\"><\/video><\/figure>\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Knesset Conference Highlights Ono-UJA Cooperation on Reducing Conflicts in the Ethiopian Israeli Community<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A conference at the Knesset brought together public officials, educators, spiritual leaders, students, and community activists to discuss social cohesion, leadership, and the future of Israel\u2019s Ethiopian community. Ono Academic College organized the event in partnership with UJA Federation New York and with the support of the Knesset\u2019s Ethiopian Jewry lobby.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The conference highlighted the achievements of a multi-year initiative that seeks to strengthen dialogue, trust, and cooperation within the Ethiopian-Israeli community. Featured speakers included: MK Rabbi Moshe Solomon, Deputy Speaker of Knesset, MK Pnina Tamano-Shata, Adv. Zeev Kaso, founder and director of the Program for the Advancement and Integration of Ethiopian-Israeli Students at Ono and Rabbi Dr. Sharon Shalom, founder and director of the International Center for the Study of Ethiopian Jewry at Ono Academic College.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this clip, Dr. Samuel Schwartz and Keis Aviyu Azaria presented the Ono-UJA initiative\u2019s accomplishments and described its continuing efforts to bridge religious, cultural, and generational divides.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dr. Samuel Schwartz, Ono Academic College\u2019s Director of Resource Development and International Programs, reviewed the progress of the Ono Academic College\u2013UJA Federation Social Cohesion Initiative since its launch in 2023. He explained how the program engages Ethiopian-Israeli students in research, leadership training, and community-based action projects designed to address internal community tensions through dialogue and cooperation. Over the past two years, participants have organized initiatives that brought together individuals from different social, religious, generational, and cultural backgrounds to discuss issues affecting the community. Schwartz emphasized that social cohesion grows through sustained engagement, mutual respect, and a willingness to listen to differing perspectives. He highlighted the important role that student leaders have played in creating spaces for constructive conversation and described how the initiative has helped strengthen trust and understanding across community divides. His presentation demonstrated how higher education can empower young leaders to serve as agents of positive social change.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Keis Aviyu Azaria focused on the initiative\u2019s third year of programming, which began in November 2025 and is now nearing completion. A prominent spiritual leader in the Bete Israel community and the son of the late Keis Malka Azaria, one of the leading spiritual authorities among Ethiopian Jews in Israel, Azaria described the work of a unique joint Beit Midrash that brings together four Bete Israel keisim and four rabbis for ongoing dialogue and study. The participants examine practical and often sensitive issues including marriage, kashrut, Shabbat observance, ritual purity, and religious leadership. Through shared learning and discussion, they seek common ground, practical solutions, and stronger relationships between the traditional keis leadership and rabbinic Judaism. Azaria reported that the group is preparing a joint publication that will promote mutual respect, provide guidance on areas of disagreement, and strengthen communal unity. Azaria also described a separate Beit Midrash that he founded in Ashkelon to preserve and transmit the religious heritage of Bete Israel. Students in the program recently completed an in-depth study of the traditional Rosh Chodesh celebration and memorized the Ge\u2019ez-language prayers associated with the Jewish holidays. He explained that this work helps younger generations connect to their heritage while preserving important elements of Ethiopian Jewish religious tradition. Together, the presentations by Schwartz and Azaria illustrated two complementary dimensions of the broader Ono\u2013UJA initiative. Schwartz highlighted efforts to build social cohesion through education, leadership development, and dialogue across community divides, while Azaria demonstrated how those same principles can strengthen religious understanding and preserve cultural heritage. Both speakers emphasized that lasting unity depends not on uniformity, but on respectful engagement, partnership, and a shared commitment to the future of the Ethiopian-Israeli community. Selection is taken from the Knesset Channel. The full recording of the conference can be found at: <a href=\"https:\/\/watch.knesset.tv\/?src=https:\/\/api.bynetcdn.com\/Redirector\/knesset\/manifest\/Kenes-ethiopia-230626-1310_1782242817887802\/HLS\/playlist.m3u8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/watch.knesset.tv\/?src=https:\/\/api&#8230;.<\/a><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":35851,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-35848","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/35848","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35848"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/35848\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35852,"href":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/35848\/revisions\/35852"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35851"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}