Ethiopian-Israeli Students Intern at Vancouver Law Firms

This summer, two Ethiopian-Israeli students are in Vancouver on a Federation-sponsored program to intern at local law firms. Federation has provided funds to support outstanding students, who otherwise would not have the means to pay for their education, and to enable them to gain valuable work experience.

Ilanit Bito and Ruth Metaferya attend the prestigious Interdisciplinary Centre (IDC) in Herzliya. Both received scholarships from Israel She’balev (Israel at Heart), a program designed to advance Israeli society by identifying promising, young Ethiopian Israelis and providing them with the education that will allow them to serve as Israel’s next generation of leaders in Israel.

Like many others before them, both students made aliyah to Israel as young children. Ruth left Ethiopia at 18 months old as a part of a secret operation, while Ilanit left at six years old as part of Operation Solomon, a dramatic 36-hour airlift rescue effort in May 1991 that transported nearly 14,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel.

Many Ethiopians have struggled to integrate into Israeli society. They faced learning a new language, and developing entirely new skills and knowledge necessary for the transition to living in the developed world. Federation has supported Ethiopian-Israeli programs as part of our mandate to building a strong, vibrant and enduring Jewish community in the Lower Mainland, in Israel and throughout the world. Individual donors in our community and across Canada support law and business colleges in Israel which provide full scholarships to outstanding Ethiopian students who would not be able to attend college otherwise. Last summer, this initiative was developed further, and an opportunity for these students to come to Canada and gain work experience was created. This experience provides the students with both learning and personal growth opportunities, and the ability to practice their English skills. While in Vancouver, Ilanit will be interning at Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy and Ruth will be interning at Cohen Buchan Edwards.

“Our Federation has been supporting the social service needs of the Ethiopian-Israeli community for a number of years, both through our national body, United Israel Appeal of Canada, and directly,” according to Stephen Gaerber, past chair, Israel and overseas affairs committee.  “Apart from the educational opportunity for them, this experience gives these law students a leg up in finding articling positions following their graduation.”

In addition to their work at the firms, the students will be speaking at numerous community events, and visiting Camp Miriam to help give the campers a first-hand understanding of what the Ethiopian-Israeli experience is like, and bring life to this important part of our collective history.