A roots journey to Ethiopia

Kedma Youth Village members take part in a roots journey to Ethiopia - an exciting and powerful experience in discovering their roots and culture. The program is based on the strengthening of the feeling of belonging and connection to their heritage, values ​​and to one another.

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During the journey the pupils take part in the various activities and the programs of the journey, which include meeting the paths of childhood in the villages where their parents grew up. The journey follows the Jewish villages and creates a meeting with the lives of their ancestors, their families and the local inhabitants. The journey ends in Jerusalem, at the Western Wall, where many generations of Ethiopian Jews have prayed to reach.

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The main goal of the project is to bridge between the 12th graders from the Kedma Youth Village and their families, in order to empower them and unite their personal and group identity as part of Israeli society and to bring them to their full potential, aspiring to excellence in any path they choose, while integrating them into meaningful roles in Israeli society and the IDF, emanating from stories of heroism in the aliyah to Israel.

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The goals of the journey:

• Familiarity with the culture of Ethiopia and Ethiopian Jewry - during the journey we wish to know the heritage and culture of Ethiopia and recognize its honorable place.

• Strengthening the sense of belonging to their sources – during the journey, the pupils experience Ethiopian history and Ethiopian Jewry, as well as familiarity with stories of heroism and aliyah to Zion. Therefore, our goal is to bring our pupils closer to their heritage and to make it the object of pride and strength for them.

• Empowering Ethiopian identity as part of strengthening of the Israeli identity - as a result of strengthening the sense of belonging to Ethiopian heritage and culture, our pupils will be able to adopt an identity with a strong affinity to their origin. Israeli society is a mosaic of identities composed of Judaism, Zionism, origin, and more. Strengthening these backgrounds on the journey will lead to a sense of greater unity and acceptance of their identity, and a better integration into Israeli society.

• Encountering another culture - As part of a long process that the pupils experience in Kedma, the journey is another milestone in the process of growing up. We see an importance in that all the pupils of the class go on a journey regardless of their origin, out of an understanding that this is not only the story of the Ethiopian community, but of all of the Israeli society. We are certain that the journey constitutes a significant anchor in the development of their independence and maturity, as well as the formulation of their values ​​and personality.