Israeli students bring message of peace to ACC

Austin Community College recently hosted three speakers from Israel at Heart, a nonprofit group whose mission is "to promote a better understanding of Israel and its people."

Israel at Heart, who visited the Rio Grande campus Oct. 11, sends delegations of three Israeli university students worldwide to increase "understanding of Israeli culture, its people, and its challenges." Israel at Heart believes that their country is unfairly portrayed in the media and, through open dialogue, hope to change the way future generations see Israel.

The student delegates, all fluent in English, are chosen to represent a diverse group of Israelis. Each delegation sent abroad in 2006 consists of at least one soldier who fought in the latest war in Lebanon and an Ethiopian Israeli. All have served a mandatory tour of duty in the Israeli Defense Forces.

Naftali Aklom, an Ethiopian Jew, shared his story of coming to Israel from the Gondar region of Ethiopia. Gondar is home to one of the oldest-known communities of Jews in the world. Calling themselves the "Beta Israel," the origins of this far-flung branch of the Jewish diaspora remains a mystery. It is believed that the since the 4th century A.D., this "lost tribe of Israel" had been practicing Judaism until the late 1600s, when attacks by the Portuguese-backed government helped to usher in an era of state-sanctioned persecution.

Ethiopian Jews faced a precarious future in their native country. "Villigization" efforts conducted under the Marxist regime of Col.Mengistu Haile Mariam, who ascended to power after a violent coup against the government of Haile Selassie, threatened to assimilate rural Ethiopians, officially ending the autonomy of the Beta Israel and bringing their very future into question. Under the program, millions of Ethiopians were forced to live in government-run cooperatives, unable to own land. In these camps Ethiopian Jews practiced their religion in secrecy or faced the consequences.

Aklom and his family escaped to neighboring Sudan, where the Mossad, Israel's secret police, waited to take thousands of Jewish Ethiopian refugees to Israel. At the time of the trek, Aklom was only 8 months old. Aklom and his family walked 300 miles to the Sudanese capital of Khartoum by night, avoiding the constant threat of the military. The trip, through inhospitable territory, took three months.

Aklom, a dreadlocked fellow with a gentle smile and a laid back, Rasta-fied demeanor, lost a brother and a sister during the voyage. His brother died of hunger, his sister, malaria. Naftali joined Israel at Heart to share his story and the story of other Ethiopian-Israelis and share their gratitude and love for their adopted homeland.

Mike Outmezguine, born in London, moved to Israel at 18. Outmezguine served in the anti-terrorist unit of the Israeli army. He currently resides in Tel Aviv, "the Paris of the Middle East," where he works for a computer company. Outmezguine joined Israel at Heart after becoming frustrated with what he felt were discrepancies in the media's portrayal of his country.

When violence erupted between Israel and the Palestinian organization Hezbollah in Northern Israel and Lebanon, Outmezguine was called to duty, serving in combat for three weeks.

Outmezguine expects he'll be called upon again, adding "When you're called up, it's for real."

Elinor Kaftory, a third-year law student at Tel Aviv University, is an Israeli native. After serving as a lieutenant in the "Talpiyot," the elite intelligence unit of the Israeli army, she moved to New York. Kaftory became involved with Israel at Heart hoping to promote a better understanding of her country worldwide.

A wide range of views were represented at the meeting, becoming evident in a question-and-answer session. Economic disparity between Israelis and their Arab neighbors was a particularly hot issue. Even among the delegates, solutions to bring lasting peace to a divided Israel varied greatly.

The student delegates conceded that there are disparities in the quality of life enjoyed by Israelis and that of their Arab neighbors, but blamed corrupt Palestinian leadership for substandard living conditions in the embattled regions of Gaza and the West bank.

Despite continuing tensions in Israel and abroad, the message Israel at Heart seeks to promote is clear: "One thing we'll never give up on is hope," said Outmezguine.