A year in Mandel educational leadership school

This is the first of a number of blogs by the Fellows on the Mandel School for leadership.
They will start by introducing themselves and saying a little about there experiences so far.


A little about me

My name is Menberu and I was born in a small village in Ethiopia . When I was a child my family moved to Addis Ababa the capital city of Ethiopia and I grew up there until I made aliyah in 1987.
I was 13 when I came to Israel. In those days there was no diplomatic relationship between Ethiopia and Israel. I was brought secretly by the Jewish agency supported by the North American Jewish communities.

After graduating high school I joined the IDF and served three years in a combat unit.
After the army I started my higher education. I entered the Hebrew university where I studied for BA degree Education and Sociology and then MA in Educational Administration and policy.
During my studies I started to work for "Israel association for Ethiopians Jews" as a researcher and lobbyist representing the Ethiopian community in the Knesset and the media. And later I was a co-coordinator of a big project dealing with empowering local leadership .

In the past five years I worked in JDC in different social and educational programs. My last position was a director of holistic project for Ethiopian families which called Azmaut - Independence in English. The project offers a unique basket of services to help the families overcome difficulties in fields of education enrichment, family management and employment.

Why did I come to Mandel?

I felt that I was working in a specific community and I felt I miss the big picture of the Israeli society. I thought that if we want to improve the Ethiopian Israelis situation in Israel we have to see the whole picture and follow the changes and the trends in the Israel society, the interaction between the sectors etc. So I wanted to broaden my horizons and to learn about other spheres of Israeli society and to examine the interfaces between them.

I also wanted to take the time to deepen and develop my own personal Jewish and Israeli identity.

I also felt that I had developed rich "street knowledge" and I was interested in deepening my academic study and theoretical understanding .

How am I benefiting?

1)
- One of the most significant benefits in Mandel is the richness and diversity of the peer group. It is a framework that both gave me the time and also peers and faculty who facilitate my growth.
- I am learning with Sabra Israelis and those born in a variety of countries around the world, people of different religions, style of living, Jews with a variety of definitions of identity, people from the world of education, public service etc.
- All of them bring differing perspectives and experience on what it means to be Israeli or Jewish and the class discussions are varied and rich.
2)
- I have the opportunity to benefit from a variety of mentoring options. In this framework, I can further deepen my ideas with the guidance of someone more expert and experienced both in theory and practice.

3)
- As I had hoped I am exposed to many news ideas and theories. I have the opportunity to learn from the experts in variety of educational areas. The integration of theoretical knowledge and field experience is, for me, the best way to grow.

4)
- I have here the opportunity to stop and take the time to think. Time to develop my own ideas and outlook on different aspects of education and Israeli society.