Israel Appoints First Ethiopian Jewish Ambassador

(November 8, 2011)

On November 8, 2011, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs named Rachamim Elazar as Israeli's next Ambassador to Ethiopia. Elazar's appointment makes him the first Israeli of Ethiopian descent to ever serve as an ambassador for the State of Israel.

Rachamim was one of the first Ethiopian Jews to make aliyah to Israel when he did so in 1972 at the age of 14. His struggles to make it to Israel are chronicled in the 1977 book by Arnold Sherman, In Search For Rachamim. That same year, Rachamim became the first Ethiopian Israeli student to enroll in Tel Aviv University, where he earned degrees in Oriental & African Studies and Media & Communications. He then went on to a highly successful career in journalism. For nearly 30 years, Rachamim has been a leading voice and advocate for the Ethiopian Israeli community as host and producer of the most popular Amharic radio show in Israel on Kol Israel.

Rachamim worked intensely to help the Ethiopian Jewish community in  Ethiopia come to Israel. His tireless efforts, working closely with groups in Israel and the American Association for Ethiopian Jews (AAEJ) took him all over the globe, meeting world leaders, advocating for the rescue of the Ethiopian Jewish community from Marxist military Ethiopia.   Rachamim is also the author, with Baruch Meiri, of the book "The Dream Behind Bars - The Story of the Prisoners of Zion from Ethiopia."
 
Rachamim states: "I am incredibly proud to represent a country that gives such wonderful opportunities to all those who deserve them. And I am tremendously proud to stand as an example for my community by demonstrating that through hard work and perseverance anything can be achieved."