Cultural integration of Ethiopian immigrants in Israel through
multi-tiered systemic interventions
Dr. Sara Ivanir*, Zahava Baruch**
Presented in: International Conference - Working with Marginalized Families and Communities, Mexico,
Oaxaca, 3-6 August 2006
Published in: The Oaxaca Book, Working with Marginalized Families and Communities in the Trenches.
Ed. Maurizio Andolfi & Laura Calderon de la Barca
If we had a keen vision and feeling of all ordinary human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow
and the squirrel’s heart beat, and we should die of that roar which lies on the other side of the silence.George Eliot – Middlemarch
Abstract:
This paper introduces the work of Ethiopian family therapist and social activist –
Zahava Baruch, with Ethiopian immigrants in Israel. The focus of her work is the
acceleration of “Evolutionary Processes” necessitated by the gap between the
traditional Ethiopian mentality of the immigrants, and modern Israeli society. The
specific damage caused by this gap are discussed, followed by systemic interventions
designed and found to be effective in facilitating changes and preventing
deterioration. The main techniques of the model are: Multi-layered work; perceiving
Cross–cultural meeting point as mutually transformative: "Dual Grounding"- in
which the therapist is well grounded in both cultures and the "park-bench" technique:
- in which the client’s environment is utilized as the therapeutic starting point.
The multi-tiered interventions focus on: Restoring familial structure & functioning,
mending the spousal unit, creating a paradigm for the "Adolescence" life stage and
developing the individual's inner voice. The complete paper includes the detailed
model and clinical illustrations.
Introduction: Ethiopian Jewry
The ancestry of Ethiopian Jewry is, to this day, still shrouded in mystery. The
traditional myth births this people as the progeny of the historical meeting between
biblical monarchs King Solomon and Queen Sheba. One prevalent theory posits that
Ethiopian Jews are the descendants of Dan, one of Israel's ten tribes who were exiled
in 719 B.C. Regardless, the fact is that these people have kept Jewish theology,
customs and culture, passing it on from generation to generation for centuries, in total
isolation from the outside world.
Ethiopian Jews' connection with the State of Israel brothers that of all Jewish people's
spiritual, physical, religious, historical and cultural ties to the land of Zion and
Jerusalem.
This almost mystical connection is the cornerstone of Jewish heritage,
grounded in biblical tradition. The link with, and longing for, the Land of Israel is
ever-present and continuous, and in times of distress and persecution, becomes
concrete. The State of Israel is constitutionally mandated and spiritually committed to
sheltering and nationalizing any Jewish person seeking immigration [termed "Aliya"
in Hebrew, which means "ascension"] and remains ever committed to Jewish
communities worldwide.
_____________________________________________________________________
Dr. Sara Ivanir is a family & couples therapist, co-founder and Clinical Director of Shinui
Institute – Herzeliya, Israel. email: sarailan@netvision.net.il. Tel: 972-(0)3-6412581
Ms. Zahava Baruch is a family therapist, group facilitator & mediator. She is head
of the Ethiopian division at the municipal anti-drug association in the city of Ashdod,
Israel
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Since Israel's inception, the situation of Ethiopian Jews in Ethiopia has
increasingly worsened. They were prohibited from practicing Jewish religion and
teaching their children Hebrew. Their congregational leaders were arrested and
accused of "Zionist espionage" and their clergy were under constant scrutiny by the
authorities. Eventually, war and famine caused an international lobby to pressure
president Mangisto into allowing the Jews' exodus to Israel. Since then,
approximately 60,500 Ethiopian Jews have immigrated to Israel. Most of them left
their homes in haste, leaving anything they couldn't carry and crossing treacherous
desert & mountainous terrains on foot, mostly through Sudan. They suffered greatly
from bandits, imprisonment, hunger, thirst and disease on a journey that took
anywhere from five weeks to several months and even years.
The Jews of Ethiopia came to Israel with a strong, consolidated Jewish
Identity. They experienced their journey as a mystical reenactment of the ancient
Exodus from Egypt to the "Land of Milk & Honey", and felt as though they were
"returning home", rectifying generations of exile. Viewing themselves as "water
droplets returning to the sea", they dreamed of becoming whole again as a people,
once united with the people of Israel in the Jewish Homeland. They fantasized about
Israel as a land of abundance and pictured Israelis as dark-skinned, white shrouded,
pious keepers of the Sabbath. They viewed their treacherous journey, great suffering
and high death toll as a testament of will, purification and natural selection of those
worthy of settling in God's Promise Land. At the end of their perilous trials, these
survivors felt entitled, as individuals and as a community, to be welcomed to the Land
of Israel. Only as it happened, this welcome propelled them into a crippling timetunnel.
Encountering Zahava & Conceiving the vision
My relationship with Zahava goes back several years to when she studied Family
Therapy at Shinui Institute.* Zahava was a welcomed addition to the multi-cultural
fabric of Shinui Institute’s trainees. Zahava and I connected quite naturally, with
mutual affection and appreciation. During that time I was her teacher and guide,
touring her world that was so foreign to me, and getting to know her as an individual.
From the onset of our collaboration, Zahava intrigued me with her compelling
stories full of humor and fascination. We knew that we shared a collective soul and
had common values and visions.
Once we selected a topic among Zahava's many projects, I began attending
sessions that she regularly conducts with Ethiopian youth, their parents and their
school principal in the school setting of the costal town of Ashdod. I observed, filmed
and documented many of these sessions at their onset, middle and closure. My goal
was to delineate the principles of her work and technique. Gradually I realized that the
work we documented at school was inseparable from Zahava's work with individuals
and groups outside the school setting, which is not recorded but is crucial to
understanding this theoretical & practical model.
*Established in 1985, Shinui is the Israeli Institute for Systemic-Strategic Therapy
and studies, which includes a clinic and a highly regarded training center for family
therapists. Shinui is extremely integrated in the fabric of Israeli society, guiding and
overseeing therapists' projects all over the country. The staff of 20 family & couples'
therapists teaches, publishes and lectures throughout Israel and abroad. Shinui's
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culturally diverse student body is comprised of mental health and welfare
professionals from multiple backgrounds and faiths.
As I documented Zehava's work it occurred to me that she was ultimately a
healing catalyst in this "time tunnel" that besieged her community and propelled them
from the past into the future. In other words, she devises methods and interventions
that aim to accelerate societal evolution.
The Time Tunnel
The outcome of any immigration always depends on the cultural disparity between the
society of origin and the new civilization. Ethiopian Jews who came to Israel are
unlike any other group of immigrants, with 90% coming from undeveloped villages
without electricity or running water and where the habitations are straw huts without
clocks, phones or currency; they cooked on open fires, had no electricity and had
never seen a toilet or a television. We termed this immediate shift from ancient times
into the 21st century society, the "time tunnel". The following tables illustrate
important aspects of the cultural disparity that these "time travelers" encountered:
Differences in lifestyle
Table 1
Ethiopia
Traditional, religious society
Rural communities
Mainly agricultural vocations
Religious leadership
Primitive technology
Very little formal education
Extended family is central unit
Adult-centered
Israel
Modern, pluralistic egalitarian society
Urban communities
Technology, business, employees
Political leadership
Sophisticated technology
Formal education is norm, & highly
esteemed
Nuclear family is central unit
Child-centered
Comparison of Social Codes
Ethiopia
Israel
Respect according to hierarchy
Decision making by highest in command
Egalitarian code of respect
Large margin of freedom in decision
making
Politeness, humility & restraint
Outspoken, assertiveness, individualism
Introversion,
discretion,
emotional Extroversion,
emotional
reserve
straightforwardness
Patience, relaxed view of time & comfort High pressure, punctuality
Indirect communicational style
Direct communicational style
Few promises, word is always kept
Promises are loosely given & loosely
kept
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Immigration Wounds & Healing Interventions
"Patience is bitter but its fruit is sweet" (Ethiopian proverb)
An immigration of such magnitude, in such a short period of time, with no adequate
preparations due to the urgency involved, creates complex problems, the more so as
these people abandoned ancient roots and tribal practices, for a country of relative
prosperity and comfort where everything seems possible.
"Immigration wounds" is a term that Zahava and I coined to explain that we are not
dealing with personal pathologies or clinical situations, but rather with wounds
resulting from an instant shift from a very ancient culture in human evolution to a
very modern 21st century culture. The wounds we refer to, and the wounds being
addressed in the working model, stem from this relocation shift: (table 2)
A. The loss of authority endured by parents and elders.
The very foundation of the family & communal unit crumbles. Traditional pillars of
the community – fathers, elders, spiritual leaders ("kes") are no longer looked upon to
fulfill their guiding roles, as they lack knowledge of the new social codes. Thus, sons
refrain from turning to their fathers for help with school work, and daughters avoid
their mothers' counseling on physical hygiene.
B. The erosion of the delicate fiber bonding married couples.
Marital relationships are at high risk due to the shift from the traditional paternal
society in which gender roles and codes of behavior are very clear and nonnegotiable, to an egalitarian society. To make matters worse, many husbands fail to
acquire the new skills and personal and cultural codes necessary for adjustment and
acclimation, which failure deals a terrible blow to marital stability and satisfaction.
C. Lack of an individual voice and self-advocacy.
Individuality and voicing the individual's desires, dreams and ambitions is unheard of
in Ethiopian tradition, where the collective voice takes precedence over the personal
one. This mentality leaves them unprotected and under-represented in Israel's modern
Western society.
D. The formation of a new phase: adolescence.
In Ethiopia Jews were used to marrying at 12-13 years of age and tackling the
complexity of adolescence as married couples, living with the husband’s family. In
Israel they have no adolescent role models to explain them what adolescence is.
Basic Techniques for Accelerating Evolutionary Processes
1. Multi-layered work
This form of treatment is deep and comprehensive, activating all layers
pertaining to a person's evolutionary process: intra-personal, family, school,
home environment (recreational & health care facilities, shopping areas), work
environment, police stations, government agencies etc.
2. Cross–cultural meeting point is mutually transformative
Every encounter with the adoptive culture becomes a transformative, mutual
learning experience for all interacting parties (immigrants & natives or the
dominant population).
3. "Dual Grounding"
The therapist is deeply grounded in Ethiopian culture, while simultaneously
firmly rooted in Israeli societal norms and codes. The therapist's dual
grounding bridges cultural gaps and models successful bi-cultural existence.
4. The "park-bench" technique: utilizing accessibility
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Treatment and healing often begins at the lowest point in life; any setting that
is pertinent to cultural transformation may be utilized as a starting point for
therapeutic work.
The Working Model
Let us look at how these fundamental techniques are specifically utilized to accelerate
evolutionary processes that are crucial for surviving the “time tunnel”, considering the
specific “immigration wounds” discussed above.
1. Restoring familial structure & functioning: horizontal hierarchy
This working model not only reinstates parental security and authority despite the
disadvantages in language and social skills, but also provides an educational
foreground for incorporating a more democratic view of family hierarchy &
functioning. This entails working with parallel groups of children, parents, school’s
staff and community leadership. Each group receives detailed explanations and
graphic illustrations of the disparity with which they must contend. For example: In
Ethiopia, children were compelled to obey their elders. Fathers, mothers and teachers
were able to administer physical punishment and their authority was never questioned
or interfered with by the state. In Israel, the parents often hadn't grasped local customs
or the language, which weakened their status in society and belittled them in their
children's eyes. Furthermore, children had new rights, which, for instance, prohibited
parents from administering physical punishment thereby rendering them impotent as
educators and mentors to their offspring and overturning the pyramid of power:
The aim of the group interventions is to create a horizontal leadership & power
distribution by empowering and centralizing the parental unit, and teaching parents
how to work side-by-side with their children towards common goals. In this model,
every individual can voice their will and opinion, as parents assume responsibility &
accountability through listening to their children's needs.
Parents re-establish their status as mentors by passing on tradition to their children
who learn to value and take pride in their Ethiopian heritage. One group of Ethiopian
students put on, with the help of their parents, a traditional musical performance for
the entire, overwhelmingly enthusiastic school population, encouraging other
communities to do the same. The school established an annual "Cultural Diversity
Day", in which the various communities presented their ethnic customs and traditions.
2. Mending the spousal unit
This model works on two parallel levels: learning new direct, verbal communication
skills, while simultaneously reinstating traditional customs infused with new
meanings. For example: Many aspects of the marital relationship in Ethiopia were
handled through the physical organization of the household and immediate
surroundings. Men never entered the kitchen; even if a husband was chasing his wife,
reprimanding her for misbehavior, he stopped short of the kitchen, which was her
domain and sanctuary. Norms such as these were so strongly held they actually
regulated much of the spousal dynamics. However the Israeli household is not
designed for such partitions. In fact, Israeli husbands are strongly encouraged to step
into the kitchen and take part in the housework.
Spousal communication is largely verbal and very direct, compared to Ethiopian
spousal communicational patterns that are subtle and avoid direct verbal
confrontations. This disparity between cultures brought about a state of anomy, where
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husbands could no longer enforce their will on their wives. Wives, who began defying
their husbands, had not, however, yet internalized a system for self-defense, and,
furthermore, an extended family no longer lived in the same household to serve as a
‘buffer’ between spouses. The result was a horrible surge in domestic violence,
homicide and suicide.
According to this model, men are taught new methods of regulating their anger and
frustration and alternative ways to foster the cooperation of their wives. The wives
learn to reestablish traditional forms of communication, such as administering the
customary foot massage & playful mutual feeding. This fresh use of traditional
methods heals the husbands' wounded self-esteem and rekindles mutual affection.
Although this behavior is seen as demeaning in the context of a more egalitarian
culture, the therapist motivates the women by stressing the influence this behavior
gives them over their husbands and the chance it provides them to indulge themselves.
3. Developing the individual's inner voice
Men, women and children are invited to speak up as the therapist listens to them
intently. Women and children especially, move from being always told what to do and
think, to relational patterns wherein they are talked to and listened to. They learn to
respond directly to inquiries such as "How are you? What do you want? What feels
right to you? What doesn't feel right? What's important to you and what are your
aspirations?" The therapists, and sometimes the group, echo each statement, without
judgment or discrimination. For example: Zahava rounded up a group of backward
students and called them the "leaders' group". Her first question to them was "what
are your goals?" The children gradually began to define their own personal goals,
such as being a better student; becoming less bashful; "having more friends; making
the soccer team". The answers moved from embodying society's expectations to more
personal goals.
In Ethiopia natural echoes were used to transmit information between neighboring
villages, important announcements being shouted from mountaintops. Zahava uses the
concept of the "echo" as a metaphor for internalizing the idea that one's personal voice
is also worthy of being echoed and that when one speaks, it creates an "echo" that
resonates with the listener. Of course, developing an individual voice is incomplete
without accountability. To this end Zahava has parents tape record their fights with
the children, and uses these recordings to teach them how to restrain the children and
respond to them without "echoing" (reacting to, reflecting) their children's insolence.
One mother in training recorded herself saying to her child "I may not know Hebrew,
but I know all about being a mother!" When the child heard his mother's recorded
voice he was ashamed of his behavior, knowing that his conduct transgressed the
values that he'd been taught.
4. Creating paradigm for "Adolescence"
With the loss of authority figures and no traditional role models for adolescence,
Ethiopian teenagers are prone to running away from home, drug abuse and crime. To
save this youth, Zahava utilizes Ethiopian tradition while incorporating her own
professional knowledge & skills in "mind-body" work and other schools of therapy.
She recruits mothers by helping them rekindle ethnic customs such as the "cortical
massage" that women traditionally gave their pubescent sons. It is believed that this
revitalization of the vascular system, which is completely devoid of sexual innuendo,
invokes direct contact between the mother and her son's mind. One boy who was a
heavy drug user, reports: "They tried everything on me, parole officer, shrink, social
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workers…but I just didn't give a damn. The only thing that helped me was my
mother's touch."
Table 2
WOUNDS
REHABILITATION
Disintegration of tribal & traditional Restoring
familial
structure
&
family unit
functioning: horizontal hierarchy
 Multiple losses
 Parental responsibility and mature
children – democratic approach
 Traditional leaders viewed as
useless in new reality
 Horizontal, rather than vertical
leadership
 Fathers lose authority – children
and wives gain power
 Introjections of knowledge and
educational tools
 Interference of state agencies
 Parental empowerment
 Replace government agents with
mediators from the community
Dishevelment of traditional tightly-knit Mending the spousal unit
spousal unit
 Learning & practicing verbal
communication together with
 Loss of non-verbal cues
traditional non-verbal cues
 Loss of pre-defines gender roles
in household
 Infusing new meaning into
traditional marital customs & non Elevated women's status &
verbal language (e.g. foot
emasculation of men
massage)
 Loss of intimate behavioral codes
 Redefining parental authority as
– misunderstood in Western
joint responsibility
context
Loss of collective voice (frustration, Developing the individual's inner voice
reticence, violence)
 Listening, giving legitimacy,
empathy, & encouraging verbal
 Lack of personal advocacy
expression in individual & group
 Loss of security inherent in
settings
collective responsibility
 Learning how to be "cross Cross
cultural
mistrust
&
cultural tourist" – mutual learning
misunderstanding for lack of
of views & codes
personal expression
 Rebuilding
security
by
 Lack of tools & legitimate
empowering the community (e.g.
language for emotional expression
support groups)
 Personal
empowerment
&
fulfillment
Anomy in lieu of new "Adolescence" Creating paradigm for "Adolescence"
life stage
life stage
 Unfamiliar life stage creates
 Develop aspirations & goals that
profound void for teenagers; lack
fit new reality
of tools for individuation &
 Educate about adolescence in
sublimation of adolescent drives;
Western society
lack of role models; drugs &
 Rekindle
parent-adolescent
crime
connection, new roles for teens
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Dreams of the Future
Towards the end of my documentary work on Zahava’s model, I interviewed a group
of 12-13th year old schoolgirls about their ambitions and dreams for the future. They
wanted to become doctors, accountants, psychologists… and then they said that they
wanted to go back to Ethiopia and donate money to the needy, and one of them
concluded: “I want to be a lawyer because it's a difficult profession and I want to
show everyone that we can do it, that we are no different and if we put our minds to it,
we can succeed”.
When I look at it, I see 3 or 4 generations ahead. I see these people contributing their
inner beauty, wealth of culture and tradition to our society, their gentleness that may
assist in refining our society and take us forward. There's no doubt about the
importance of this immigration, in spite of the difficulties, problems, and even
sometimes the desperation.
Zahava and others who grasped and realized the fortifying power of being able to
make a change, prove that it's possible and necessary to make persistent, and
sometimes Sisyphean efforts, to improve and amend the situation and train more
people like Zahava who could make it possible for Ethiopian immigrants to aspire,
integrate and live a better life within Israeli society.
Epilogue
While I've long felt a calling to collaborate with Zahava for the well being of Israel's
Ethiopian community, I doubt I would have started the work so quickly if Maurizio
Andolphi hadn't called upon me to contribute to this conference. The conference's
underlying theme of recruiting the "strong" to give voice to the "unheard good", has
deeply reinforced my ever-growing belief in harnessing the power of mutual
facilitation to create profound change.
Most works presented at the conference were the fruit of widely diverse teams –
whether ethnically, socially, professionally or otherwise, all working together towards
a common goal and vision to alleviate social and human suffering. These various
projects offered a heart-warming glimpse into the vast potential that might be realized
by combining and coordinating the proliferation of human resources.
This is just the beginning for Zahava and me. Our collaboration, appreciation and
mutual love, along with the strength and inspiration we received from this conference,
compel us to continue the effortful recruitment of other agencies to promote this
model of working with immigrant communities. We are currently developing a
program for training Ethiopian therapists and consultants to be familial and cultural
mediators.
I want to thank Maurizio and all those who've helped this conference come to fruition.
I am honored and delighted to be part of this wonderful tribe of healers and activists
who are unified in their commitment to battle suffering and social ailments around the
world, to take responsibility and action towards real change & transformation.
Sara Ivanir
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