IsraElite Graduates Are Congratulated by Israel’s President for Achievements
Four graduates of the IsraElite Leadership Program for Women’s (or women’s Mechina) were congratulated by Israel President Reuven “Ruvi” Rivlin for their achievement in becoming officers in the Israel Defense Forces. President Rivlin “saluted” the women on his Facebook page, which is followed by nearly 250,000 people.
IsraElite was established in 2013 to empower young women from the margins of Israeli society with the tools necessary to attain leadership positions in Israel’s military service or in life. IsraElite is managed and funded through Village Way Educational Initiatives and private philanthropy.
The four new officers from a single IsraElite class of 24 cohorts are: Esther Nagose (21), Abebetz Dessah (20), Hadas Tafeta (20), and Blainesh Adema. Nagose, Dessah and Tafeta will be appointed IDF Officers, while their friend, Adema, completes her specialization at the Bahad 12 IDF Command School.
A recent article in the Israeli newspaper, Yediot Aharonot, also reported on the women’s accomplishment.
President Rivlin gives a Facebook shoutout to the new officers
Israel President Reuben “Ruvi” Rivlin publicly congratulated the four friends on his Facebook page for their appointment as IDF Officers.
On his Facebook page, President Rivlin said: “Not every day three new IDF officers are sworn in together, but yesterday it happened: Esther Negosa, Abacha Dasa and Hadas Tafta are all graduates of the Israeli pre-military preparatory program in Migdal HaEmek. Yesterday, they completed the officers’ course, while another member of the same pre-military preparatory program n Migdal HaEmek completed the Force Hashlama. Four out of a class of 24 girls is a remarkable achievement. I’m saluting you!”
IsraElite participants learn important tools for life
The IsraElite program is the only such program that is specifically designed for young women who are immigrants or children of immigrants, mainly from Ethiopia or the former Soviet Union. Participants struggle with questions of identity, economic distress and complex family situations. Most are unaware that their upcoming mandatory service can be a time to develop leadership skills and launch their futures as successful members of society.
“I was a good student and I graduated from high school with full matriculation. The Mechina gave me tools to boost my self-confidence, to forge my identity and to deal with the difficulties that I faced as an immigrant from Ethiopia”, said Blainesh Adema, who arrived in Israel when she was eight and a half years old. “Being an IDF officer was a big goal for me. I’m the only officer in my family. The Mechina gave me the tools to break through the glass ceiling, the misconception that Ethiopians are quiet and don’t aspire to integrate in senior positions in society.”
Click here to read about Yemin Orde’s Men’s Mechina.