Shmuel Legesse

Shmuel Legesse is an international educator, community activist, and diplomacy expert. He has served in New York City as an Investigation Officer for the Supreme and Family Court and the Israel Police, and represented the Israeli Knesset in international public affairs. He holds a doctorate in International Educational Leadership from Yeshiva University, New York.

Members of the Israeli-Ethiopian community take part in a ceremony marking the Ethiopian Jewish holiday of Sigd at the Armon Hanatziv Promenade overlooking Jerusalem, November 23, 2022

Ethiopian holiday of Sigd: A true reflection of Israel's diversity - opinion

A DEMONSTRATION for the release of the hostages takes place at Ben-Gurion Airport as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sets out for the US last week. We must hold our leaders to account, the writer asserts.

Who really won the Gaza war? Victory on the battlefield and at home - opinion

‘WE WILL never forget leaders like Israel’s ambassador to Ethiopia, Abraham Negussie, who has humbly worked to bring our brothers and sisters home,’ says the writer.

Jewish families in Ethiopia have been forgotten by Israel, they must be brought home - opinion


Don't let the gov't fall: Israel needs unity, not division - opinion

Our children deserve more than vengeance. They deserve healing, stability, and hope. They deserve to see that even in crisis, their leaders can stand together.

 The Knesset building, home of Israel's legislature, in Jerusalem, on November 14, 2022 (Illustrative).

Israel can overcome external enemies but its internal divisions are far more dangerous - opinion

If we remember our covenant, honor our allies, and choose hope over despair, we will not only survive – we will thrive.

DEMONSTRATORS CALL for the release of the hostages and an end to the Israel-Hamas War, in Tel Aviv this week. Israel will survive its external enemies; the greater question is whether we will overcome our internal divisions, says the writer.

Letter to Netanyahu: We love you but listen - let Ethiopian Jews in - opinion

Now is the time to create a unified, strategic diplomatic team drawing from all political parties and all communities in Israel.

‘WE LOVE YOU, Mr. Netanyahu, even when our families still suffer in Ethiopia because your government refuses to bring them home under the Law of Return,’ says the writer.

Jews are not a color; we are a global people - opinion

Judaism is a family rooted in faith, strengthened by diversity, and united in a covenant that binds us across cultures, languages, and generations.

ETHIOPIAN JEWS take part in a prayer of the Sigd holiday in Jerusalem last November. The God of Israel sees the heart, not the color of one’s skin, the writer affirms.

The time for talking is over: Ethiopian Israelis need family reunification now - opinion

According to official estimates, over 7,000 people of Ethiopian Jewish descent remain in Ethiopia, most living in designated waiting areas in Gondar and Addis Ababa.

ETHIOPIAN ISRAELIS gather in Jerusalem earlier this week, calling for immediate government action to expedite the aliyah of family members still stranded in Ethiopia.

We are Black Zionists: Why are our sacrifices ignored? - opinion

Ethiopian Israelis are proud citizens of the state and serve in the army but don't receive much attention in the media.

‘OUR COMMUNITY has been connected to the Land of Israel for millennia,’ says the writer.

Between Teddy Afro and me

We Ethiopians do not see our nation merely as a birthplace, or even as just an ancestral land; to us, Ethiopia plays a powerful psychological role, and we call it “Mother.”

A general view shows the cityscape of Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa

Working for the inclusion of Ethiopian Israelis

Members of the Ethiopian Jewish community in Israel dance during a ceremony marking the holiday of Sigd

Ethiopia lacks a model of leadership

THE LOCAL independent Ethiopian citizens’ news agencies are reporting outside the country that there is a huge popular mobilization against the government.

Ethiopian Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom