seen on the scene
Special reception for Ambassador Belaynesh Zevadia,
Israel’s former Ambassador to Ethiopia
On Wednesday February 14, 2018 the Consul General of Israel to the South-
west, Gilad Katz and his wife Mearv Katz hosted a special reception for Am-
bassador Belaynesh Zevadia, Israel’s former Ambassador to Ethiopia.
The event was attended by leaders from Houston’s diverse community, in-
cluding foreign dignitaries, academic scholars and professors, business leaders
and community leaders from prominent African organizations.
At the reception Ambassador Zevadia gave an intimate talk on her personal
story and discussed the strategic relationship between Israel and numerous
African countries. Ambassador Zevaida shared her perspective on the im-
portance of partnership with Africa as she said Africa is the world’s future.
She emphasized Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s commitment
to strong relations between Israel and the Continent, shown in his visit to the
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Conference, and
his visit to Ethiopia - the first time a sitting Israeli Prime Minister visited the
country. Ambassador Zevaida commented how this was a moment of tremen-
dous pride for her both as an Israeli and an Ethiopian.
In sharing her personal story, Ambassador Zevadia remarked that she was
born in a small village in Ethiopia and sent to Israel by herself as a teenager
by her parents to further her education. She encouraged all the guests to share
messages of aspiration and dedication to young people, noting her father al-
ways told her “if you work hard you can achieve anything.”
14 iF Magazine | March 2018