ABOUT

"The Keis (Rabbi)" is a social initiative, which aims to provide educational character traits and values to youth, parents and others. `We strongly believe that by familiarizing ourselves with the values and traditions of Ethiopian Jews, we will be able to eradicate the phenomenon of racism, instill in our society tolerance, and develop a social capacity for acceptance of others and, most importantly, establish a place where everyone can feel safe.
As the prophet says in the book of Isaiah, "Each man will help his brother, and his brother will say ‘Be Strong.’"
Our initiative was born out of a need and desire to instill the values and strengths of the Ethiopian Jew in Israeli society. We would like to assist in the integration of the Ethiopian community in Israeli society by introducing and exposing the greater society to the traditions and culture of the Ethiopian community, and thereby, reducing the phenomenon of racism and discrimination against the Ethiopian community. Our workshops are conveyed using experiential and quality methods, using the five senses: hearing, taste, smell, sight and touch.
The project was established by Rabbi Azaria Patego, a resident of Kiryat Gat, married to Miriam and the father of 8 children. Azaria set up the project out of a sense of commitment and moral obligation to pass down the traditions and culture and to bridge the connection between the Ethiopian community and Israeli society, according to the will of his father – the late Keis Barhanu Patego – who fought from his youth to preserve Jewish traditions and culture in Ethiopia and who was scrupulous in his observance of those traditions.