(Times of Israel) Alon Samach - Twice a week just after dawn, 20 Ethiopian-born Israeli senior citizens, ages 65 to 93, trek from their apartments to a field on the Hebrew University's Rehovot campus, where each tends his or her own patch of land. In the transition to Israeli life, many Ethiopian seniors have experienced acute culture shock, having grown up working the same land year after year, as their parents and generations before had, going back 1700 years. Today they come home after harvesting crops they have tended and grown, returning with baskets full of produce which they share with their children and grandchildren. They are proud at being busy, self-sufficient and providing for their families, while finally being given an opportunity to show off their expertise. Dr. Alon Samach is an Associate Professor of Plant Sciences at the Hebrew University Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment in Rehovot.
2016-11-18 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive