Despite remarks made by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Israel is a thriving country with many opportunities for college students and recent graduates, says Deputy Consul General of Israel to the Southwest, Belaynesh Zevadia. Zevadia came to SMU Tuesday to discuss Israeli foreign affairs with professors and students.
Many people may hold the misconception that Israel is a target for conflicts in the Middle East and an unsafe location for American tourists.
Zevadia said that if there is a safest place in the world, it would be Israel. She says the country is on alert at all times, aware of the threat against it.
“We know that we have to be on alert to keep our citizens safe,” Zevadia said. “Life is going on in Israel.”
The deputy consul general encourages people not to look at the conflict, but to see the other side of Israel. Zevadia describes the country as wonderful, very vibrant and developed both economically and technologically.
According to the CIA World Factbook, the Israeli industrial production growth rate was estimated in 2006 to be 8.6 percent. That is more than twice as high as the United States,’ which was only 4.2 percent.
“There are so many Israeli creative things that come into this country,” Zevadia said.
Israel has the largest number of companies listed on the Nasdaq outside of the U.S., and has been called the Silicon Valley of the Middle East. Some of the country’s largest exports are pharmaceuticals, software and telecommunications. Microsoft built its first overseas research and development centers in Israel. Intel’s first design and development center outside the U.S. was set up in Haifa in 1974. IBM, Cisco Systems and Motorola also have centers in Israel.
Zevadia said that billionaire businessman Warren Buffet invested $4.5 billion in Israeli industries. She explained that many people travel to the Middle East to find oil or gas. Buffet went there looking for knowledge, and stopped in Israel.
“It’s a small country with a lot of educated people, working very hard,” Zevadia said.
Israeli education begins early. Schooling for young children is especially developed, with children attending classes six days a week. There are eight official state universities, in a country that is roughly the size of New Jersey.
The Hebrew University, the University of Haifa and Tel-Aviv University, among others, offer classes in English. American students are welcome to study in Israel, Zevadia said, and she encourages them to take advantage of the available student exchange programs. Information on programs and scholarships can be obtained through the consulate office, located in Houston.
Federal funding is also granted to Jewish students who want to visit Israel on what is known as the Birthright. The trip, explained Zevadia, is a free 10-day to three week program.
With the Birthright trip students, she says, “can see with their own eyes what is going on in Israel.”
There is also an Israeli experience trip for Christian students who want to explore their religious roots. Jerusalem, says Zevadia, is a cultural center for the Christian faith, as well as Muslims.
After visiting, people from all over the world, including the U.S., move to settle in Israel.
“Everything you see in this country, you will see in Israel,” said Zevadia. “Tel Aviv is like New York with a beach.”
Zevadia was born in the Ambovar village in the Gondar region of Ethiopia, and immigrated to Israel in 1994. She has served as a counselor in the Religious Affairs Bureau at the Israeli Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, and briefly in the Israeli Delegation to the United Nations.
