Belaynesh Zevadia | |
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בליינש זבדיה | |
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Born | 1967 (age 56–57)
Gondar, Ethiopia |
Nationality | Israeli |
Alma mater | Hebrew University of Jerusalem |
Occupation | Diplomat |
Known for | First Ethiopian-born Israeli ambassador |
Title | Ambassador |
Belaynesh Zevadia ( Hebrew: בליינש זבדיה; born 1967) is an Ethiopian-born Israeli diplomat. She was appointed Israeli ambassador to Ethiopia in 2012 and was the Israeli ambassador to Rwanda.
Belaynesh Zevadia was born to a Jewish family in the Gondar region of Ethiopia. [1] She immigrated to Israel in 1984 at the age of 17, during Operation Moses. [2] She is a graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. [3]
Zevadia was the first immigrant from Ethiopia to enter the Israeli Foreign Service as a trainee, [1] [4] working at Israeli consulate posts in Houston and Chicago. [5] In 2012, she was appointed ambassador to Ethiopia, becoming the first immigrant from Ethiopia to Israel to serve as an Israeli ambassador. [1] [5] By 2016, she was the Israeli ambassador to Rwanda. [6]