Alone on the Bridge: The Intersectional Identity and Mediating Role of Israeli Educators of Ethiopian Descent

ABSTRACT Intercultural mediation has developed significantly in recent decades in various public systems, including the education system. In Israel, hundreds of mediators from various social groups serve to bridge between the parents and community on the one hand, and the school on another. This role involves a personal and professional challenge given the mediators' intersectional identity as members of both a migrant group and the host culture, where they represent the Israeli education system. This study focuses on mediators of Ethiopian descent, and examines the following questions: (1) How are the mediators' two identities expressed? (2) How do they affect their personal and professional experiences? (3) What, in their experience, are the most effective tools for intercultural mediation in the school system? (4) How can a public system support the mediators' activity? The study was carried out in the Research Lab of the Center for the Advancement of a Shared Society at the Beit Berl College, with the funding of the Feldman Foundation TX.