BOG 2025: A New Chapter for Inclusion — TAU Unveils the Goodman Fellows Program for Ethiopian Israelis

At Tel Aviv University’s 2025 Board of Governors meeting, a new chapter in equity and inclusion was launched with the inauguration of the Goodman Fellows—an ambitious, multi-year initiative aimed at transforming higher education access for Israelis of Ethiopian descent.

The program, made possible by a generous donation from the Morris & Rosalind Goodman Family Foundation of Canada, is the vision of philanthropist and entrepreneur Jonathan Ross Goodman, who was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Tel Aviv University during the Board of Governors events.

Goodman’s initiative addresses what he calls a “fixable problem”: the underrepresentation of Ethiopian Israelis in academia and the workforce. “Education makes the real difference,” Goodman said at the inauguration ceremony. “In this next decade, I want to see Ethiopian Israelis fully integrated, successful, and visible in every part of Israeli society.”

A Commitment to Opportunity and Belonging

The Goodman Fellows Program is designed to support students during every stage of their academic journey. It provides scholarships to reduce the high cost of living in Tel Aviv, personalized academic mentoring, career-oriented guidance, social activities, and enhanced recruitment efforts—starting as early as high school outreach.

“The idea is not just to admit students, but to see them thrive,” said Prof. Drorit Neumann, Dean of Student Success at TAU. “This support system—academic, emotional, and logistical—ensures that Ethiopian Israeli students are positioned to succeed.”

Currently, the program supports 72 undergraduate and 65 graduate students across disciplines. It also funds trained advisors who work one-on-one with students, assist with administrative challenges, and build long-term trust within the Ethiopian Israeli community. Community-building events, such as professional meetups and Shabbat dinners, foster connection and retention.

Center: MK Pnina Tamano-Shata and TAU Governor Yaffa Tegegne with TAU alumni (Photo: Yuval Yosef)

A Personal Vision Meets National Need

TAU President Prof. Ariel Porat delivered a heartfelt address at the ceremony, reflecting on his early experience as a law professor and the realization that there were virtually no Ethiopian students in his classes. “That moment stayed with me,” he said. “As dean of the law faculty, I worked to implement alternative admissions models. It’s a simple question of fairness.”

Porat added, “Jonathan, we are grateful that your passion and our mission have found mutual ground. This partnership is not only academic—it’s social and national.”

Goodman, a Montreal-based entrepreneur and founder of Paladin Labs and Knight Therapeutics, has long been active in philanthropy. He is known for spearheading multi-million-dollar campaigns in Jewish education, cancer research, and climate innovation. Yet his personal commitment to advancing opportunity for Ethiopian Israelis has become a deeply personal cause.

“A Commitment for Life”

At the Board of Governors in May, a panel discussion on the topic was moderated by TAU Governor Yaffa Tegegne, daughter of the late Ethiopian activist, Baruch Tegegne, and the first woman of Ethiopian descent to hold such a position. There Goodman recalled how he first became involved—after attending a small fundraiser where a keynote speaker shared troubling statistics about racial discrimination in Israel. “I said to myself: I have to fix this. I want to see a Black middle class in Israel. I want to see people leave the periphery and be empowered through education. And I know it can be done.”

Participants in the panel, including Canadian journalist and TAU alum Gideon Belete, spoke candidly about the absence of Ethiopian representation on campus. “As I walked the halls of TAU, I asked myself: Where is my community? We carry with us stories of courage—our roots are deep, and our strength is real.” Belete, a recent Irwin Cotler Fellow, is the grandson of Ethiopians who came to Israel as part of the famous Operation Moses. “So why are we absent from higher education?” he asked. “The answers are complex, but complexity is not an excuse, it’s a call to action.”

Breaking Boundaries through Education; from left: Yaffa Tegegne, Jonathan Ross Goodman, Prof. Neta Ziv, a TAU theater student, and MK Pnina Tamano-Shata. (Photo: Yuval Yosef)

Pnina Tamano-Shata, the first Ethiopian Knesset member and a TAU alumna, shared her own reflections: “For me, when I was young, Tel Aviv University wasn’t even on my radar—it felt inaccessible.” Tamano-Shata, who was airlifted to Israel with her family when she was three years old, earned a master’s degree in public policy in 2018.  We must break the internal glass ceiling in our community and dare to dream bigger.”

A Legacy in Motion

Goodman’s commitment is longsighted. “Vision without financing is hallucination,” he told the audience. “This is a commitment for life. And I’m going to keep fundraising.”

As the plaque honoring the launch of the Goodman Fellows was unveiled, it was clear that this program is about more than financial support—it’s about rewriting narratives, closing opportunity gaps, and building a future in which every young Israeli has a place at the academic table.

“This program isn’t just helping individual students,” Prof. Neumann emphasized. “It’s reshaping the future of Israeli society.”