After World War II, many Mizrahi Jews emigrated to Israel, Europe, or North America, bringing their traditions with them. Join us for a panel of young Israelis from different Mizrahi backgrounds who will talk about their culture and traditions as well as the life they or their families experienced in different countries.  Our speakers are all Hillel Israel Fellows currently working in the United States.

Koral Belson is the Jewish Agency Israel Fellow at Penn State Hillel. She was born and raised in Nahariyah, a small city in Northern Israel, close to the border with Lebanon. Her grandparents came from Yemen as part of “Operation Magic Carpet” that brought 49,000 Jews from Yemen to Israel in 1949.

Lior Ashkenazy is the Jewish Agency Israel Fellow at Houston Hillel. She's a first-generation Israeli born in Netanya. Her mother was born in Syria, and her father in Turkey. When she was 9, her family became orthodox and Lior attended a religious school. Despite that, she joined the Army at the age of 18 and served for two years.

Navee Cohen is the Jewish Agency Israel Fellow at Hillel at UCLA. His grandparents moved to Israel from Iran, where they had to hide their Jewish identity and even change their name. Navee grew up in Kibbutz Yohanan, and is a 5-time triathlon champion.