ABOUT US
THE PROBLEM
Immediately after God created the world, He established the family. This shows us that from the very beginning, God's heart is family - which is why family is the main focus of the Pele Yoetz Biblical Family Counseling Center.
When the first Ethiopian immigrants arrived in Israel, families encountered numerous crises. One of the most severe crises, or hardships, was the breakdown of the social family structure. In Ethiopia, women and children received support and protection from the “man” of the house. The family order was clear. The man is the husband, father, and head of the family. His role is the sole financial provider for the family.
In many cases, when families immigrated to Israel, the sharp cultural difference caused great adversity within families. Immediately, the wife and children received guidance and support on how to find a job. The woman could now provide for herself and her children on her own, and no longer need a man to depend on for support. She could now care of their children by working and/or by receiving support from the government and non-profit organizations. With this awareness, and without understanding the consequences that would follow, many families were broken by divorce which caused much difficulty and heartbreak for the children of new immigrants.
Unlike the women, after immigrating from Ethiopia to Israel, the men did not receive guidance, support, or coaching on how to treat their wives and children according to Israeli law. Although some men found ways to provide financially for their wife and children, they still did not know how to care for the family’s spiritual and emotional needs - much less their own. The men found themselves rejected by their families. The respect they once received in Ethiopia was taken from them, leaving them alone and feeling threatened by this change.
Frustration continued to increase among the men as they could not take care of their families. They saw themselves as a burden and longer having a place within the family structure. Men began to murder their wives - and many went to prison for this as well as other crimes. The man’s status was greatly damaged. Many children grew up without a father figure.
Throughout our communities today, we encounter the effects of this chaos of family dissolution.
SERVICES
Inter-relational
Family Workshops
Men’s and Women’s
Conferences
Parenting Classes
Marriage, Family,
and Individual
Biblical Counseling
Life Coaching
Youth After School
Program
THE SOLUTION
Our mission is to strengthen and empower Ethiopian families in the ways of the Word of God. We believe that God is the one who fixes the broken, frees the captives, and saves our souls as it says in Isaiah 61:1, "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound."
We press on to see the restoration families according to the word of God.
BEHIND THE NAME
The name Pele Yoetz (פלא יועץ) comes from the verse in Isaiah 9:6, which states, "He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
