Sarah Aynor of blessed memory – (April 8, 1926 - November 24, 2016). Sarah was born in Tel Aviv and founded, established and served as the President of the International Women’s Division of Keren HaYesod. The division was involved in fundraising from the wives of philanthropic Jewish personalities in communities worldwide to assist the state of Israel. She taught Hebrew on four continents and worked with orphaned young adults following the Holocaust.
After the death of her husband, Hanan Aynor, Sarah established Keren Hanan Aynor in 1994, together with friends from the Israeli Foreign Ministry. The foundation is the oldest in Israel providing academic scholarships to Israelis of Ethiopian decent. Since it was founded, the foundation has awarded over 4,500 scholarships and won the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration Award from Minister Yaakov Edri.
This year, the Sarah Aynor Breakthrough Scholarship was awarded to Liraz Avra, who is pursuing her certification in Theater Arts.
Special Scholarships for Communications Studies – Elke Aynor Memorial Scholarships:
Elke Aynor, who was the daughter-in-law of Hanan Aynor, immigrated to Israel from Mexico in 1981. She worked in Israeli television and for Channel 2 News, running several educational programs in Jerusalem at various organizations. In her memory, and in order to encourage Ethiopian immigrants to study communications subjects (Journalism, Television, Radio, Film, etc.), the foundation established this scholarship for students who excel in this field.
In 2021, the Elke Aynor Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Shelly Solomon, a student pursuing her Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design and Education.
Benad Avital, of blessed memory, was the co-founder of Keren Hanan Aynor and Chair of the foundation from 1994 to 2004.
Benad was born in England and served in the British Army at the end of World War II. He immigrated to Israel in 1950, immediately after his marriage to Miriam.
Benad served as a diplomat for the Foreign Ministry, where he met Hanan and Sarah Aynor. In the early eighties, he was sent to Africa as the Supervisor of Israeli Interests on the Ivory Coast, in order to renew the diplomatic relations with African countries that had severed ties with Israel following the Yom Kippur War. The breakthrough occurred with the renewal of relations with Liberia, which was followed by many other African countries.
Prior to his retirement, he served as Israel’s ambassador to Thailand and Singapore. In 2021, the Benad Avital Theater Arts Scholarship was awarded to Daniel Tagau.
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