Lawyer and expert in civil rights. Social activist and founder of a legal clinic.

Born in Ethiopia and immigrated to Israel at the age of 13. Attended school at the Yemin Orde Youth Village and served as a combat medic in the IDF. Following his military service, he studied law at Haifa University, where he was the first Ethiopian Israeli law student. Upon graduating, he opened his own law firm and in 2000 he established “Tebeka” – a legal organization that mainly worked to protect the rights of Ethiopian Israelis. He ran the organization for 13 years, during which he also traveled to Washington for two years to earn an M.A. in Human and Civil Rights.

He is currently studying towards a Ph.D. at Bar Ilan University, while his advisor is Professor Ariel Ben Dor. Over the past year, he initiated and established a legal clinic at Bar Ilan University – the clinic to promote equality – in which he will serve as an academic instructor. In addition to his academic activities, he devotes time to social action and is a public representative at the governmental program for the integration of Ethiopian Israelis.

Itzik Dessie defines himself as an entrepreneur and social leader who focuses on human and civil rights, as well as on issues of equality and discrimination.