Dr. Avraham Yitzhak, the first Ethiopian immigrant to earn a medical degree in Israel and first Ethiopian doctor in IDF, named Southern Command’s chief medical officer • Three women promoted to colonel, one of whom will head Homefront Command district.

The Israel Defense Forces has its first colonel of Ethiopian descent: Lt. Col. Dr. Avraham Yitzhak has been appointed chief medical officer for the Southern Command and will be promoted to the rank of colonel.

Yitzhak completed high school in Addis Ababa at age 15 and was the first Ethiopian immigrant to earn a medical degree in Israel. He graduated from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in 1999 and was valedictorian of his class. Yitzhak was also the first Ethiopian Israeli to serve as an IDF physician.

The groundbreaking appointment was made Monday in a discussion of promotions led by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot.

The forum also decided that Military Judge Lt. Col. Carmel Wahabi — currently a member of the three-judge panel presiding over the trial of Sgt. Elor Azaria who is accused of shooting an immobilized terrorist in Hebron — will be promoted to colonel and appointed president of the Special Military Court and president of the General Staff and Homefront Command Court.

Three women were also promoted to the rank of colonel, one of whom, Lt. Col. Liron Donal, will be the first woman to command a district in the Homefront Command.

Source: israelhayom.com