Israelis from the Ethiopian community protest in Haifa. (AFP/Getty Images)
By Prof Yossi Mekelberg
The story of the immigration and absorption of Ethiopian Jews in Israel epitomises the best and the worst of Israeli society.
True to its Zionist dream of being a haven for Jews, the Jewish state embarked on risky and expensive rescue operations in the 1980s and 1990s.
These brought tens of thousands of Jews from remote parts of Ethiopia, who had suffered from religious persecution, famine and civil wars.
Yet, when they arrived in Israel, these distinctive people faced appalling discrimination, racism and a lack of empathy for their hardships in Ethiopia and during their journey to Israel.
Moreover, this was exacerbated by a mixture of bureaucratic insensitivity and incompetence.
The uncharacteristic violence, seen recently during demonstrations by members of the Ethiopian community in Israel, was a direct result of years of accumulated frustration against the state and especially the police.
The unprovoked beating up by policemen of Demas Fekadeh, an Ethiopian Israeli soldier in uniform, could well serve as a much necessary wake-up call for Israeli society to change, quickly and radically, its treatment of the 130,000 Israeli citizens and their descendants who immigrated from Ethiopia.
Read more at BBC News »
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Related:
As Ethiopian-Israeli Protests Continue, Where Do Women Fit In?
Netanyahu, President Rivlin Show Strong Support to Ethiopian Jews in Israel
Ethiopian-Israelis Demand Ministerial Committees to Help Community
A Message from Tebeka – Legal Aid & Advocacy for Ethiopian Israelis (Press Release)
Soldier Becomes Unlikely Face of Ethiopian-Israeli Discontent (Video)
Ethiopian-Israeli Protest in Tel Aviv Turns Unusually Violent (Raw Video)
Israel’s Ethiopians Protest in Jerusalem (The Associated Press)
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