Ethiopian Jews and Racism

[Modesty]

Ethiopian Jews & Racism

 

*** I really feel sorry for these Ethiopians, they should've stayed in Ethiopia!!***

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

RECENTLY, ISRAELI RADIO REPORTED THAT AN ETHIOPIAN JEW

SERVING IN THE ISRAELI ARMY WAS HURLED OUT OF A MILITARY CLINIC

AND SUBJECTED TO RACIST ABUSE BY A SUPERIOR OFFICER. THE REPORT

PROMPTED CONDEMNATION FROM ISRAELI POLITICIANS AND LEADERS OF THE

ETHIOPIAN JEWS IN ISRAEL. THE EPISODE COMES AS THE FORMERLY

RURAL ETHIOPIANS FEEL INCREASINGLY ALIENATED BY A MODERN SOCIETY

THAT ONCE WELCOMED THEM AS LONG-LOST BROTHERS AND SISTERS.

 

NEARLY 60-THOUSAND ETHIOPIAN JEWS -- KNOWN AS THE

FALASHAS" BUT WHO PREFER TO BE CALLED "BETA ISRAELS" -- LIVE IN

ISRAEL. ALMOST ALL OF THEM WERE BROUGHT FROM A REMOTE AREA IN

NORTHERN ETHIOPIA IN AIRLIFTS DURING THE PAST TWO DECADES. THE

OPERATIONS, CARRIED OUT BY THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT, WERE GENERALLY

HAILED AS GREAT HUMANITARIAN MOVES, RESCUING JEWS FROM A LAND

TORN BY CIVIL WAR AND POVERTY.

 

BUT THE ETHIOPIANS HAVE BEEN COMPLAINING MORE AND MORE ABOUT

DISCRIMINATION AGAINST THEM BECAUSE OF THEIR COLOR. ADDISU

MASSALA IS THE FIRST ETHIOPIAN ELECTED TO ISRAEL'S PARLIAMENT.

HE ARTICULATES THE LATEST COMPLAINT BY THE ETHIOPIANS.

 

I CANNOT SAY THE ISRAELI SOCIETY AND THE ISRAELI

GOVERNMENT DISCRIMINATE AGAINST ETHIOPIAN JEWS. BUT

THERE ARE SOME NATIVE ISRAELIS WHO CALL (TELL) ETHIOPIAN

SOLDIERS "BLACKS, IN HEBREW KUSHI (NIGGER), AFRICAN,

PRIMITIVE, THIS IS A JEWISH MILITARY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING

HERE? GO TO AFRICA." BECAUSE OF THE SOCIAL PROBLEM AND

RACISM, THE ETHIOPIAN YOUNG SOLDIERS ARE COMMITTING

SUICIDES.

 

MR. ADDISU SAYS THREE ETHIOPIAN SOLDIERS IN THE ISRAELI ARMY

COMMITTED SUICIDE SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR. HE SAYS WHILE

THE ETHIOPIANS MAKE UP LESS THAN HALF OF ONE PERCENT OF THE

ARMY'S RECRUITS, THEY COMPRISE TEN PERCENT OF SUICIDES AMONG

SOLDIERS.

 

ISRAELI MILITARY OFFICIALS SAY THEY REGRET THE SUICIDES, BUT

INSIST THAT THEY ARE MAINLY DUE TO FAMILY PROBLEMS OR OTHER

FACTORS OUTSIDE THE ARMY. THEY DENY THAT THE SUICIDES RESULTS

FROM RACISM IN THE ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES (I-D-F). BRIGADIER

GENERAL ODED BEN-AMI IS THE CHIEF SPOKESMAN FOR THE ARMY.

 

THE COMMANDERS OF THE ISRAELI ARMY BELIEVE THE NEWCOMERS

FROM ETHIOPIA ARE ABSOLUTELY ONE PART OF THE ISRAELI

SOCIETY. I THINK THIS IS THE WORST WAY TO TALK TO EACH

OTHER. THIS IS THE WORST AND NASTIEST WAY TO TALK TO

ANYONE, ANY IMMIGRANT TO ISRAEL, ESPECIALLY TO OUR

BROTHERS FROM ETHIOPIA. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY AGAINST THE

POLICY OF THE I-D-F FORCES. RACISM WITHIN THE I-D-F IS

ONE THING WE WILL NEVER LET HAPPEN AMONG OURSELVES,

ABSOLUTELY.

 

DESPITE SUCH ASSURANCES, MR. ADDISU IS CALLING FOR THE DISMISSAL

OF THE ISRAELI OFFICER WHO EJECTED THE ETHIOPIAN SOLDIER FROM AN

ARMY INFIRMARY LAST MONTH. HE ALSO WANTS THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT

TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF RACISM.

 

PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL MR. NETANYAHU MET WITH THE

YOUNG ETHIOPIAN SOLDIER, AND HE APOLOGIZED. BUT IT IS

NOT ENOUGH TO APOLOGIZE. WHAT THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT

SHOULD DO AND WHAT WE DEMAND FROM THE GOVERNMENT IS TO

SPEAK ABOUT RACISM AND DISCRIMINATION, AND TO CREATE A

FERTILE CONDITION, A FERTILE ATMOSPHERE IN ORDER TO

ABSORB ETHIOPIAN YOUNGSTERS IN THE ARMY.

 

ARMY SPOKESMAN GENERAL BEN-ALI SAYS THE OFFICER WHO EJECTED THE

ETHIOPIAN SOLDIER FROM THE CLINIC HAS BEEN PUNISHED, AND THAT THE

ARMY IS DISCUSSING HIS FUTURE WITHIN THE ARMED FORCES. THE

GENERAL SAYS THE ARMY HAS A TWO-FOLD PROGRAM TO INCREASE

SENSITIVITY TO THE PROBLEM.

 

FIRST OF ALL WE ARE GOING TO DEEPEN THE EDUCATION AND

INFORMATION AMONG OUR OFFICERS AND SOLDIERS TO BE MUCH

MORE DELICATE, TO BE MUCH MORE EASY WITH THE ETHIOPIAN

SOLDIERS. SECONDLY, WE ARE GOING TO GIVE MUCH MORE

CARE TO THOSE AMONG THE SOLDIERS COMING FROM ETHIOPIA

WHO NEED HELP AND SUPPORT AND EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN

GIVE THEM IN ORDER TO EASE THEIR SERVICE.

 

THE CHARGES OF RACISM IN THE ARMY FOLLOWS COMPLAINTS

BY THE ETHIOPIANS THAT THEY ARE GIVEN INFERIOR HOUSING. THEY ARE

ELIGIBLE FOR GOVERNMENT GRANTS OF UP TO 120-THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR

HOME PURCHASES. ALTHOUGH THE GRANTS ARE SAID TO BE LARGER THAN

THOSE AVAILABLE TO OTHER IMMIGRANTS, LEADERS OF THE ETHIOPIAN

JEWS SAY SOME MUST STILL LIVE IN MOBILE HOMES FAR FROM JOB

CENTERS AND SCHOOLS.

 

THE ETHIOPIANS WERE CUT OFF FOR CENTURIES FROM THE REST OF THE

JEWISH DIASPORA. THOUGH THEY MAINTAINED JEWISH TRADITIONS, THEIR

JEWISHNESS WAS ONCE QUESTIONED BY SOME ORTHODOX ISRAELI RABBIS

WHO INSISTED THAT THE ETHIOPIANS SHOULD UNDERGO RITUAL BATHS TO

BE OFFICIALLY SANCTIONED AS JEWISH. THE ETHIOPIANS REGARDED THIS

AS DEMEANING AND LARGELY REFUSED TO DO SO.

 

THEIR SENSE OF ALIENATION REACHED A CLIMAX LAST YEAR WHEN THEY

STAGED A VIOLENT DEMONSTRATION TO PROTEST A SECRET GOVERNMENT

POLICY OF DISCARDING THEIR BLOOD DONATIONS FOR FEAR OF AIDS

CONTAMINATION. THE GOVERNMENT APOLOGIZED FOR THE BLOOD SCANDAL

AND APPOINTED A STATE COMMISSION TO INVESTIGATE THE MATTER.

NEVERTHELESS, ANALYSTS SAY THE SCANDAL COMBINED WITH THE LATEST

CHARGE OF RACISM COULD REINFORCE THE ETHIOPIANS FEELINGS OF BEING

DISCRIMINATED AGAINST IN A LAND THEY BELIEVE TO BE THEIR OWN.

 

03-Apr-97

Source: Voice of America

[Conscious Manipulation]

I don't feel sorry for them at all!

[bilan]

palestinians say that the worst people in isrealian army who treat them bad are either eithipian or russian. so i do not feel sorry for them, they should go back to their country.

[Modesty]

Fact: I don't feel sorry for any Israeli zionists.

They can all go to naar