Three decades have passed since Operation Solomon, in which thousands of Ethiopian Jews made Aliyah to Israel. Indeed, it has been a long time, and the State of Israel is still investing resources into integrating the community. Given that many gaps continue to persist between the Ethiopian communities and the rest of the country, it is probable that this policy will continue.
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No other group of immigrants encountered as many difficulties in their absorption in Israel and this can be explained by issues within the Ethiopian community, Israeli society at large and its absorption policy.
Unlike Jews from the Middle East and Europe, Ethiopian immigrants were largely unfamiliar with Hebrew. Their languages, Amharic and Tigarian, are not Semitic languages, and they are very different from Hebrew. This language barrier was perhaps the most obvious obstacle many Ethiopian Jews faced upon arrival to Israel.
In addition to cultural gaps, Ethiopia is a developing country, and many were illiterate and not privileged to receive higher or even basic education. Moreover, the workplace as a vehicle for social mobility and integration is a foreign concept to most Ethiopian immigrants because they are used to set their sights low. For far too long, young Ethiopian immigrants arrive in Israel believing that settling for a menial job is sufficient when in actuality they have the potential to snag roles that are far more demanding.
That said, Israeli society has not made adjusting to life here easy and casual racism continues to bubble up to the surface even today; this is reflected in the job market, selective law enforcement practices where Ethiopians are unfairly targeted, and housing. Currently, there are still employers who are not willing to employ Ethiopians.
Even after completing military service for the IDF, many still encounter the walls of prejudice erected by society. As someone who graduated with a bachelor's degree in computer engineering but was not able to obtain a job in hi-tech, I know this struggle first-hand. The need to make a living directed me to launch a career in education instead and there are many who, too, had to adjust their career goals accordingly.
But we are pushing back. The demonstrations of Ethiopian immigrants a few years ago against police conduct were justified. More than once, Ethiopian police officers were arrested and released after the mistake was clarified. That is not to say that crime among members of the community doesn't exist. However, the percentage of Ethiopian youth holding criminal records is very high in relation to their proportion in the general population. This disproportionality is due to two reasons – racial profiling among law enforcement and rampant poverty that drives young people to commit crimes.
Housing discrimination is another major obstacle. There are places in the country that don't accept Ethiopian families and when they are accepted into certain communities, they often receive the cold shoulder from their neighbor. Rather than encounter unfriendly or hostile neighbors, then, many opt to stay within their community instead of living amongst the general population.
Along with the existing difficulties the community is facing from within, and racism experienced from external forces, the state should have come up with a dedicated plan to take responsibility for Ethiopian immigrants in order to bridge the gaps and meet the community's unique needs head-on. Additionally, a proper policy should have been put in place to train the public to accept Ethiopians, thus eradicating discrimination.
Three decades on, and the Ethiopian community is still fighting for its place in Israeli society. One of the main ways to achieve that integration is through higher education. At the Jerusalem College of Technology, whether it's the Haredi sector or new immigrants, we've seen educational institutions prove themselves to be the essential gateway into the labor market and society at large. Higher learning, then, is the key to extracting populations from poverty and allowing them to study professions with high earning capacity and to enable social mobility. The government should get credit for supporting students within the community as many of them don't have the means to pay for education on their own.
The more the State of Israel comes face to face with its racial disparities, and continues to help Ethiopian youth obtain academic education, the more the community will integrate in society. The State of Israel must take Psalm 34:14 to heart and "depart from evil and do good."
Higher education is critical as it serves as a tool to employ professors and researchers from the community. It is also the route by which Ethiopian immigrants can set their sights on vital roles in the Israeli economy and actually integrate into society.
I'm proud of my work as the head of the Reuven Surkis Program for Students from the Ethiopian Community at the Jerusalem College of Technology – the first academic institution in the country to establish a dedicated program for assisting and placement of Ethiopian students. This program is currently funded by the state and by private philanthropy and provides scholarships and stipends as well as tutoring that supports students throughout their undergraduate studies and helps them find respectable jobs. If it weren't for this support, the students and their families couldn't afford this academic degree.
For now, though, I long for the day when my job will be redundant.
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