In the local Amharic language, the forgotten Jews of Ethiopia are called the Falash-Mura – the people without a land. Numbering around 5,000 families, many have been waiting to make aliyah and immigrate to Israel for decades. I had heard about their struggle long before travelling to Ethiopia. I’d been told that in the 19th…
Ethiopian-Israelis registering for marriage licenses in the central Israeli city of Petach Tikvah reportedly are routinely rejected and forced to register elsewhere. At least 30 Ethiopian-Israeli couples have been denied marriage licenses in Petach Tikvah in the last nine months, Army Radio first reported Monday, when it interviewed an Ethiopian-Israeli woman identified as Shega, a…
Israel on Sunday approved the entry of some 9,000 Ethiopians known as Falash Mura who claim Jewish lineage, ending decades of debate on whether to allow their immigration despite uncertainty over their right to settle in the Jewish state. The cabinet unanimously voted in favor of allowing the last group of Falash Mura to immigrate…
On August 10 an Israeli stand-up trio named “Ma Kashur” of themselves dressed up as Ethiopian Jews rapping about racism. Ostensibly, the video was meant to highlight the Ethiopian anti-racism protests that swept through the country earlier this year. But there was a troubling aspect to it. Why were they wearing blackface, when they could…
The Israeli police officer who was caught on camera beating an Ethiopian-Israeli soldier will not be charged. Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein announced on Sunday that he was closing the case, which led to violent protests by Ethiopian-Israelis throughout Israel. Israel Police reportedly will still discipline the officer, who was suspended shortly after the April incident….
Israeli police locked arms to push back hundreds of ethnic Ethiopian anti-racism protesters on Wednesday in Tel Aviv where many tried to block a major traffic artery. Police said two protesters of some 400 protesters at the scene were detained. Television photographers saw five demonstrators led away. There were no reported injuries in the confrontation…
The Israeli police officer who was fired for beating an Ethiopian-Israel soldier said he acted properly in his attempt to arrest and subdue the soldier, who had entered a closed-off area. Identified by the Israeli news website Ynet as Sgt. Maj. Y., the officer agreed to be interviewed after the soldier, Damas Pakada, filed a…
Israel’s newly-appointed Religious Services Minister said he would void the marriage authority of municipal rabbinates if they are found to be discriminating against Ethiopian Jews. David Azoulay of the Orthodox Shas party spoke interview Thursday with Army Radio, following the station’s report about alleged delays by the rabbinate of Petach Tikva near Tel Aviv in…
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