Is There Success in Israel for Ethiopians Jews?

The Ethiopian Jews face both tolerance and racism in Israel, yet other factors also contribute to this group’s difficulty succeeding in Israel.  Jews in Ethiopia faced a civil war, famine, and extinction by the 1980s in Ethiopia so the Israeli government organized a mass emigration of these Jews to Israel.  The Ministry of Absorption in Israel welcomed and accepted the Jewish Ethiopians by offering benefits such as free Hebrew classes, health coverage, and grants for housing (Rosenthal, 167).  Quoting the Ministry of Absorption, Rosenthal even states that absorbing the Ethiopians into Israel was a “national test of honor.”  Consequently, Rosenthal explains that Ethiopian children have integrated in the Israeli culture quite well with Ethiopian academic skill surpassing that of their Israeli peers (Rosenthal, 170).  Rosenthal explains that Ethiopians thrive in classes that involve memory skills and concentration because the Ethiopian Jews underscored the importance of knowing one’s family history and memorizing all of psalms.

However, Rosenthal undermines the examples of progress that Ethiopian Jews have made by stating obstacles which the Ethiopian Jews have faced.  Jewish Israelis have criticized Ethiopian Jews for not following strict Rabbinic Judaism.  She explains that criticism of Ethiopian religious practices could be an obstacle to their ability to succeed in Israel.  Some Israeli Jews questioned the religious authenticity of the Ethiopian Jewish community (Rosenthal, 176).  These Israelis explained that the Ethiopians had been isolated from the other Jews since 586 B.C.E. and did not follow the laws of the Talmud throughout their years in Ethiopia (Rosenthal, 162-3).  Nevertheless, differences in religious practices are not the source of racist sentiment.  Rosenthal provides the testimony of Solomon who was called “kushi” by a peer in the military (Rosenthal, 166).  Once Solomon told the officer that he is a Jew, the officer did not make a derogatory, racist comment again.  According to Rosenthal, the lack of success which the Ethiopians experience is not stemming from racist sentiment, but may be from differences in religious beliefs.

Additionally, throughout the chapter, Rosenthal explains that there are limited academic and occupational opportunities for the Ethiopian Jews.  Rosenthal provides the success stories of the Idan Raichel Project and Solomon Ezra, but she also states that teachers overlook the potential of their Ethiopian students (Rosenthal, 169).  As a result, the Ethiopian students are placed in lower level classes; men are lead to the path of blue collar jobs and motherhood for women.  Teachers and Israeli parents tended to judge the Ethiopian Jews as lacking educational ability and religious devotion, respectively (Rosenthal, 170).  A Haaretz article titled “Ethiopian-Israeli Woman Makes Good in High-tech: An Unrepresentative Story” written by Ruti Levy, provides another example of subtle racism in the Israeli tech industry.  Levy praises Shoshi Jambar, an Israeli Ethiopian, for her ability to climb the ladder of success in the WalkMe startup from cleaner to manager.  However, Jambar attributes her own success to her social personality and young age—she adds that other Ethiopians do not tend to be as accomplished as she.  Levy states that Ethiopian Jews tend to lack academic achievement and do not join the army; she adds that joining the army is a stepping stone into the Israeli tech industry.  Rosenthal states that although 95% of draft-able Ethiopian men serve in the army, only 45% of high school students are eligible for their matriculation certificates (Rosenthal, 173, 170).  Rosenthal and Levy seem to agree that Ethiopian Jews in Israel suffer from an inequality of academic achievement when compared to other Israelis.  The paper “Education in Israel: The Challenges Ahead” written by Laurence Wolff, a senior educator, and Elizabeth Breit, a Yale University graduate, supports Levy’s arguments.  The authors explain that Jewish Ethiopian immigrants have lower scores on standardized tests compared to other Jewish students due to Ethiopian socio-economic disadvantages (Education in Israel, 11-12) .

An opinion article written in Haaretz supports Jambar’s attitudes as well.  In her article titled “Racism in Israel? You're Exaggerating!,” Mesi Aycheck explains that racism against Ethiopian Jews in Israel is prevalent.  Israelis do notice the differences in skin color; such differences influence Israeli attitudes, implying that Ethiopians are inferior.  Aycheck adds that Israelis tend to ignore or underestimate the profundity of racism in Israel.  She explains that Israelis overlook her claims of racism because they are all Jewish or all Semites.  The article “‘No Ethiopians wanted’ job ad sparks outrage,” written in the Times of Israel, supports Aycheck’s claims that racism is still apparent in Israel.  The article states that a clothing company published an ad recruiting new employees; however, ‘no Ethiopians are wanted’ according to the employers.  This is an example of blatant racism acted toward Ethiopian Jews.  The authors quote the director of the Justice Ministry who said that this was not the first or last case of discrimination against the Ethiopian Israelis.

Nevertheless, there are other factors that also contribute to the lack of Ethiopian Jewish success in Israel which should not be ignored.  Rosenthal describes that the older generations of Ethiopians experience a disadvantage in the fast-paced Israeli culture (Rosenthal, 167-8).  Ethiopian parents depend on their children’s ability to assimilate within the Israeli culture.  These children know the Hebrew language, are earning an education, and understand how to cope with Israel’s chaotic war environment.  The older generation seems to be stuck in the Ethiopian culture.  Ruti Levy also differentiates Jambar’s success from the older generation’s lack of success.  Jambar was able to become a manager because she is familiar with Israeli culture; however, an older Ethiopian woman will not succeed because she is still immersed in her traditional cultural practices.  The older generation may have a slight accent when speaking in Hebrew, may not know Hebrew at all, and are likelier to be uneducated or unemployed. 

As shown, Ethiopian Jews are able to succeed in Israel, Shoshi Jambar, Solomon Ezra and Idal Raichel are just a few examples of this phenomenon.  Ethiopian Jews have experienced both tolerance and racism in Israel.  However, factors such as underestimating Ethiopian academic ability and Ethiopian cultural differences may negatively impact an Ethiopian’s ability to succeed in Israel as well.