Op-Ed

Ethiopian Jews in Israel Fight for Acceptance

Published

11 years ago

May 11, 2015

By Lekan Oguntoyinbo
NNPA Columnist

Considerable fanfare greeted Israel’s airlift of tens of thousands of Ethiopian Jews in the 1980s and 1990s. The Israeli government sprung them out of their ancestral east African homeland in the midst of a famine that led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.

To many, it was a powerful affirmation of Israel’s “Law of Return, which grants automatic citizenship to all Jews. It sent a strong signal that Israel, a nation of immigrants and children of immigrants from more than 100 countries, was serious about its intent to create a comfortable homeland for Jews from around the world irrespective of skin color.

But for most of these Black arrivals and their children life in their new homeland has been anything but comfortable. Israel has been less than welcoming to it Black citizens.

Israelis of Ethiopian ancestry number about 135,000 or about 2 percent of the population. But they have higher rates of poverty, unemployment, incarceration, divorce and suicide. As the New York Times reported, Ethiopian-Israeli youth are three times as likely to be held in detention facilities. Like blacks in America, Ethiopian Israelis are the lepers of society. They routinely encounter discrimination, police harassment and racist slights.

Which is why the recent demonstrations by Ethiopian-Israelis should have come as little surprise.

For several days earlier this month, in scenes reminiscent of Baltimore and Ferguson, Ethiopian Israelis took to the streets after a video of a uniformed Ethiopian-Israeli soldier being beaten by police officers in what was an apparently unprovoked attack surfaced online.

For several days, demonstrators threw bottles and rocks, shut down a major highway and overturned at least one police squad car. Scores of people, including more than 50 police officers, were injured and dozens of demonstrators were arrested.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin hit the nail on the head when he said the unrest revealed “an open, bleeding wound in the heart of Israeli society.”

It is a wound that, if left untreated, could turn into a sore that infects the rest of the body.

The demonstrations were just another in a long line of grievances by members of the Ethiopian community. Despite the kudos accorded Israel upon the arrival of the Ethiopians 30 years ago, the decision to bring them into their new home was not without controversy.

For years debates raged over the authenticity of their Jewishness before the government consented to bring them into the country. Ethiopian Jews, also known as Beta Israel, believe they are the lost tribe of Dan. Their roots in Ethiopia go back thousands of years. For more than a thousand years they were cut off from the rest of the Jewish world. Some scholars of Judaic studies have asserted that their religious practices are more authentic than those of their European brethren.

Yet, when the Ethiopians first started arriving in Israel in 1984, many of the nation’s top rabbis questioned their Jewishness and in many instances demanded that they “convert” before signing off on their weddings.

In 1996, Ethiopian Jews demonstrated after learning that health authorities had thrown out their donated blood over fears or suspicions of HIV.

Some landlords refused to rent to Ethiopian Jews. And there have been reports of schools restricting the enrollment of their children.

In 2013, Israel’s health ministry all but admitted that doctors “may” have injected newly arrived Ethiopian Jewish women with contraceptives without their consent or without fully explaining the effects of the drug.

Israel, a nation of 8 million people surrounded by a sea of enemies, has more foes than friends. Israel can’t afford to alienate a significant percentage of its citizenry. Alienated citizens make for disinterested citizens. Disinterested and oppressed citizens have a propensity to become the enemies within. Israel doesn’t need more enemies, especially not internal enemies.

If Israel fails to check this problem, here’s the kind of future it could face: an Ethiopian-Israeli former member of parliament called for a variety of forms of civil disobedience, including refusing to serve in the military or pay taxes if the situation for blacks doesn’t change. The military is Israel’s most strategically important institution. Young Israeli men and women are required to serve. Ethiopian Jews have consistently been diligent about serving. Demas Fikadey, the soldier who was beaten up by the police officers, had just left his military post and was on his way home when he was assaulted.

To his credit, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has moved quickly to quell tensions. He has met with leaders of the Ethiopian Jewish community. He also had a brief meeting with the Fikadey in which he commiserated with him.

These are great first steps. But the real work lies in ensuring that the quasi-legal oppression of Black Israelis is vanquished.

It is a task that is 30 years overdue.

Lekan Oguntoyinbo is an independent journalist and communications consultant. Contact him at oguntoyinbo@gmail.com. Visit his website at www.lekanoguntoyinbo.net.

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Seth Curry Makes Impressive Debut with the Golden State Warriors

Seth looked comfortable in his new uniform, seamlessly fitting into the Warriors’ offensive and defensive system. He finished the night with an impressive 14 points, becoming one of the team’s top scorers for the game. Seth’s points came in a variety of ways – floaters, spot-up three-pointers, mid-range jumpers, and a handful of aggressive drives that kept the Oklahoma City Thunder defense on its heels.

Published

1 week ago

December 4, 2025

Oakland Post

Seth Curry is a point guard on the GSW team.Photo courtesy of the Golden State Warriors.

By Y’Anad Burrell

Tuesday night was anything but ordinary for fans in San Francisco as Seth Curry made his highly anticipated debut as a new member of the Golden State Warriors. Seth didn’t disappoint, delivering a performance that not only showcased his scoring ability but also demonstrated his added value to the team.

At 35, the 12-year NBA veteran on Monday signed a contract to play with the Warriors for the rest of the season.

One of the most memorable moments of the evening came before Seth even scored his first points. As he checked into the game, the Chase Center erupted into applause, with fans rising to their feet to give the newest Warrior a standing ovation.

The crowd’s reaction was a testament not only to Seth’s reputation as a sharpshooter but also to the excitement he brings to the Warriors. It was clear that fans quickly embraced Seth as one of their own, eager to see what he could bring to the team’s championship aspirations.

Warriors’ superstar Steph Curry – Seth’s brother – did not play due to an injury. One could only imagine what it would be like if the Curry brothers were on the court together. Magic in the making.

Seth’s debut proved to be a turning point for the Warriors. Not only did he contribute on the scoreboard, but he also brought a sense of confidence and composure to the floor.

While their loss last night, OKC 124 – GSW 112, Seth’s impact was a game-changer and there’s more yet to come. Beyond statistics, it was clear that Seth’s presence elevated the team’s performance, giving the Warriors a new force as they look to make a deep playoff run.

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Activism

Essay: Intentional Self Care and Community Connections Can Improve Our Wellbeing

At the deepest and also most expansive level of reality, we are all part of the same being, our bodies made from the minerals of the earth, our spirits infused by the spiritual breath that animates the universe. Willingness to move more deeply into fear and pain is the first step toward moving into a larger consciousness. Willingness to move beyond the delusion of our separateness can show us new ways of working and living together.

Published

2 months ago

October 27, 2025

Oakland Post

Lorraine Bonner is a retired physician. She is also a sculptor who works in clay, exploring issues of trust, trustworthiness and exploitation, as well as visions of a better world.

By Dr. Lorraine Bonner, Special to California Black Media Partners

I went to a medical school that was steeped in the principles of classical Western medicine. However, I also learned mindfulness meditation during that time, which opened me to the multifaceted relationship between illnesses and the interconnecting environmental, mental and emotional realities that can impact an individual’s health.

Therefore, when I began to practice medicine, I also pursued training in hypnosis, relaxation techniques, meditation, and guided imagery, to bring a mind-body focus to my work in medical care and prevention.

The people I saw in my practice had a mix of problems, including high blood pressure, diabetes, and a variety of pain issues. I taught almost everyone relaxation breathing and made some general relaxation tapes. To anyone willing, I offered guided imagery.

“My work embraced an approach to wellness I call “Liberatory Health” — one that not only addresses the treatment and management of disease symptoms but also seeks to dismantle the conditions that make people sick in the first place.”

From my perspective, illness is only the outermost manifestation of our efforts to cope, often fueled by addictions such as sugar, tobacco, or alcohol, shackled by an individualistic cult belief that we have only ourselves to blame for our suffering.

To put these ideas into practical form, I would quote the immortal Mr. Rogers: “Find the helpers.” There are already people in every community working for liberation. Some of them are running for office, others are giving food to those who need it. Some are volunteering in schools, libraries or hospitals. Some are studying liberation movements, or are working in urban or community gardens, or learning to practice restorative and transformative justice, or creating liberation art, music, dance, theater or writing. Some are mentoring high schoolers or apprenticing young people in a trade. There are many places where compassionate humans are finding other humans and working together for a better world.

A more compassionate world is possible, one in which we will all enjoy better health. Creating it will make us healthier, too.

In community, we are strong. Recognizing denial and overcoming the fragmenting effects of spiritual disorder offer us a path to liberation and true health.

Good health and well-being are the collective rights of all people!

About the Author

Dr. Lorraine Bonner is a retired physician. She is also a sculptor who works in clay, exploring issues of trust, trustworthiness and exploitation, as well as visions of a better world.

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Activism

Opinion: Can Donald Trump Pole Dance?

Given all that is happening, if the presidency was more like pole dancing, you know Trump would be flat on his butt.

Published

3 months ago

September 14, 2025

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Emil Guillermo

The news cycle has been buzzing the last few weeks. Xi, with Putin and Kim, the sweethearts of Trump carousing alone without him? The victims of the pedophile Epstein speaking out publicly in DC.

Then, there’s the release of that salacious letter Donald Trump allegedly wrote to Jeffrey Epstein. Trump said the letter didn’t exist. But it does.

Timing is everything.

Additionally, there are further concerns, such as the Supreme Court removing restrictions on ICE interactions. ICE Agents can stop anyone now. For any reason. And there’s the threat of the U.S. sending the military to fight crime in Chicago. Trump even posted a meme of himself as a character in “Apocalypse Now.”

All that with bad polls and bad economic numbers, and these topics are dominating the news cycle — Trump era chaos.

Given all that is happening, if the presidency was more like pole dancing, you know Trump would be flat on his butt.

The reality is the opposite. He keeps going strong like nothing’s happened. Inexplicably, Trump always seems to defy gravity.

That’s why to reassure myself with reality, I just think of Trump on a pole. Dancing. He was born on Flag Day, after all.

I’ve got pole dancing on my mind because I’m in Canada at the Vancouver Fringe Festival doing my show, “Emil Amok 69, Everything’s Flipped,” about how the current political situation gets very personal.

Get tickets here if you’re near:

I’ve performed at 16 fringe festivals, and I always look for unique performers. This year, in my same venue (the Revue Stage) I found her in a show, “The Pole Shebang.”

Andrea James Lui may look like a typical Asian American at first.

But she’s Asian Canadian, married to an Australian, who now lives down under.

At the Vancouver Fringe, she highlights her special identity.

Pole Dancer

Yes, pole dancing has come to the fringe. Leave your dollar bills at home, this is not that kind of pole dancing.

This is more Cirque Du Soleil-ish- acrobatic stuff, yet it’s hard to deny the sexiness when a woman flawlessly swings from a pole with her legs apart.

The show is more intriguing than it is titillating.

Lui has created a behind-the-scenes look at the “polar” experience.

“She could have been a physicist,” says her big sister Christina, who despite saying that, supports her sister 100 percent.

Lui touches on some of the emotional depth in the poled subculture. But there’s plenty more to mine in the future. “Polar Bare,” the Musical? I’d see it.

Trump on a Pole

So that’s how I’ve come to the polar metaphor.

As Trump flails in the news, I picture him on a pole.

The letter to Epstein is further proof of the character of the man.

Will he stay afloat?

Not if the presidency were more like pole dancing.

You can’t lie on the pole.

That’s one way all of us in the Trump era can get to the truth.

About the Author

Emil Amok is a veteran journalist, commentator, and stage monologist. He has written a weekly column on Asian Americans for more than 30 years.

Contact: www.amok.com