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Ethiopian first graders attending a Jerusalem school last month. (Roni Schitzer/Jini)
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Last update - 00:00 09/12/2007
Olmert: Ethiopian Jews are right to feel discriminated against
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Israel, Ethiopian, Jews 

"Ethiopian Jews' feeling that they have been wronged is not detached from reality, a reality that we must change," Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday.

At the opening of the weekly cabinet meeting, Olmert spoke about the discrimination against Ethiopian-born students, referring to a recent discovery that four Ethiopian girls had been forced to study in complete isolation at a Petah Tikva religious school.

"These stories compound the general distress felt by the Ethiopian children and the Ethiopian population within the Israeli society," the prime minister said, adding that this feeling is not devoid of truth, and is not isolated to a certain part of the country. "There are problems and there are hardships. This coming January we will approve a new wide ranging program aimed at resolving some of the issues facing Ethiopian Jewry," he said.
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Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni also addressed the issue, saying "this is not a problem confined to the four girls who emigrated from Ethiopia."

Livni, who served as absorption minister in the past, maintains close ties with the Ethiopian community in Israel. She added that "there is an entire phenomenon of pure racism in the hiring of Ethiopian immigrants in the job market and the renting of homes to them. This discrimination forced them to concentrate in certain neighborhoods and harmed their integration."

On Saturday, Ethiopian immigrants disrupted a Petah Tikva school board ceremony meant to honor excellent employees. The immigrants were protesting the fact that the ceremony was being held precisely during the same week that the discrimination against the four young girls was revealed.

Dozens of demonstrators arrived at the Petah Tikva cultural center and took over the stage, waving protest signs and shouting their objections, preventing the ceremony from taking place.

Consequently, the Petah Tikva municipality decided to cancel the ceremony.

Related articles:
  • Haaretz.com TV: Segregation at Petah Tikva religious school
  • Labor MK: Put Ethiopian children in secular schools
  • Petah Tikva schools refuse to accept 80 Ethiopian immigrants
  • Report: Ethiopian immigrants earned half of average salary last year

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      1.   Is there anything more stupid than discriminating due to colour? 13:41  |  Sam 09/12/07
      2.   Actions, Dammit. 13:49  |  Awake 09/12/07
      3.   Shame on us 13:53  |  Nephtaly 09/12/07
      4.   Racist Israeli Society 15:05  |  POP 09/12/07
      5.   be honest 15:11  |  Jim 09/12/07
      6.   Most Non-Jews Should Feel that way 15:11  |  Billy T 09/12/07
      7.   In-groups and out-groups 15:16  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 09/12/07
      8.   I think that Israelies are too aggressive 17:05  |  Argentinian 09/12/07
      9.   we are just better than everyone else 17:36  |  Ashenazi 09/12/07
      10.   Do something about it Olmert! Stop preaching, you are in charge! 18:02  |  Genuine Tosefta 09/12/07
      11.   To Sam, #1 12:10  |  El_Justiciero 10/12/07
      12.   Read your book 04:46  |  Hope 13/12/07
      13.   Yep, Racism is the reality of Isreal 01:57  |  Northern 12/03/08
      14.   You repeated what hitler did to u 06:15  |  Felasha 29/08/09
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