Subscribe to Print Edition | Wed., December 12, 2007 Tevet 3, 5768 | | Israel Time: 18:20 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File Hanukkah

Ethiopian immigrants protesting discrimination, carrying signs reading 'stop the apartheid' and 'stop the racism' in Petah Tikva on Wednesday. (Nir Keidar) del.icio.us Digg It!  new Last update - 15:23 12/12/2007 Ethiopian immigrants protesting discrimination block Petah Tikva streets By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent and Haaretz Service Tags: discrimination, Ethiopian  Some 1,000 Ethiopian immigrants demonstrated in front of the Petah Tikva municipality on Wednesday, protesting what they termed racist discrimination against members of the community at the city's schools and kindergartens. "Stop the racism," they shouted, while calling on Petah Tikva mayor Yitzhak Ohayon to resign. The protesters blocked several city streets. Israel Radio reported that the Petah Tikva police had received orders not to use force against the demonstrators. Advertisement On Sunday, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert validated the sentiments of the Ethiopian community when he told the cabinet at the opening of its weekly meeting that "Ethiopian Jews' feeling that they have been wronged is not detached from reality, a reality that we must change." 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. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni also addressed the issue, saying "this is not a problem confined to the four girls." 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 Bookmark to del.icio.us Tehran threat Olmert delivered a rebuttal to the assessment that Iran halted its nukes program. More than war The UN has adopted an Israeli-proposed resolution in the field of economic development.   1.   Discrimination//// 17:20  |  Joe 12/12/07   2.   #1 - and America is devoid of it? 17:41  |  Global Citizen 12/12/07   3.   Meretz where are you now? 18:03  |  petya 12/12/07

Today Online 15 Qassams hit Negev hours after PM vows to remove threat Responses: 101 Hamas urges PA to boycott peace talks in wake of IDF Gaza raid Responses: 34 Official: Gov't okayed hundreds more homes in West Bank Responses: 50 ADL hails NYPD for arrests in anti-Semitic subway attack Responses: 53 Haaretz.com TV: Routine IDF search leaves Palestinian home in shambles Responses: 12 Rosner's Domain American Jews are losing interest in Israel Guest: redivision of Jerusalem will lead to terrible bloodshed A more traditional Reform movement (WTR) Republicans reacted much better to the NIE on Iran More Headlines 18:13 IDF chief: Major military Gaza offensive becoming more likely 18:14 Sderot mayor resigns in wake of rocket barrage from Gaza Strip 18:02 In first official talks since 2001, PA blasts Israel for J'lem construction 17:57 New book claims German urged Iran to buy Pakistan nuke tech 18:15 Survey: U.S. Jews are losing interest in Israel 16:31 Top Lebanese army general, four others killed in blast near Beirut 17:38 First Palestinian policewomen deployed to direct W. Bank traffic 17:02 Teachers: Progress being made over class sizes, length of school day 15:23 Ethiopian immigrants protesting discrimination block Petah Tikva streets Previous Editions Select Day 11 dec 10 dec 09 dec 07 dec 06 dec 05 dec 04 dec 03 dec 02 dec 30 nov 29 nov 28 nov

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