Background

The population of Ethiopian Jews who have been brought to Israel, chiefly in two waves - the first, "Operation Moses" in the early 1980s, and the second, "Operation Solomon" in 1991 - now numbers approximately 120,000, of whom approximately one-half were born in Israel. The integration of this population into Israeli society has been fraught with problems. Not only are Ethiopian Jews distinctive because of skin-color. Most of the immigrants, illiterate even in their own language, have been required to interact with a bureaucracy whose language they did not understand. Coming from a patriarchal culture, which demands respect for the elder, and in which the word of the head of the household is law, they were unprepared for the free and sometimes chaotic culture that is Israeli. Perhaps most important, they lacked the skills necessary for gainful employment.

Problems appear to be particularly acute among the youth. Family structure has disintegrated, as the young have become the mediators between their illiterate, unskilled parents and Israeli society. Parents do not interact effectively with the educational system. Homes lack books and even toys. Ethiopian fathers tend to be much older than their Israeli counterparts, and, lacking language and skills, are often unemployed. These factors combine to produce young people who drop out of school, and many resort to delinquent behaviors. A recent survey, carried out by the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute, the research arm of JDC-Israel, revealed that only one-sixth of Ethiopian-Israelis age 17 complete their matriculation examinations at the level required for admission to university, whereas almost half of their Jewish Israeli age peers do so; moreover, approximately 13 per cent of Ethiopian Israelis do not complete 12 years of education, whereas this is the case for only 5 per cent of all Jewish Israelis.

Also, there is discrimination against Ethiopians, although it is not nearly as pervasive as the racial discrimination in the U.S. Perhaps more important, all Israelis who work in the helping professions - teachers, social workers, and even physicians - are poorly paid, and there are few vacancies. Thus, completing their studies is rarely the end of the struggle for Ethiopian Israelis.

The picture is not one of unrelieved failure, however: most young Ethiopian Israelis have completed obligatory military service; approximately 3,500 have completed university. In addition, numbers of university graduates have assumed responsible positions in Israeli government agencies and non-governmental organizations. Moreover, an Ethiopian Israeli has recently been made a member of the Knesset, Israel's parliament.

Thus, there is evidence of progress. For it to continue, we must redouble our efforts to achieve equality.