By Ruth Sinai and Yigal Hai, Haartz

The state comptroller found numerous failings in steps taken by the state and local authorities to absorb Ethiopian immigrants. The government decided back in 1999 that a committee was needed to coordinate between ministries and with the many organizations that deal with Ethiopian Jews, but did not establish the committee for eight years. Lack of coordination severely undermined the efficiency of programs to aid immigrants, and of the budgets allocated for them.

For example, the Immigrant Absorption Ministry conducted a demographic survey of the immigrant community between 2000 and 2003, which could have been of immense help to the Social Affairs Ministry, which for years had no data on families in need of assistance.That survey finally took place in 2006, more than 20 years after Ethiopian immigration began. An inter-ministerial committee was set up only last year, and this year a national program for absorbing immigrants was unveiled, which for the first time established the principle of adapting services to cultural needs.

The comptroller found that through 2006, most social workers dealing with the community were not Ethiopian, and had not received cultural sensitivity training.