By Sheera Claire Frenkel, THE JERUSALEM POST
Shlomo Mula begins nearly all his speeches with the same sentence: “I walked 800 kilometers from Ethiopia to Sudan.” On Monday, Mula will take one more journey, as he is sworn in to the Knesset [Israeli Parliament] as the second Ethiopian MK in Israel’s history. Mula is replacing Avigdor Yitzhaki (Kadima), who officially tendered his resignation Thursday due to “serious doubts over [Prime Minister] Ehud Olmert’s ability to lead the government in the wake of the Winograd Report.”
Mula’s politics are relatively untested, though he is entering the Knesset at a particularly volatile time. With Olmert barely weathering the results of the report, MKs from across the spectrum are planning for yet another possible inquiry into his leadership during the war.
But Mula is not interested in commenting on the report. “I plan to focus on the Ethiopian community, which has been long-neglected by the political establishment,” said Mula. “I come from them and I understand them in a way which allows me to advance their concerns in the best possible way.”
Mula, who will leave his job as the director of the Jewish Agency’s Department for the Absorption of Ethiopian Immigrants, already knows what his first piece of legislation will be. “I plan to propose a bill for rental assistance and housing subsidies for low-income Ethiopian couples,” he said. “I think this is the most important issue for Ethiopians today, to give them opportunities to develop beyond the communities that many of them are currently trapped in.”
Mula has been vocal about the issue of “Ethiopian ghettos,” which he says many new immigrants are trapped in.
“These are Ethiopian ghettos, like Harlem,” said Mula. “There are few opportunities to advance beyond the low-rent immigrant housing that they are segregated into.”
These communities, combined with an educational system that often separates Ethiopian students from other classmates, have stunted the ability of new immigrants to join Israeli society.
Some Ethiopian youths have adopted the African-American identity as they see it on television, a culture Mula called “very distant” from their native, mostly rural, background. “I know we can join this society and be active, contributing members,” said Mula. However, he adds that clear “racist” elements in Israeli society must change first.
Mula has long been considered one of the leading representatives of the Ethiopian community – both Israel Beiteinu and Kadima tried to recruit him before the last elections. Mula eventually chose Kadima, after holding a meeting with former prime minister Ariel Sharon. “I knew that I wanted to be in politics to change things from within,” said Mula.
Thousands of Ethiopian Jews were evacuated to Israel in Israeli airlifts in 1984 and 1991. Of the 80,000 Ethiopians in Israel, only a small percentage have fully integrated into society, according to various polls conducted by Ethiopian NGOs.
Some 5,000 have graduated college, and another 2,000 are in university or college. Another 10 percent of Ethiopian teenagers are taking exams used for placement in the army and university admissions.
According to the Jewish Agency, however, some 20,000 Ethiopian teenagers aged 13-20 have dropped out of school without plans to join the army or go to university.
“It’s not enough to rescue people dramatically,” said Mula, who arrived in Israel at the age of 17 via Operation Moses, a 1984-1985 mission that brought 7,500-18,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel, according to different estimates.
Mula, who first walked from Ethiopia to Sudan, was airlifted from the Sudanese capital of Khartoum when a severe famine hit the region. The operation was a secret cooperative effort between the IDF, the CIA, US officials and Sudanese mercenaries.
“The beautiful thing about this country’s democracy is that whoever wants change can fight for it… and truly make a difference,” said Mula.
7 thoughts on “Israeli parliament to swear in 2nd Ethiopian member”
I give Mula my full support. Keep up good work.
It is great to note that Ethiopian are struggling where every they are.
ISRAEL MUST GIVE ALL OPPORTUNTIES TO ETHIOPIA’S JEWES. Joining of Israel’s army should not be the only work place for ethiopia’s youths. They have un limited right as the white israel’s do have for every thing. it is because of racism they are dropping out of school.
Kudos for your great achievement, Mr. Shlomo Mula!
Granted you walked 800 kilometers from Ethiopia to Sudan, how many kilometers did you walk to reach the Knesset, 800 miles, 900 miles, or more? Or did some one airlift you from where you live now to the Knesset?
You are now two Ethiopian Jews at the Knesset, and thousands of Ethiopian Jews are expecting something tangible from you. Of course, once you are in power, it is easy to forget your humble beginnings and the humble beginnings of the others. St. Paul of the Hebrew tribes, advices his audience this way: “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4). I’m sure your Ethiopian Jews are proud of you that you have crossed the Red Sea – the Ethiopian ghettos – and have reached the Promised Land – the Knesset. As hard as it has been for you to reach to this high status, imagine how harder it would be for you to meet the needs of those Ethiopian Jews still trapped at the Ethiopian ghettos. Two of you are now like Moses and Aaron, the two biblical brothers; you are the voices of the voiceless of your Ethiopian Jews. As Moses and Aaron led that oppressed nation of ancient Israel out of the Egyptian bondage, you two Ethiopian Jews at the Knesset have the greatest responsibilities to lead the old and the young, the sick and the healthy, the rich and the poor Ethiopian Jews and help them cross the Sinai desert – racism – safely without making too much battles against the Amorite kings – the White Israelite Jews.
Yes, the old Israelites lived in that burning desert for about 40 years, murmuring, grumbling, crying, and even threatening Moses, their beloved leader, to stone him or to go back to Egypt unless Moses provided them water to drink and meat to eat. In the same way, your Ethiopian Jews who have been living with the racist Israelite White Jews for such a long time, and who have been suffering from humiliation, intimidation, and segregation, one day will rise up and demand that you give them adequate shelter, good education for their children, high paying jobs for their collage graduates, health insurance for every Ethiopian Jews, and retirement benefits for the elderly. If not, they will bring you down from the Knesset and ask you to pay their transportation to go back, not to Egypt, but to Ethiopia. What will you do then? What did Moses do when the whole nation of Israel gathered and grumbled against him unless he gave them water? They continued to ask: “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?” (Exodus 17:3)
If you really are as humble as Moses and as close to God as he was, the God of Israel who issued fresh water out of a dry rock and quenched his people’s thirst of water would be able to help you meet the needs of your Ethiopian Jews. The needs of the old Israelites at that particular time when they were at Rephidim was water, and Moses gave them the water. Are you ready to help the Ethiopian Jews who are going to ask you not just for clean water but for equal treatment by the racist Israeli White Jews?
For sure, the Ethiopian Jews may never join the Israeli societies as far as the Ethiopian Jewish children are not accepted by the Israeli educational system. In this case, the Ethiopian Jewish children should stick together, should not be influenced by the African-American culture they always watch on the television. They should never forget their Ethiopian identities, cultures, customs and traditions. African Americans don’t have their own cultures; they lost it during the slavery. You two Ethiopian Jewish parliamentarians should open Amharic schools, Tigrigna schools, or Oromo schools and teach every Ethiopian Jewish child every thing about Ethiopia, and I’m sure every Ethiopian will support you for this great mission. It is sad to hear though that as many as 20, 000 Ethiopian Jewish teenager children have dropped out of school without any further plans. To convince these dropped out Ethiopian Jewish children to go back to school, you have to propose a plan as a member of the Knesset. At this early age, these young Ethiopian Jewish children should not be on the street, perhaps, throwing stones, like the Palestinian kids, at the Israeli White Jews’ children who offend them by using the word “tikur.”
Though you are at the Knesset, it does not mean you will get what you ask for your community; therefore don’t admire the beauty of democracy in Israel until racism is completely whipped out from the land of Israel and until an Ethiopian Jews becomes the Prime Minister of Israel. Just wait; it will happen. Remember, the old Israelis never thought they would cross the Red Sea on a dry land, never thought they would drink water out of a dry rock, and never thought they would eat manna from heaven for 40 years, so “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27).
I came to Israel in 1972, when very few Ethiopians lived in the land of Abraham. Tel Aviv had perhaps five, Jerusalem a few, Haifa, not more than ten, and Eilat nearly 30 Ethiopians.
In 1973, when I left Israel for the United States, racism was a major factor.
Mula has a leviathan task to tackle, among them denouncing and eliminating the forbidding prejudices in the Israeli society.
I wish him great success.
Daniel Gizaw, former resident of Israel
Assta B. Gettu ,I always love to read your sensible
and plausible comments.I fully agree with your assertions.Please keep on commenting.It is a lesson for eveyone including solomon molla.
God bless you.
molla,one of your crucial taks at the kenessete should be fiercely battling racism, prejudices, discrimination and bigotry against Ethiopian jews in Israel.As we know the level of racism in israel has crossed its fine line.Those formerly proud ethiopian are suffering from nonesense Israeli racism.It is really horrible to witness racist attack against ethiopian on almost daily bases,at schools childrens are segregated,their fathers are humilated at work and everywhere.This is really a petty.Once the victim of nazi racism are humilating innocent ethiopian.
TAKE IT VERY SERIOUSLY AND FIGHT FOR IT!!
GOOD LUCK.