Tuesday, May 5, 2015

An Eruption of Racial Frustation in Israel

Prime Minister Binyain Netanyahu on Monday met with Damas Pakada, an Ethiopian Jewish soldier in the IDF who was brutally assaulted while in uniform by a police officer in Holon last Sunday, a shocking incident that has led to a string of protests among the Ethiopian community.

Ahead of another protest in Jerusalem outside the governmental compound planned for Monday, Pakada came to the Prime Minister's Office in the capital.

"I heard that you were an outstanding student at Kfar Hanoar (boarding school - ed.), that you volunteer on the weekends," Netanyahu said to Pakada upon meeting him.

Netanyahu continued, "I'm very happy to see you here and I want to tell you that I was shocked by what happened. We can't accept it, the police are dealing with it and we will need to change things."
Shifting the topic to the protests that have taken place since the incident, which on Sunday night in Tel Aviv turned violent leaving around 68 wounded, he added, "I also heard that you said you don't want to hear about violence and that is a statement of leadership. Maybe good things will come from the difficult thing you went through."

 After his meeting with Netanyahu, Pakada said, "the prime minister told me that things will be taken care of. I'm very sorry about what happened yesterday," he added, referring to the violent protests which police and protesters alike have indicated were fanned into violence by radical leftist groups.

"I'm for protests but against violence," said Pakada. He added, "I don't know if I'm a symbol, I feel that the (Ethiopian) community is becoming unified."

He said that in the meeting he noted on the discrimination suffered by Ethiopian Jews, calling for the situation to be changed.

Pakada said his assault at the hands of a police officer was the first time he faced violence, noting, "the officer knocked away my phone and hit me, I felt humiliated."

"The prime minister understood things and knew what happened. He was interested in my family and the community," he added. "I'm first of all a soldier of the state of Israel, but I support the protesters. I hope for a change soon with G-d's help."  via Virtual Jerusalem


"Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman. " (Numbers 12:1).

Even as racial riots in Baltimore seem to have entered a lull, Israel is this week experiencing an (in some ways) similar explosion within its community of citizens of Ethiopian descent. These citizens, whose ancestors hail from the ancient Biblical region of Cush and bear physical as well as religious links to the Hebrew race, began immigrating to Israel a little over 30 years ago. Their numbers (over 135,000) now make up a little over 2% of the population. They serve with distinction in the military, and are making progress in assimilating into the community. Yet the process has been slow, impeded by unquestionably racist discrimination related to their color and line of descent. As one man was heard recently to remark, "You did have mercy on us [when Israel facilitated a mass Aliyah from Ethiopia in the early '70's], but you've never seen us as equals." The discrimination surfaces in the job market, in education, community government. It has been specifically felt in incidents of racist police brutality, often followed by unjust incarceration and unfair treatment in the courts.

It all boiled over last week when a surveillance video camera captured what appeared to be an unprovoked attack on a young Ethiopian soldier in uniform named Damas Pakedeh by police in the town of Holon. Pakedeh was filmed being accosted and beaten by an officer and his assistant. He was afterwards taken and detained overnight in jail, where he was slated to be arraigned on charges of assaulting an officer-had not the images from the camera been made public the following day. On Thursday, a demonstration against racism and police brutality was organized in Jerusalem. Over a thousand protestors blocked every major intersection of the city, the light-rail system was brought to a halt, and demonstrators marched towards the Prime Minister's residence. It took more than three hours for the police to restore order. There were a relatively small number of police and demonstrators hurt. But this was only a beginning. On Sunday, demonstrations spread to Tel Aviv, culminating in a massive gathering at Rabin Square, which turned violent. In the end, 68 (56 of whom were security forces) were injured; there were 43 arrests.

The Israeli government has condemned the attack on Damas Pakada, as have the police; a special committee is being set up by the Inspector General involving high-level police officers and representatives of the Ethiopian community. Today Prime Minister Netanyahu is scheduled to convene a meeting in his office with Ethiopian community leaders; he will also meet with Damas Pakada, the soldier who was attacked. But representatives from the community warn that this was merely the tip of the iceberg-that such attacks are not uncommon, and they are themselves only manifestations of a deeper societal problem. As Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said this morning, the anti-racism protests have revealed an "open wound" of Israeli society which must be confronted: 
 "Yesterday we saw the pain, distress and anger arising from the Israeli Ethiopian community, most of whom were born and raised here.Protest is an essential tool for democracy, but violence is not the path nor the solution." 
 He emphasized that the legitimacy of the issue should not be stymied by the violent outbursts of a handful of people, "We are not strangers, people, we are brothers and we must not regress to a place in which we will regret them." ("Protests renew in Jerusalem after Tel Aviv anti-racism rally turns violent": JPOST.com; 05/04/2015 11:04). Meanwhile, protests in Jerusalem were renewed on Monday morning.

PLEASE PRAY:

*That the Lord who mercifully caused this injustice to be blatantly exposed, will lead Israel's governmental and civil leaders into imposing measures which will deal strongly and decisively with racism in the Israeli society.

*That the LORD go forth on behalf of righteousness and justice for the community of Ethiopian Jews in Israel. "In your majesty ride forth victoriously in the cause of truth, humility and justice; let your right hand achieve awesome deeds" (Psalm 45:4); "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your Throne" (Psalm 89:14; 97:2).

* "Your watchmen shall lift up their voices.For they shall see eye to eye when YHVH brings back Zion" (Isaiah 52:8).  Pray for God to bring unity of vision into the people whom He has loved from afar, and in that loving kindness draw them back to Zion (Jeremiah 31:3). Satan hates this, and sows discontent, disunity, and hatred, so as to in every way thwart returned Israel coming into the wholeness, which will bring about a change throughout the world (Romans 11:12, 15). Of course, this must ultimately include Israel's coming into relationship with her Messiah, who brings all into the unity of His Father (John 17:23).

*For the brothers and sisters of Ethiopian descent who make up a significant part of the Messianic Body of Messiah in Israel.Some of the strongest believers we know in the Land are from this community. Many were believers (or their parents were believers) before immigrating to Israel-and the hardships they endured in that passage equip them with a strength, experience, wisdom needed here today. They also have brought with them a unique, powerful experience of praise and worship (see Zephaniah 3:9-10), which it is the privilege of the rest of the Body here to avail ourselves of.

*Pray for guidance in the Ethiopian believers in relation to the tensions and upheavals taking place today. That there be leaders amongst them who are mantled with wisdom and counsel-granted favor as peacemakers both within their communities and across racial lines. Pray for Ethiopian believers to rise into positions of influence in the military, the government and the workplace.

portions taken from Israel prayer list