Israel Promotes Ethiopian Falasha as "Miss Israel"

[jbg]

I start out with reference to another thread, Israel's 10 year racist law anniversary (link), since I didn't want to derail that thread. Israel is, incorrectly, said to be a racist state. In fact, quite the contrary. Israel may well fight against those sworn to destroy it. But Israel is quite inclusive, compared to most other countries in the world. Well, some countries have a President that is from a minority group, but I digress.

Below are excerpts of a beautiful story.that shows the true heart and spirit of Israel:

From ‘scared child’ to Miss Israel (link)

When Yitayish “Titi” Ayenew, the first black Miss Israel, was a young orphan who moved from Ethiopia to Israel, it was learning the Hebrew language that turned around her fortunes.

“Then, I was a scared child,” Ayenew, 22, told students at Solomon Schechter Day School of Bergen County, NJ, this month. “I did not know what would be my future, or that I would do the things I am doing today. For me, an inner change occurred when I overcame the obstacle of learning Hebrew. I am in control of my destiny—everything is possible. My life is entirely different, both because of the things I have done and now, knowing what I want to do.”

Crowned Miss Israel in February, Ayenew, the first woman from Ethiopia to hold the title, said in an interview with JNS.org, “Being Miss Israel is a responsibility I take seriously.

Addressing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and those who characterize Israel as an apartheid state, Ayenew said those critics of Israel “speak about things they do not know.”

“They have not been in Israel and think the way we do things is negative,” Ayenew told JNS.org. “I can say what Israel is for me is how Israel accepted me, educated me, gave me all the options to do all that I want to do.”

“I was without mother, without parents, with nothing,” she added. “We were welcomed, loved, offered every opportunity to dream and to succeed. Without Israel, I would have been in a village somewhere, probably a mother by now, with no education, no dreams.”

There are Arabs who are similarly loyal and devoted to Israel. It's just not safe for them to so say. The world will be a better place for children like these.

Edited June 25, 2013 by jbg

[The_Squid]

An interesting take, if a little cynical. Can't really blame the cynicism though, given the racism Ethiopian Jews have to endure in Israel.

http://www.dailylife.com.au/news-and-views/dl-opinion/the-hypocrisy-of--a-black-miss-israel-20130401-2h2qr.html

[jbg]

An interesting take, if a little cynical. Can't really blame the cynicism though, given the racism Ethiopian Jews have to endure in Israel.

http://www.dailylife.com.au/news-and-views/dl-opinion/the-hypocrisy-of--a-black-miss-israel-20130401-2h2qr.html

I'm not sure I follow your logic.

[WWWTT]

This is a funny thread with a funny meaning???

Beauty pageants by many people are considered to be very sexist!

I myself have noticed that these contest are less and less focused upon by the media and feel that they will probably completely fade away in a couple decades.

But I guess that these contests are a big deal in Israel?

WWWTT

[cybercoma]

An interesting take, if a little cynical. Can't really blame the cynicism though, given the racism Ethiopian Jews have to endure in Israel.

http://www.dailylife.com.au/news-and-views/dl-opinion/the-hypocrisy-of--a-black-miss-israel-20130401-2h2qr.html

That about sums up my initial thoughts on the OP.

[jbg]

An interesting take, if a little cynical. Can't really blame the cynicism though, given the racism Ethiopian Jews have to endure in Israel.

http://www.dailylife.com.au/news-and-views/dl-opinion/the-hypocrisy-of--a-black-miss-israel-20130401-2h2qr.html

That about sums up my initial thoughts on the OP.

I actually took the trouble to read the article (link) referenced by The_Squid, This article is not objective.

It decries the imperfections of countries such as Australia and Israel. Neither are perfect countries, but are far better than the charnel houses that are labeled "countries" in other settings.

The Jewish migrants to Israel from Ethiopia are the subject of some disadvantages from their lack of education and some discrimination, no doubt about it. Even the article does not say that there are pogroms or riots against them. I can only hope that Miss Israel will serve as both a wedge to help Ethiopians integrate and as an inspiration to other Ethiopians to integrate.

I do not think she is a hypocrite or wrongdoer at all.

[-TSS-]

Israel must either grant Palestine independence or set up an apartheid-system as it is inevitable that within the current borders of Israel the Jews will be outnumbered by arabs. If returning to the pre-1967 borders that might save some time.

[-TSS-]

Sorry, wrong thread.

[jbg]

Israel must either grant Palestine independence or set up an apartheid-system as it is inevitable that within the current borders of Israel the Jews will be outnumbered by arabs. If returning to the pre-1967 borders that might save some time.

Sorry, wrong thread.

It would be nice if someone responded to the substance of the thread. The "Freudian slip" by TSS demonstrates that in fact Israel can do nothing right in some people's eyes.

Israel is not perfect by a long shot. None of the Western democracies are perfect. All have their warts.

The Western democracies are far more attentive to people's rights than countries of the variety of Syria or Egypt. If one practices Islam in the wrong way in most countries of the ummah, you're dead meat. I have posted plenty on Pakistan's persecution of Shiites. In Syria Alawites and Sunnis seem to have some fairly deadly axes to grind with each other. In Iraq, gasoline trucks have exploded adjacent to religious schools of the "wrong" sect.

Israel's alleged abuse of giving Depo-Privera shots to Ethiopian immigrant women consumes pages of thread here. Good news about Ethiopians' actually making progress is scant.