When they arrived in Israel, most Ethiopian immigrants had no formal education and could
not read or write Amharic. The severity of the culture shock cannot be underestimated. In
some cases, immigrants have had to bridge a knowledge gap spanning hundreds of years.
In addition to adjusting to life in a modern, technologically advanced society, Ethiopian
immigrants are faced with a new climate, a new language, unfamiliar religious rituals and a
very different status for women. The immigration of Ethiopian Jews to Israel has raised some
major challenges, in particular how this group can become an integral part of Israeli society
and how they can adapt to the major differences in lifestyle from their villages in Ethiopia
to a fast-paced modern country.
The Central Bureau of Statistics in Israel released a report on November 3, 2010 regarding the Ethiopian-Israeli community:
• Approximately 116,100 Ethiopian immigrants are.jpg)
living in Israel today. Of these, a third (38,700) were born in Israel.
• The average household size in the Ethiopian community was 3.9 persons, higher than the average fo rthe general population (3.3).
• In 2009, children aged 0-14 comprised 32% of the Ethiopian poulation, compared to one-quarter in the population of Jews and others.
• The majority of hte Ethopian population lives in two districts: the Central District (39%) and the Southern District (24%). At the end of 2009, Netanya was the locality with the largest number of Ethiopian residents (9,800 persons).
• In 2009, Ethiopian households expended a monthly average of NIS 8,165 compared to NIS 13,009 for all households. The monthly expenditure on education, culture and entertainment among Ethiopian households was NIS 744, compared to NIS 1,812 for all households.
Additional Data & Statistics:
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