The Challenge

While Israel’s Ethiopian community has made incredible social and professional progress, many Ethiopian-Israelis are still confronted with discrimination, poor socioeconomic standing, and a lack of opportunity. In particular, Ethiopian-Israelis lack appropriate political representation, making it incredibly difficult for the community to effectively communicate its needs and interests. On the national level, there is currently only one Ethiopian-Israeli minister and one Ethiopian-Israeli deputy minister. On the local level, there are only 15 Ethiopian-Israeli municipal council members (for a community of nearly 156,000). In Beer Sheva, Ashdod, Ashkelon, and Petach Tikva, all cities where Ethiopian-Israelis represent between 3% and 5% of the total population, there is no Ethiopian-Israeli municipal representation.