On Sunday, I heard one of the Knesset members label the area outside the prime minister's house the "Hill of Cries." That is an appropriate name because the small site has historically been associated with people crying out their troubles for assistance from the nation's policy-makers, headed by the prime minister. But it seems that in Israel, the cries of one group are not like the cries of another.
It is more than two months now that Ethiopian youths have been conducting a vigil in a simple tent outside the prime minister's home. These youths have all served in the army and are citizens who carry out their civic duties, yet their plight does not seem to interest the Israeli public and its elected officials. Perhaps the reason is that Israelis think there is no problem, that the Ethiopians have been here for many years and are well-integrated and receive the same treatment as everyone else. Or perhaps the reason for the silence is that people simply prefer to ignore the problem. They prefer to ignore the fact that even those of Ethiopian descent who were born in Israel fall way behind in their educational achievements. Israelis do not want to see that entire cities in Israel refuse to rent apartments to Ethiopians only because their skin color is different; they choose to ignore an entire community that is treated as if they do not exist.
