The Israel-Palestine divide is often depicted as one of racial conflict, yet about half of Israeli citizens are people of color. The complexity of race and culture in Israel will be explored in a new series hosted by the Ithaca Coalition for Unity and Cooperation in the Middle East (ICUCME): “Israeli Citizens of Color: From Ethiopia to Chicago to the Negev.”
The series opens with “Mekonen: The Journey of an African Jew,” which traces the story of Mekonen, once a young Ethiopian shepherd, whose family journeys to Israel. After being drafted into the Israeli Defense Forces, he searches for a way to stay true to his Ethiopian roots and culture.
Following the film, Herut Admasu will speak about the Ethiopian experience in the Middle East and answer questions. Her family immigrated to Israel from Ethiopia in 1984; she came to the U.S., because, she says, “Israel is a multicultural place with people from many backgrounds, and [I wanted] to expose people to the Ethiopian Jewish story along with my story as a woman, Israeli, Ethiopian Jew.”
Tickets are free, donations appreciated.
