Bruce Wolman sends along the following from Haaretz:
Israeli employers prefer not to hire Arabs, Ethiopians and Haredis – even those holding at least an undergraduate degree, according to a study published on Monday.
More than 83 percent of employers are repelled by the idea of hiring an Arab without a university degree, found the study conducted by the Kiryat Ono Academy.
A new report from the US State Department itself actually concluded that “Israel is not a tolerant society.”
“But don’t go criticizing Israel for that, now, or try to do anything about it,” the conclusion should have honestly added.
Military service is used now days as an excuse to refuse hiring Palestinians and other groups like the Haredim, for example.
It used to be that Yemenite and Moroccan Jews were looked down upon. These days, Ethiopian Jews are the scapegoat du jour.
I try to visit friends and relatives in Israel every two years or so. Usually, I travel by public transportation when I’m there, either by bus or train. Anyway, I have noticed that when an Ethiopian is sitting in a window seat and the seat next to him or her remains empty, others prefer to stand than to sit next to that Ethiopian. At first I thought it was a coincidence, but after a few days and weeks I’ve noticed a trend.
It was kind of awkward to see that knowing how Americans view such issues now days given the historical context of the civil rights movement, Rosa Parks and “sitting in the back of the bus”.
They had to pass a law against discrimination in the lines at Israeli nightclubs, because the gatekeepers were letting pale-skinned people into the clubs while keeping out Arabas, Ethiopians and Mizrahi Jews with darker skin. An equal-nonopportunity racism.
Ha, where is Witty to completely and purposefully miss the point by saying “Are you denying the employers their right to hire who they want to hire?” “This doesn’t help the mutual blah blah and mutual blah blah reconciliation blah blah.”
I believe the terms used would be the right to “self-employ”.