By Mickey Gitzin
TEL AVIV — Three days ago, a young Ethiopian Israeli man named Solomon Teka was shot and killed by a police officer in the town of Kiriyat Hayim near Haifa. He was 18 years old.
I’m writing to you today from Tel Aviv, where we’ve just seen a third consecutive day of protests against police brutality and racism.
These protests are being led by Ethiopian Israeli activists like Avi Yalou, a social entrepreneur and activist from Kiriyat Malachi, who said on Israeli TV, “I don’t want to hear their apology. I want justice. I want to see this police officer held legally accountable.”
“Because the blacker you are, the more dangerous you are [to the police]. Black people have become an easy target on the street.”
Efrat Yardei, a board member of New Israel Fund (NIF) grantee the Association of Ethiopian Jews, wrote in Haaretz, “young Ethiopian Israelis are going out to demonstrate across the country with one simple, human demand: our blood is equally red!”
“How many more young Ethiopian Israelis need to die from police violence for the Israeli public to wake up? To understand that Teka’s skin color is the reason why it was so easy for a police officer to shoot him?”
The New Israel Fund’s role right now is to raise up these voices. We support the protestors and we stand with all Israelis struggling against racism and police violence.
The death of Solomon Teka z”l is the second time this year that a young Ethiopian Israeli was shot and killed by a police officer. It’s an unacceptable pattern of racist violence.
What we’re seeing right now is an unprecedented wave of grassroots protests in response. It’s time for all of us to join in their call for justice.
We believe that nonviolent protests – in response to not only this shooting, but to years of racist treatment and harassment by the police – are justified.
This Saturday night, Ethiopian Israeli activists are planning a large demonstration in Tel Aviv. Our grantees Zazim – Community Action and Standing Together (Omdim Beyachad) are organizing Israelis of all backgrounds to take a stand against racism and police brutality.
Racism and police brutality are not only issues for Ethiopian Israelis. They are issues for all Israelis and all of Israel’s supporters worldwide.
This is a time for all us to raise our voices and say that we stand with our Ethiopian Israeli friends and all Israelis to say – enough. We’ve had enough of racism and police violence against minority populations.
Israelis of all backgrounds are speaking out right now. We are standing with them, with the Ethiopian Israeli community, and with all people who believe in justice and equality.
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Gitzin is the director in Israel of the New Israel Fund