“Your Color, It Gives You Away!” How Ethiopian Jews Cope with Racism in 21st Century Israel
The article addresses the ways in which the Ethiopian community copes with the discrimination and racism arising from their daily experiences in Israel. The article presents findings based on a qualitative study among Ethiopian adults in Israel and relies on resilience approaches and stigma theories. The findings indicate four coping mechanisms: active confrontation, a retroactive stance, reflexive positioning, and individual empowerment through collective action. The expanding discourse concerning racism based on skin color reflects a change in perception and awareness within the community over time. This is influenced, among other factors, by resistance to anti-black racism abroad. The importance of the study’s findings lay in the outlining of various coping strategies regarding racism that reveal creativity and action. In this context, a constant formation of personal and community resilience is evident. These are based on each other and strengthen one another. They are characterized by flexibility and adaptability to social notions and local discourse, exposing connections between local and global racism. However, a universal liberal discourse is not completely adopted from the outside; it emerges as one rhetorical possibility alongside many others. The article uncovers an Ethiopian-Israeli version of resistance to racism developing in the twenty-first century – one that makes functional use of the universal values at its disposal but is deeply rooted in its Ethiopian, Jewish, and Israeli origins, creating unique resilience while facing harsh local realities.
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