Miss Israel

[kwassa]

?w=500&h=335

Yityish Aynaw: First black Miss Israel will go to the ball

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21848736

It's been an astonishing three weeks for Yityish Aynaw, an immigrant orphan from Ethiopia, who became the first black Miss Israel last month, and has now been invited to Thursday's gala dinner with visiting US President Barack Obama.

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"I was influenced and inspired by Obama. Like him, I was also raised by my grandmother. Nothing was handed to me on a plate and like him I also had to work very hard and long to achieve things in my life. To this day he inspires me just as he inspires the rest of the world," she says.

"I couldn't believe that one of the most influential people in the world, the head of such an important state, would invite someone like me to attend such an important event. It has only just now sunk in and I can understand that it's happening.

[Betsy Ross]

1. Lovely woman

It ain't easy, but where Israel has successfully integrated the Ethiopian immigrants is so wonderful.

[Number23]

2. Wow. Considering Israel's well-documented treatment of African immigrants, this is huge

"For people from my country of origin it is a source of great pride," she says of her new title.

I can certainly imagine that it is. Rec'd

[grantcart]

5. Actually there is something of a misunderstanding there

She is an Ethiopian Jew, part of Beta Israel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_Israel

I worked for the organization (but was not directly involved)that handled the secret movement of these people from the Sudan to Israel from 1979 to 1985.

They were put to strict tests of orthodoxy and once found to be orthodox the state of Israel worked very hard to bring them (secretly in the beginning) to Israel.

There have been challenges because of huge cultural differences but integration is happening.

The problems that you refer to are large numbers of non Jewish economic migrants that enter Israel from Egypt and try to use that as a base for further migration to Europe. These immigrants are creating increasing problems not only in Israel but also Spain, Portugal and other Mediterranean countries.

[Number23]

6. "These immigrants are creating increasing problems"

What type of problems?

[grantcart]

7. This article is about non Jewish immigrants from Africa and some of the problems

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illegal_immigration_from_Africa_to_Israel

Israel has an extensive guest worker program (virtually all its agricultural workers come from Thailand replacing Palestinians whose access became problematic so these economic migrants create many of the problems that illegal migrants do in other countries (stress on social programs, integration, crime) without filling an economic need in Israel because they can get workers legally in the guest worker program.

[Number23]

8. Thanks, grant

I've heard about the "illegal" migration from Africa to Israel for a while now. When you mentioned that the migrants were "creating problems" I was wondering if that was in reference to the trumped up charges that the Africans are committing all sorts of rapes and other crimes.

Last I heard, it was pretty well documented that many of those charges came from right wingers in Israel more concerned about the "changing face" of Israel than about the crime. Seems pretty similar to what right wingers (and a slew of half-wits on the left too) say about black people in the US in order to minimize us politically and socially.

By the way, do I remember correctly that you are a Buddist? If I'm wrong on that, please disregard my next question. If I'm not wrong, I'd really like to get your opinion of this article which I thought was fascinating. http://edition.cnn.com/2013/04/22/world/asia/buddhism-violence/index.html?iref=allsearch

[tblue]

3. I want to look like that!

Damn! That is very cool!!!

[JustAnotherGen]

4. Wow

She's stunning!