Racism in Israel Is Still Alive and Well

Ma’ariv, Israel, March 19

Last week, the female students of Darka High School in Netivot went on their annual school field trip. As a teacher for nine years, I can only imagine how eagerly the students anticipated this journey, where they could experience the splendor of Israel on foot. As an Israeli of Ethiopian descent and a teacher, I never could have predicted that such an innocent excursion would turn into a display of racism. As was revealed by news outlets this week, the teachers on that trip had created a WhatsApp group called “Black Field Trip,” in which they subjected their Black students to ridicule and mockery, without even attempting to hide their conduct. It is undeniable that racism still exists in Israel in 2023. The blatant discriminatory thoughts expressed by those teachers in the case at hand are especially jarring. We cannot simply move on to the next topic of the public agenda if we want to see racism eradicated from our society. While the teachers were invited to a hearing and reprimanded by the school principal and the Minister of Education, they remain teachers in the education system and still accompany and lead students. When I first heard of this case, I was in my own home, located in the boarding school where I teach. I felt ashamed. We must pay attention to the issue and take steps to ensure that it does not happen again. This incident reminded me of another similar experience that a close friend of mine, a teacher at another school, had. She told me how, the day before classes began, when she arrived at the school to get her classroom ready, she was greeted by a new teacher in the teachers’ lounge who said: “Can you grab a rag and mop and clean this up?” Not realizing the person was also a teacher, she assumed she was the cleaner because she is Black. Even after so many years, despite all the glass ceilings we have managed to shatter, racism in 2023 is still present. If the government does not take decisive action, racism will persist. My five children, all born in Israel, will suffer the consequences of neglect if the system does not expel such teachers. As a society, we have a moral obligation to ensure that these girls and their peers can rise each morning, attend school, gain knowledge and values, and understand that their entire futures are still before them, irrespective of the color of their skin. – Einav Alfa (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)