Miss Black Israel Is A Positive Diversity Step for Israel
122 March 2013 by charlotteyoung
It’s good to be the first. And this week, Yityish Aynaw, the first black Miss Israel, reaped the benefits of being the first as she participated in a dinner with President Obama. According to reports, President Obama insisted that President Shimon Peres call the 21-year-old Ethiopian native and see if she was available for a gala dinner hosted by Peres next Thursday.
But this move isn’t just an exciting day for a young girl. Yityish’s win and acknowledge by President Obama could prove to make big waves in Israel’s harsh treatment towards its immigrant population. This is a country that has admitted to knowingly sterilizing Ethiopian women who arrive in country and has also paid immigrants to leave in fear that their staying would disrupt the integrity of the Israeli state.
Israel may look towards changing the way it views it citizens, especially first generation and immigrants hopefully see them as integral parts to positively impacting perspectives on Israeli diplomacy. Already Israel has made strides in the right direction in assuaging feelings of animosity towards others by ending its three year feud with Turkey.
Perhaps dealing with its own internal differences will be next.
Hey Charlotte! Really interesting post!
This has been a really interesting month for the state of Israel, Obama’s visit, renewed relations with Turkey and the first black Miss Israel!
In regards to new relations between Turkey and Israel, Foreign Affairs magazine had a really insightful article that well-summarized the history between the two countries, and offered reasons why Turkey and Israel were able to reconcile. Interestingly, it points to the two foreign publics, which both leaders need to please prior to making any moves. Finally, it notes that Israel has just discovered natural gas, which could be a game changer in future foreign relations. http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/139076/michael-j-koplow/why-israel-and-turkey-got-back-together