During my recent visit, I was pleased to see that Ethiopian Jews seem substantially more integrated into Israeli society than even a few years ago, a product, I suspect, of the fact that the first generation to grow up in Israel is coming of age. I saw Ethiopian shopowners, fashionable teenagers, and quite a few Ethiopian security guards. Perhaps most heartingly, I saw an Ethiopian contestant on the Israeli equivalent of “American Idol” (“A Star is Born”). Her cousin represented her family in the studio audience rooting for her, and they both had white (and, indeed, Ashkenazic, by appearance) boyfriends, something that seemed highly unusual to my American eyes (although I have relatives with black wives, it still seems pretty rare to see white men with black women).
Now if I could only get one of the organizations dedicated to helping Ethiopian Jews adjust to life in Israel to encourage the opening of a few good Ethiopian restaurants in Tel Aviv.
[Right now there are NO Ethiopian restaurants in the entire country, [update: a corresopndent tells me that contrary to my sources, there are two in Jerusalem, Shegar and Ansara. The former is on Agrippas Street and the latter on Yafo Street. Still none in the Tel Aviv area, though] except a derelict takeout place for foreign workers, despite the presence of over 100,000 Ethiopian Jews Oddly, in Israel “ethnic food” is considered something one eats at home, while to go out Israelis tend to favor routine Israeli food: humus/falefal/schwarma, dairy, shipudim (“skewers”), and schnitzel, plus hamburgers and pasta. What a crime that in a country with immigrants from over 100 countries that so few nations’ cuisines are represented on the restaurant scene, especially since the Jewish cuisines of those countries were often unique! Someone send (ethnic food maven and occasional VC contributor) Tyler Cowen over there to straighten things out.
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