Mehereta Baruch-Ron is Deputy Mayor of the Tel Aviv municipality. Originally from Ethiopia, she embarked on a long journey to Israel via Sudan with two of her sisters when she was just 10 years old.
She joins Rogel Alpher to share stories from her incredible transformation: From a child growing up in an African village with no electricity or running water, to a successful theatre-actress-turned-politician in Israel.
Playlist:
Shlomo Gronich & Lahakat Shva – Hamasa LeEretz Israel
Pharell Williams – Happy
Bob Marley – Is This Love
Idan Raichel – Mima’amakim
Pharell Williams – Happy
Bob Marley – Is This Love
Idan Raichel – Mima’amakim
Photo by fotos@queer-kopf.de
There is a need to put in context Mehereta’s claim that Ethiopia did not allow the Jews to leave the country, which is true to a certain extent. However, listeners /readers need to know that the socialist government then did not allow anyone, be it Jews or otherwise, to leave the country, especially for Western countries which were regarded enemies. The exception was people could go to countries in the socialist block, such as USSR, GDR, Poland, Hungary… under government sponsored scholarships.
Credit should be given to the then government though, for declaring all Ethiopian equal and assuring their right to ownership of property, including land. Of course Mehereta was so young to know this fact and its significance, to the millions of Ethiopians, who lived a life of serfs, and bondage to the landed gentry.