Loading ...Israel detains and deports American Jews because they are Black
Two American Jews were reportedly called a racial slur, detained, and subsequently deported by the Israeli government because they are black.
Idit Malka has five siblings, all of whom live in Israel. She traveled with her son Kahxin to the self-professed Jewish state on June 12 in order to celebrate the wedding of her sister, who lives in Yeroham, a town in the Negev.
Malka was not even able to make it out of Ben-Gurion Airport. She and her 10-year-old child were, upon arrival, promptly detained in a holding cell for close to 48 hours. With the single phone call allowed to her, Malka contacted her Israeli brother, who appealed to a judge, yet their petition was denied. Malka and her son were denied entry and placed on a return flight to the US.
“Once we were detained, we were never given any reason other than one female agent screaming at me ‘Eretz Yisrael isn’t a country for cushim [a racist Hebrew slur for black people],’” Malka recalled.
“I feel the denial of entry was made before I even had a chance to speak with anyone,” she added.
The Jerusalem Post reports that, according to Israel’s Population, Immigration and Border Authority (PIBA), “Malka and her son were turned away because of suspicions she belongs to the Black Hebrew community and was planning to remain in Israel instead of returning to the US on August 20, as her ticket stated.” She denied the accusation in an interview with the publication.
Malka’s family immigrated to Israel when she was young. In 1987, they distanced themselves from the Black Hebrew community, members of which are not recognized as Jewish by the Israeli government.
“I have been living as a Jew my entire adult life,” Malka explained. She underwent a Reform Judaism conversion in 1995 and a Conservative Judaism conversion in 2004.
In 2006, Malka even lived in Israel. The Jerusalem Post writes “Malka claims she was put through a bureaucratic tangle that lasted four years. With no end in sight, she and her children decided to return to the US in 2010.”
“I have a 10-year-old who wanted to visit his cousins and family, and he’s had his summer vacation ruined in the most horrific way,” Malka lamented.
Source: mondoweiss.net