Avraham Neguise ( he, אַבְרָהָם נֶגוּסֵה, born 10 February 1958) is an Israeli politician and activist for the
Falash Mura
Falash Mura is the name given to descendants of the Beta Israel community in Ethiopia who converted to Christianity, primarily as a consequence of western proselytization during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This term also includes Beta ...
community.
Biography
Avraham Neguise was born in the city of
Gondar
Gondar, also spelled Gonder (Amharic: ጎንደር, ''Gonder'' or ''Gondär''; formerly , ''Gʷandar'' or ''Gʷender''), is a city and woreda in Ethiopia. Located in the North Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, Gondar is north of Lake Tana on t ...
in northern
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
, where he worked as a shepherd. Neguise
immigrated to Israel in 1985. He earned a BA and MA in social work at the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...
, an LLB from
Sha'arei Mishpat College, an MA in initiatives and renewal from the
Swinburne University of Technology
Swinburne University of Technology (often simply called Swinburne) is a public research university based in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1908 as the Eastern Suburbs Technical College by George Swinburne to serve those without access ...
and a PhD in education from the
University of Sussex
, mottoeng = Be Still and Know
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £14.4 million (2020)
, budget = £319.6 million (2019–20)
, chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar
, vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil
, ...
. Neguise is married with two children, and lives in the
Pisgat Ze'ev
Pisgat Ze'ev ( he, פסגת זאב, lit. ''Ze'ev's Peak'') is an Israeli settlement in East Jerusalem and the largest residential neighborhood in Jerusalem with a population of over 50,000. Pisgat Ze'ev was established by Israel as one of the ci ...
settlement
Settlement may refer to:
*Human settlement, a community where people live
*Settlement (structural), the distortion or disruption of parts of a building
*Closing (real estate), the final step in executing a real estate transaction
*Settlement (fina ...
in
East Jerusalem
East Jerusalem (, ; , ) is the sector of Jerusalem that was held by Jordan during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, as opposed to the western sector of the city, West Jerusalem, which was held by Israel.
Jerusalem was envisaged as a separat ...
.
Political and social activism
Neguise founded and served as director-general of
South Wing to Zion
South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...
, an organisation representing
Ethiopian immigrants, and is known for his role in leading the struggle to bring the rest of Ethiopian Jewry to Israel. In 2007, Neguise protested the end of Israel's programs in Ethiopia to support aliyah. He said that the remaining community of Ethiopian Jews had established a synagogue, that the reports he received on the community were distressing, and that the Falash Mura remaining in Addis Ababa should be allowed to immigrate to Israel as well.
He established the
Atid Ehad
Atid Ehad () is a political party in Israel.
History
Atid Ehad was established in order to contest the 2006 Knesset elections, and was headed by Avraham Neguise. It primarily represented the interests of Ethiopian Jews living in Israel, though ...
(''One Future'') party, which contested the
2006 Knesset elections, but received only 0.4% of the vote and failed to win a seat. He subsequently joined
the Jewish Home
The Jewish Home ( he, הַבַּיִת הַיְהוּדִי, HaBayit HaYehudi) is an Orthodox Jewish and religious Zionist political party in Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the ...
, and was placed eighth on its list for the
2009 elections
The following elections occurred in the year 2009.
* Electoral calendar 2009
* 2009 United Nations Security Council election
Caribbean
* 2009 Antiguan general election
* 2009 Aruban general election
* 2009 Caymanian constitutional referendu ...
. However, the party won only three seats and he did not become a Knesset member.
Political career
Prior to the
2013 elections he joined
Likud
Likud ( he, הַלִּיכּוּד, HaLikud, The Consolidation), officially known as Likud – National Liberal Movement, is a major centre-right to right-wing political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon ...
, and was placed 48th on the joint Likud
Yisrael Beiteinu
Yisrael Beiteinu ( he, יִשְׂרָאֵל בֵּיתֵנוּ, russian: Наш Дом Израиль, lit. ''Israel Our Home'') is a secularist, nationalist right-wing political party in Israel. The party's base was originally secular Russia ...
list, again failing to win a seat when the alliance won only 31 seats. Prior to the
2015 Knesset elections he was placed 27th on the
Likud
Likud ( he, הַלִּיכּוּד, HaLikud, The Consolidation), officially known as Likud – National Liberal Movement, is a major centre-right to right-wing political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon ...
list. He was elected to the Knesset as Likud won 30 seats. Neguise became the only Israeli of Ethiopian origin to be elected to the 20th Knesset.
As a Member of the Knesset, he focuses on social issues such as helping new immigrants integrate into Israeli society, providing support and education for youth in underprivileged neighborhoods. "I want to make sure that laws passed in the Knesset are actually implemented, like the one requiring Ethiopian immigrants to be hired in government offices and government-owned companies," he said. Neguise expressed confidence that the diversity of the incoming Knesset was a positive development: "We have representatives of women, new immigrants and Arabs, and I think we can all work together in the Knesset." He has appealed to the Knesset not to wait until a coalition is formed to bring all Ethiopians Jews to Israel.
In April 2015, Neguise came to the defense of an Ethiopian-born soldier serving in the
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...
who was beaten by a policeman in what was viewed as a racist attack which was caught on video. The soldier, Damas Pakedeh, was arrested on charges of attacking a police officer and then released. Pakada, an orphan who arrived with his siblings in 2008, claims the incident was racially motivated and that if the video had not been taken, he would have been punished. Instead, the police officer and volunteer were suspended pending an investigation. Neguise called on National Police Chief
Yohanan Danino
Rav Nitzav Yohanan Danino ( he, יוחנן דנינו; born 1959) is an Israeli police officer who served from May 1, 2011, to June 30, 2015, as the 17th chief of the Israel Police. Among other posts, he has led the Unit of International Crime In ...
to prosecute the police officer and volunteer, saying they engaged in "a gross violation of the basic law of respecting others and their liberty by those who are supposed to protect us."
In a 2016 interview with an American Jewish student newspaper, Neguise explained the value of Israel's Absorption Ministry: "It is responsible for absorbing new immigrants and helping them integrate into society. Be it is housing, employment, education, health and welfare. The government is ready to absorb millions of immigrants. I will tell you my story. I grew up as a shepherd in Ethiopia, I immigrated to Israel 31 years ago. I got an equal opportunity for education in Israel. While in Ethiopia I graduated from high school, here in Israel, I have five degrees, and I'm a legislator in Israel. I am one of the millions who settled here successfully."
When MKs attempt to speak English
YNET News, March 27, 2016
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Neguise, Avraham
1958 births
Living people
Academic Center for Law and Science alumni
Alumni of the University of Sussex
Black Jewish members of the Knesset
Ethiopian emigrants to Israel
Ethiopian Jews
Ethiopian Zionists
Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare alumni
Israeli activists
Israeli Jews
Israeli people of Ethiopian-Jewish descent
Israeli settlers
Jewish activists
Jewish Israeli politicians
Leaders of political parties in Israel
Likud politicians
Members of the 20th Knesset (2015–2019)
People from Gondar
Swinburne University of Technology alumni
Zionist activists