The Black Jewish 'Wall of Moms' Fighting Israeli Police Brutality

'The message we wanted to convey was: ‘We are here and you can’t do what you want to our children,' says Shula Mola, a founder of the Ethiopian Israeli mothers’ group.

The Carmiel Dance Festival takes place in northern Israel every summer – or at least during those not spent in the specter of the coronavirus.

“The festival that the entire city celebrates” – local social activist Yael Mekonen-Dego calls it. Dance troupes from all over the country participate in the event, an entire week of colorful performances and various activities for children.

Four years ago, some Ethiopian Israeli children, about 12 years old, went to enjoy the festival – like the rest of the kids in the area. But police officers at the venue began to follow them and then arrested them, accusing them of stealing and taking them to the local police station. When their parents arrived, the police kicked them out without any explanation; only after three days which the youngsters spent in the Kishon jail were they released. This incident, Mekonen-Dego says, affected her deeply and motivated her to join a then-new initiative called Mothers on Guard.

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-the-ethiopian-israeli-wall-of-moms-won-t-let-police-brutality-go-unnoticed-1.9106063