Ranin, no; Rona, yes: Report shows Arab educators face racism in search for work

A report by Channel 13 news on Monday exposed the racism faced by some Arab women trying to gain work as teachers and daycare workers.

Ranin Lala, 29, from Jaffa applied for multiple jobs in kindergartens in the center of the country, but was rejected or told to send a resume with a photo attached.

“They always want a photo when they hear I have an Arab name,” Lala said.

The situation reached the point where her mother suggested she officially change her name to help her find work, she said.

Lala studied for three years at Levinsky College in Tel Aviv, one of the top institutes in the country for future educators, but found that her CV was no match for what appeared to systemic racism.

She said that as soon as she started to make phone calls and go for interviews, she realized that something wasn’t right and that she was being told there weren’t jobs available when the opposite was true.

But once she began to apply for jobs under the name “Rona Tal,” a typical Jewish Israeli name, she says she was treated very differently. Instead of hearing from potential employers that there weren’t vacancies, she was told on a number of occasions there was a possibility there would be a position for her.

A researcher from the news outlet with a Jewish name applied for the same positions, with a resume showing no experience or training, and reported that she was not rejected outright. In fact, she was offered a position as a managing kindergarten worker at a group of daycares in Tel Aviv despite being unqualified.

Arab Israelis, who make up about 20 percent of the population, have long complained of ingrained racism in Israeli society, making it difficult for them to integrate into Israeli society or find jobs. A 2017 survey by University of Haifa researcher Prof. Sammy Smooha found 48 percent of Jewish Israelis unwilling to have an Arab neighbor, 39.8% of Jewish Israelis unwilling to have an Arab boss, and only 51.6% of Jewish Israelis willing to have Arab students to study at the same schools as their children.

A survey by Channel 13 on Monday found similar attitudes, showing that 38% of respondents would oppose the hiring of an Arab daycare teacher and would work to block such a move, with an additional 16% saying it would make them uncomfortable but they would still send their child to the daycare.

The survey, which was carried out by the Rushinek Institute, found 37% said it would not bother them and 9% said they didn’t know. The channel did not share the sample size or any information about the methodology.

A woman named as “Yasmin,” from the Arab-majority town of Tayibe, told the channel that when she applied for a science teacher position, she received a message from the principal saying: “Thank you, but we don’t need Arab teachers in our school. Good luck.”

“In Israel in 2020 it is acceptable [to discriminate in this way],” said Prof. Irit Keynan, dean of the School of Education at the College of Management, noting that the idea was still present in mainstream Jewish Israeli society.

She posited that many daycare managers and principals are scared of backlash from parents, and therefore unwilling to hire Arab staff.

It is illegal in Israel to discriminate on the basis of religion.