President Obama meets first Black Miss Israel Yityish ‘Titi’ Aynaw,
Submitted by Daniel Estrin
Daniel Estrin of PRf’s The World is reporting that during President Obama’s visit to Israel, the United States’ first Black President met Yityish Titi’ Aynaw, Israel’s first Black Miss Israel at a state dinner. Aynaw, an Ethiopian Jewish immigrant, is the newly crowned 2013 Miss Israel.
Israel has had contentious relationships with Ethiopian Jews and most recently admitted to making Ethiopian Jewish women take birth control as a condition of immigration. This most recent issue reflects the discrimination the Ethiopian Jews routinely face in Israel, an example of which is blood donation. In the 1990s, it was discovered that the Israeli national blood bank routinely destroyed blood donated by Ethiopians.
According to CNN, President Obama requested Miss Anaw’s presence at the state dinner. Miss Aynaw was crowned Miss Israel, making history as the first Black woman to wear the crown since 1950.