“…one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee…” (Deuteronomy 17:15)

Although a mayor is not quite a king, Awake Mengistu wants to show the people of Kiryat Malachi — and of Israel — that he is one of their “brethren.”  Mengistu moved to Israel when he was five years old and hopes next week to make history as the country’s first Ethiopian-born mayor.

Mengistu was drawn to politics in January 2012.  At that time, a Channel 2 news report revealed that one neighborhood in his town had agreed collectively not to rent or sell property to Ethiopians.  The city is home to the country’s largest Ethiopian population, and thousands of demonstrators gathered to protest the discriminatory policy.  The protesters’ subsequent march to Jerusalem, some 50 kilometers away, ended in demands from the Knesset to enact anti-racist legislation.  The Association for Civil Rights in Israel called on the Registrar of Real Estate to revoke the licence of real estate agents who practice such discrimination.

His involvement in the protests taught him to believe in political activism as a means to reform society.  His campaign, called “Edan Hadash” (New Era), is founded on the principle that to change the country, one must begin locally.

Edan Hadash, which is part of the Yesh Atid list, believes that education is key to changing attitudes.  But it’s not “only education in a classroom,” Mengistu said. “We’re talking about non-formal education like through youth movements, or even taking an empty bottle and putting it in the garbage.”

Nurit Tizazu, second on the campaign ticket, admits this is “only the beginning of this process.”  The ultimate goal, she says, is to eliminate discrimination within two or three generations.

Deputy Knesset Speaker Pnina Tamnu-Shata (Yesh Atid), the first Ethiopian woman in the legislature, reiterated the significance of having an Ethiopian mayor in Israel.  “If we want to win [against] all this discrimination, we need to put people in front like Awake,” she said.  She stated that racism needs to be confronted at both the local and national level.

In addition to a focus on education for good citizenship, Mengistu is campaigning on plans to create employment opportunities and affordable housing in Kiryat Malachi, raise the school system’s grade-point-average and improve the city’s social welfare programs.

Mengistu is competing against five other mayoral candidates in Tuesday’s upcoming race.  His primary disadvantages are his youth and inexperience.  He is only 27, a recent university graduate, and previously served as a staff-sergeant in the Givati infantry brigade’s reconnaissance company.  Other candidates include Lalo Zohar, a popular city councilman, and Yossi Hadad, the incumbent mayor.  Current polls put Mengistu at a mere 11%, but he is encouraged, because that is up from previous polls showing only 4% and 5%.  He also points out that none of the three polls conducted included Ethiopians, who make up 30% of the city’s eligible voters.

Still, even if they do not win the mayor’s seat, being elected to city council alone would be a significant accomplishment, says Shei Sium, who is third on Eden Hadash’s ticket.  It would take about 2,000 votes to earn three seats in council.

But both Sium and Mengistu worry about another disadvantage: the very discrimination they are trying to fight.  Sium wonders if their campaign posters, which show Edan Hadash’s five candidates, four of whom are black, are turning voters away.  Mengistu says he has been criticized because he is black.

“Why is it an issue [that] he is the first Ethiopian running [for mayor]?” Tizazu asked. “It’s a strong question for our society.”