On a recent Friday, what should have been a simple moment of grocery shopping at a neighborhood supermarket turned into a painful experience of racism and humiliation for A. (27), a full IDF veteran and now an engineering student.
While standing in line at the checkout with a full cart, a woman cut in front of him. When he politely pointed it out, she turned to him and shouted:
“Shut up, stinking Ethiopian, go back to Ethiopia!”
A. froze on the spot, in front of dozens of witnesses: customers, the cashier, and the security guard, and not a single person said a word. “I felt worthless, like I was a stranger, like I was invisible,” he shared. “What hurt the most was the silence. That night I couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t just the words that hurt me, it was the silence that wrapped the whole situation.”
Following the incident, A. turned to the Tebeka Association, which is assisting him with legal proceedings and filing a lawsuit. “The support I’m receiving from the association is invaluable. I’m deeply grateful for their help,” he emphasized.
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