Adnako Chaimovitch and Esther Tapato announced that they have entered the pool of candidates slated to become Israeli judges in September, making them the first candidates of Ethiopian descent for the bench, Yediot Achronot reported.
They both recently passed the intensive "Judge Candidacy Course," a week-long intensive course that is a condition for candidacy, after which the panel, including High-Court judge Salim Jubran, lawyer Ilana Seker and MK Robert Ilatov, determining candidacy gave them the green light to be considered along with the other candidates for the bench in September.
Former MK Penina Tamno-Shata, herself of Ethiopian descent, hailed their candidacy.
"The candidacy course is very difficult and those on the acceptance panel grade strictly. The fact that they passed indicates a high level of excellence. I have no doubt that they will contribute to the Israeli judiciary. They are pride for all of Israeli society," she told Yediot Achronot.
The Head of the Israeli Bar Association, Efi Naveh, commented: "I have no doubt that the time has come for lawyers of Ethiopian descent to integrate into the judicial system. There is an important social message here, both for the wider public and for the Ethiopian community, that Ethiopian Israelis are worthy and able to integrate into every sector of public service."