ABSTRACT
There are only a few studies concerning absorption centers for immigrants. The concept of closure in terms of physical borders that contain people is common to most of these centers. This chapter presents a study based on the premise that a social system closed through various means—including those of a physical, organizational and conceptual nature—produces power-dependence relations. Closure and separation were shown to be key elements of the bureaucratic control of Galuiot and its Ethiopian residents. The chapter illustrates how people from the outside were made to feel like "strangers" in order to maintain a sense of control, distance and ownership over the place and the people. Ethiopian immigrants, being black, Jewish and poor in a socially controlled and closed environment, were a valuable resource for fundraising among bureaucrats. The study suggests that much can be done to improve the absorption process in terms of promoting the integration of Ethiopian immigrants into Israeli society.
