"They thought that army service would be their entry ticket into society. But internal Israel Defense Forces data reveals that for many Ethiopian immigrants, integrating into Israel society's chief melting pot, the IDF, is difficult: One in four Ethiopian men winds up deserting, three times the overall rate for male recruits. Furthermore, over 60 percent of Ethiopian soldiers spend some time in an IDF jail, according to Issachar Makunen, a lieutenant colonel in the reserves who now heads Zionei Yisrael, an organization aiming to prepare Ethiopians for army service."