Dear readers,
Today when I was reading the news, the following article captured my eyes and left me angry, sad and disappointed.
The article talks about one of Israel's most important poets Natan Zach remarks against Mizrachi Jews (Jews who heritages/immigrated from Arab countries).
Zach gave an interview at the Israeli channel 10, where at one point exposed his racist thoughts and feelings regarding the 'bad' cultural impact the Mizrachim has over the Israeli culture:"The idea of taking people who have nothing in common arose. The one lot comes from the highest culture there is - Western European culture - and the other lot comes from the caves." (from the interview). His sayings brought (again) the topic of the hidden racism and discrimination against Mizrachim back to the table, and many people are call to boycott him and his writings.
I'm happy it came up, because I think it can give you a good sense of social conflict between Mizrachi and Askenazi Jews in Israel. This case can illuminate the case of Sami Elbaz, the Mizrachi cleaning guy from Vision Two.
Sami's story truly resemble the non-admitted, complex and hidden discrimination that the Arab Jews are suffering from since their great immigration waves in the 60s and 70s.
Mourid: There is something wrong with you
Sami: That's what Hebrew University said. And I said: 'Do you really think i resemble an insect?'... Then why did the authorities sprayed my father with DDT when he entered Tel-Aviv?
Mourid: All Arabs are filthy?
Sami: But I am Jewish Arab
Mourid: Yes. I can tell by the mop.
(from the play, Second Vision)
Wallace's depicts, again, another painful spot in the israeli society. Sami, and his fellows Arab Jews, are being constituently marginalize by the Israeli authorities: whether it's a university, high-school, or places of work. Not only that Sami was not able to recieve a full academic degree, but he also mops the floors of Ashkenazi Jews like Tanya- a Jew that will never be observed by Mourid moping anyone floor.
The Arab-Jews immigration has been differentiated by many level from the Ashkenazi one. While the Ashkenazi Jews have been the first group who'd been encourage to settle in Israel, the Arab Jews (the Mizrachim/Sephardic Jews) came as a default solution against the increasing demography of the Palestinian and in order to get more working hands to build the new state of Israel. Also, most of the Arab Jews immigrated for religious reasons (accomplishing their arrival to Zion) while the Ashkenazim came for Zionist ideology, which was foreign to the Arab Jews, due to the simple fact that the movement emerge in Europe , and did not made it to the Arab countries.
Their history of the Arab Jews is barely being discussed in school, their pop music consider 'cheap' and 'shallow' by the Israeli elite (like Zach and other Ashkenazi artists) and they are still struggling to 'legitimize' their existence and contribution to the Israeli society.
The picture above by Meir Gal vividly visualize how many pages discusse the history of the Arab Jews in the Israeli history books. the title of his work is "Nine out of Four Hundred." i think you get the picture... literally.
You're welcome to read more about the social struggle of the Arab Jews in Israel (the Black Panther Movement) here, and about their culture in general here.
I'll try to bring more poems and discussions about arab Jews and other topics , and about Sami Elbaz... I just love this character. He brings so much ridiculousness and pain in the midst of such a theatrical limbo. Fantastic!
Yours truly,
Renana
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