The struggle of Mizrahi Jews in Israel
Below are excerpts of a speech delivered at a rally against the demolition of 30 Mizrahi families’ homes in Kfar Shalem, Israel, July 7th, 2007:
There are around a million Israeli citizens these days, mostly Ashkenazim, who brandish an EU passport. But we, Mizrahim, have nowhere to go. We were brought here as their “natural laborers,” and from the early 1950s on, were stuffed by the master into the spacious Nakba villages, but in crowded conditions, to eliminate any possibility for the Palestinians to enact their right of return.Today, these are our homes. This is why we have to do our homework: delve into the history of our mothers’ and fathers’ Jewish homes: Yemeni homes. Persian homes. Iraqi homes. Syrian homes. Turkish homes. In short, Mizrahi homes. These are the homes that our master has forced us to unlearn and hate from 1882 on.
We must continue to struggle to heal ourselves from the wounds the master has inflicted upon us. We need to heal not only through our day-to-day survival, but also with a long-term get-well plan — one with a future vision.
We must demand a true partnership and equality in one state for all of us, Mizrahim and Palestinian alike, a state that will be our permanent home.
Here and now, we must unite so that we are able to infuse with meaning, and to put into action, the very fact that it is we who are the demographic majority citizenry of the state of Israel. As a majority, we should work together to generate an upheaval that will liberate the entire region from the real estate shenanigans inflicted upon us by the European real estate barons from 1882 until this very day.
Complete speech at Electronic Intifada
Again, racism is alive and well in Israel, and it’s directed not just at the Palestinians.
lourdes cuadra said,
January 4, 2008 @ 8:56 pm
The Mizrahim are the real Semites of the Middle East where Judaism was born.Why is it so hard for the world not to know this? They come from a Judao Christian Islamic world the birth place of the 3 religions unduluted linguistically spoken in various Semetic languages along with Greek. They are not western they are eastern in language tradition customs culture food.These European Askanazi have hijaked their ethnic identity under an umbrella that they are one familly with their y chromosone theory saying they also are middle eastern. If they really believe that theory which most people deny they treat their familly very badly. What I see is such an insecurity about their own Jewishness many who are secular.One day they will have to stand before judgment on how they treated the real Jews of the middle east.
Anonymous said,
May 22, 2008 @ 4:16 am
Mizrahim are the most Hawkish Israelis here, (look up the Shas Party), half of the Jewish population we want a strong Israel, we have lived as Dhimmnis for long enough. Nice try Palestinian blogger but as a Lybian/Yemenite I can say that the Jewish state is my home.
Shlomo said,
May 22, 2008 @ 4:17 am
Mizrahim are the most Hawkish Israelis here, (look up the Shas Party), half of the Jewish population we want a strong Israel, we have lived as Dhimmnis for long enough. Nice try Palestinian blogger but as a Lybian/Yemenite I can say that the Jewish state is my home.
Shlomo said,
May 22, 2008 @ 4:19 am
We were expelled to you know and Israel was the only country that would let us in, 680,000 of us went, the Ashkenazim treated us unkindly, but we are 3.18 Mllion, They are 2.65 Million. So who is driving our country we are, ever notice all the peace activists are white Ashkenazim, descendants of the Yishuv!
Shlomo said,
May 22, 2008 @ 4:30 am
http://www.mepeace.org/forum/topic/show?id=661876%3ATopic%3A44893
Revelations from a REAL MIZARHI ISRAELI JEW.
mizrahi princess said,
May 28, 2008 @ 3:26 pm
pathetic the amout of zionist ashkenazi boot licking comments here comming from mizrahi.(especially the yemenites)
WHERE IS YOUR PRIDE??? MIZRAHI JEWS WHERE??? you might as changed your names to Lebowitz or Goldenstein if you love being the ashkenazi’s slave so much. i forget some of you have. LOL!
ISrael wasnt the only country to accept jewish refugees what bullshit.
My mothers family are from syria they went to U.S.~A. My father was born and raised in LEbanon his parents came from Iraq.
BTW Dhimmitude was something used by ottoman muslim turks not arabs,
not all the arabs are muslims so why wud you their dhimmis.
the only dhimmis mizrahi are and thats to their ashkenazi zionist masters.
you were fucking used for demographic purposes get that into your heads.
and still are.