ETHNIC GROUP DIFFERENCES IN ISRAEL

In: Race: the journal of the Institute of Race Relations, Heft 3, S. 303-310

Abstract

An examination of the relations between Jews of Oriental & European origin in Israel. The facts of the situation are reviewed; the basic ones are a rapidly rising proportion of Oriental (ie Asian & North African) Jews, & the emergence of a 2-tier society with the European Jews on top. Questions are asked about the existence of ethnic prejudice in Israel (it exists, but so does ethnic self-hatred, eg among North African Jews); discrimination (it exists in housing, work, marriage, but there are countervailing tendencies); ethnic hostility (fear of it is more prevalent than its experience); & oppression (its existence is undeniable; but the evidence can be variously interpreted). Several theoretical approaches to the problem are outlined: (1) R. Patai: Israel should enacourage a blending of Eastern & Western cultures as represented by the 2 types of Jew. (2) ,vi. Seltzer: the Eastern European Jews hate the Oriental Jews because they remind them of their own inferior & 'oriental' status in their European countries of origin. (3) J. Shuval: ethnic prejudices are dormant in periods of nat'l tension & effort but re-appear with 'normalization.' (4) The author: ethnic diff's & difficulties are derived from mass immigration from culturally divergent areas. I. Langnas.