Mizrahi Jew
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Though many m now follow the liturgical traditions of the Sephardim, and in modern Israel may be colloquially referred to as Sephardic Jews, the m are not Sephardic, as they are not descended from those Jews who were expelled from Sepharad (the Iberian peninsula) during the Spanish Inquisition. Including with Sephardim may be regarded as culturally insensitive or ignorant.
Prior to the emergence of the term , which dates from the time of the establishment of the State of Israel, Arab Jews (יהודים ערבים) was a commonly used designation for those originating in Arab lands, though almost never employed by the m themselves. The term is rarely used today, except among a minority of m who promote reintroducing the designation Arab Jews instead of Mizrahim; this usage has thus far received little support among the wider community. Many m today also self-identify with and exhibit affinity towards their (or increasingly their immediate ancestors') country of origin, e.g. "Iraqi Jew," "Tunisian Jew," "Iranian Jew," etc., retaining particular traditions and practices.
Unlike the terms Ashkenazi and Sephardi, is simply a convenient way to refer collectively to a wide range of Jewish communities, most of which are as unrelated to each other as they are to either the Sephardi or Ashkenazi communities.
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2 Post 1948 Dispersal 3 in modern Israel 4 Distinguished personalities 5 See also 6 External links |
Language
The most prominent language associated with the m are the various Judæo-Arabic dialects. A number of notable philosophical, religious, and grammatical works were written in the Arabic language which was modified with the employment of Hebrew characters, and often incorporating Arabic vowel marks.
The Temani Jews from Arabic-speaking Yemen are sometimes included in the grouping.
Other languages also associated with the include the Judæo-Persian languages, spoken by Iranian Jews.
Post 1948 Dispersal
Most Jews fled their countries of birth when, in reaction to the events leading up to and following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, citizens of Arab countries acted violently against their local Jewish populations in what they viewed as retaliation for both the creation of the Jewish state of Israel, and for their non-Jewish Arab brethren being turned into refugees as a result. Further anti-Jewish actions by Arab governments in the 1950s and 1960s, including the expulsion of 25,000 Jews from Egypt following the 1956 Suez Crisis, led to the overwhelming majority of m becoming refugees. Most of these refugees fled to Israel.
Today, from the few remaining communities still existing throughout the Arab world—with a combined population of fewer than 1,000 individuals—a trickle of emigration continues, mainly to Israel and the United States. An additional 11,000 Jews still reside in Iran. Many there feel actively persecuted, and a number have been arrested, mostly for alleged connections with Israel and/or the United States. Some have even been executed, religious intolerance mainly being cited as the contributing factor. [1]
in modern Israel
From their initial transition to Israel, the m have distinguished themselves from their Ashkenazi and Sephardi counterparts, in culture, customs and language. Arabic was their mother tongue of some, Persian for those of Iran, Gruzinic, Georgian, Tajik, Juhuri, and various other languages; for some it still is. Hebrew was mainly considered a language of prayer.
The m were at first moved into rudimentary and hastily erected tent cities, and later sent to development towns. Moshavim (communal farms) were also trialed, however, the m had been mainly craftsmen and merchants, with very few having been farmers. Furthermore, while most Ashkenazi pioneers were secular and many were socialists, most m were neither.
Distinguished personalities
- Moshe Katsav, President of the State of Israel - Iran.
- Ofra Haza, popular Temani vocalist - Yemen.
- Dana International, popular Israeli pop singer - Yemen.
- Silvan Shalom, Minister of Foreign Affairs - Tunisia.
- Shaul Mofaz, Minister of Defense - Iran.
See also
External links
- JIMENA Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa.
- Who is an Arab Jew? - On being (anti-Arab identity) by Albert Memmi.
- Reflections by an Arab Jew - On being (pro-Arab identity) by Ella Habiba.
- Why Jews fled Arab countries - A Jewish (pro-Zionist) analysis of flight by Ya'akov Meron.
- The Jews of Iraq - A Jewish (anti-Zionist) analysis of flight by Naeim Giladi.
- The Middle East's Forgetten Refugees A chronicle of refugees by Semha Alwaya.
- My Life in Iraq Yeheskel Kojaman describes his life as a Mizrahi Jew in Iraq in the 50s and 60s.
- Multiculturalism Project - Middle Eastern and North African Jews
- Loolwa Khazzoom - Multiculturalism movement for non-European Jewish history, heritage & social justice.
- Hakeshet Hademocratit Hamizrachit - An organization of Jews in Israel
