Mark Elf’s Jewsansfrontiere
has a nice post pointing out the racism and hypocrisy of the Western Ashkenazi Jews
in Israel. When Shas, a Misrahi Orthodox
Party, which is certainly extremely racist, had an election broadcast in which
an Arab Jew asked his bride if she were Jewish, all hell broke loose. This is racism. Only in Nazi Germany was there an examination
of someone’s Jewishness etc. etc..
state that gives privileges to Jews. The
question the courts and Knesset have had to grapple with from Israel’s
inception is ‘Who is a Jew’. Why is it racist when an Arab Jew asks the
question of a white Jew?
is racist.
Here’s Kobi Niv in Ha’aretz. No, hold on a sec. Check out this post and then read on:
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An image from the Shas ad.
Photo by Screen shot |
from the stratosphere of Israeli enlightenment were heaped on Shas’ innocent
election broadcast against fake conversions, which was not just declared
benighted and racist, but even Nazi-like, heaven forbid. Why? What was in that
video that so incensed the enlightened ones?
not particularly handsome guy of North African origin under the wedding canopy
with a beautiful, tall, blonde Russian woman who suddenly discovers that his
intended is not Jewish and that her conversion was not done according to Jewish
law. True, once again the Mizrahi is portrayed as inferior and stupid, and the
Ashkenazi as tall and beautiful, but so what? How does that differ from the
usual Israeli racism? What was all the fuss about? What racism did the
enlightened ones see here? What Nazism?
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| African Jews – just above Palestinians on the racial ladder |
against Russians, Ashkenazim, one of their own? Perhaps they felt that the
Russians were presented as too tall and too attractive, or as not Jewish
enough? It’s possible. But why is presenting Russian immigrants as tall and not
necessarily Jewish worse or more racist than presenting Mizrahim as short and
not necessarily bright? What’s the problem here, really?
the precious dears’ outrage was the question the brown groom asked his white
bride: “What, you’re not Jewish?” This question, this careful
examination of the blonde’s pedigree, was the straw that broke the progressive
camel’s back. What would we say, the annointed ones cried, if in any country –
some of the real sticklers hinted grossly at Nazi Germany – they would ask the
woman, the bride, if she was Jewish or not? And the approved response is, of
course, Racism! Shame! Nazism! Disgusting!
essence of a religious wedding, the only kind permitted by Israeli law, which
permits marriage only between people of the same religion. Didn’t you, your
parents and your children get married this way? Didn’t you check before the
ceremony whether the other party was Jewish? If so, what was wrong with the
campaign ad
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| Shas ex-leader Aryeh Deri – imprisoned for corruption |
from the heart of the civilized gloom. “If there won’t be two states here,”
warned the sage Amos Oz, “there will be an Arab state here.” This is
the real danger seen by the so-called left. Not that there will be, God forbid,
a racist, benighted, undemocratic state, but that there will be a non-Jewish
state, and worse, an Arab state.
essential difference between Oz and Shas? Why is Oz’s racism applauded by the
high-minded ones, while Shas’ apparent racism is condemned?
black. Racism in the eyes of urbane Israel is when Mizrahim, Arabs and all
kinds of dark people say not-nice things about European white Ashkenazim. By
contrast, when the European white Ashkenazim say terrible things about
Mizrahim, Arabs and the other darkies, this is the height of anti-racism and democracy
at its best.
the Shas broadcast should consider: It’s not just at Shas weddings that the
Judaism of the parties is checked out. The existence of the State of Israel and
its entire essence are built on this examination. The Law of Return, which is
the foundation stone of our country, states that the single criterion for
getting citizenship is that those requesting it be Jewish.
party is racist and Nazi, the same must be said of the State of Israel. The
ugliness you see in the mirror is your own.
we have it. Shas is simply a zionist party restating zionist principles. Below is an article from the BBC website on the Nazi-like statements of Ovadiah Yosef
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| former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef Calls for the ‘annihilation’ of the Arabs |
The
spiritual leader of Israel’s ultra-orthodox Shas party, Rabbi Ovadia
Yosef, has provoked outrage with a sermon calling for the annihilation
of Arabs.
“It is forbidden to be merciful to them. You must send missiles to them
and annihilate them. They are evil and damnable,” he was quoted as
saying in a sermon delivered on Monday to mark the Jewish festival of
Passover.
The Lord shall return the Arabs’ deeds on their own heads, waste their seed and exterminate them
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Rabbi Ovadia Yosef
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Rabbi Yosef is one of the most powerful religious figures in Israel, He
is known for his outspoken comments and has in the past referred to the
Arabs as “vipers”.
Through his influence over Shas, Israel’s third largest political party, he is also a significant political figure.
As founder and spiritual leader of the political party Shas, Rabbi Yosef
is held in almost saintly regard by hundreds of thousands of Jews of
Middle Eastern and North African origin.
The Palestinian Authority has condemned the sermon as racist and is
calling on international organisations to treat the rabbi as a war
criminal.
‘Arab terrorists’
Rabbi Yosef said in his sermon that enemies have tried to hurt the
Jewish people from the time of the exodus from Egypt to this day.
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A person of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef’s stature must refrain from acrid remarks such as these
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Israeli Justice Minister Meir Sheetrit
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“The Lord shall return the Arabs’ deeds on their own heads, waste their
seed and exterminate them, devastate them and vanish them from this
world,” he said.
Shas spokesman, Yitzhaq Suderi defended the rabbi, saying his remarks
referred only to “Arab murderers and terrorists” and not the Arab people
as a whole.
‘Stirring up hatred’
Palestinian cabinet minister Hassan Asfur urged international civil
institutions and human rights organisations to consider Rabbi Yosef a
war criminal in future.
The utterances were “a clear call for murder and a political an intellectual terrorism that will
lead to military terrorism”, he said in remarks reported on Palestinian radio.
He added that no punishment would come from Israel “because its
political culture and action are in line with [the rabbi’s] racist
statements”.
Israeli Justice Minister Meir Sheetrit also condemned the sermon,
saying: “A person of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef’s stature must refrain from
acrid remarks such as these.”
And he added: “I suggest that we not learn from the ways of the Palestinians and speak in verbal blows like these.”
also criticized Rabbi Yosef, saying “his remarks add nothing but
hatred”.
