Friday, March 26, 2010

Racial Unity in Israel

Every country deals with racial issues.

In Israel, I am often shocked by how I hear people speak about Sephardiim, Jews who come from Middle Eastern/Spanish countries.

I feel that the Sephardiim have a more honest connection and link to the history of Judaism, after all, they stayed in the region of Israel and maintained a distinct cultural connection. This cultural connection is most visible in their food and in their dress.

The Ashkenazim, the Eastern European (aka polish ghetto/white) Jews, maintained their european cultural heritage. The food is based on European ghetto food and their dress is black suits and black coats and black hats, perfect for a cold Polish ghetto or Siberian exile.

And the Ashkenaziim have typically had the political and financial muscle and they grew up in the same racial atmosphere as their Gentile European brothers and used their muscle to discriminate against those darker, or less refined then those who hail from the European ghettos.

As a side note: Israelis today act like their country is located in the center of Europe and not on the edge of Africa. No way do white jews want to be in anyway associated with Africa or darkness.

But the truth that the Sephardiim have carried with them for almost 2000 years has been destroyed.

Here is a picture of one of the most renowned political leaders of the Sephardi movement: Eli Yisahi:

What does it mean to be sephardi if you adopt the culture of the ashkenaziim?

Or maybe he just wants power and has to play the game and dress the part of ashkenaziim, like a gay man who stays in the closet and runs for Republican political office.

Have the ashkenaziim won the racial issue? Is their culture so powerful that it has simply gobbled up the sephardiim?

The highest grossing resteraunt in Paris is McDonalds: and its not just from American tourists.






1 comment:

Beisrunner said...

Eli Yishai dresses like a typical Middle East politician.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosni_Mubarak
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bashar_Assad
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmoud_Abbas

Western, not Ashkenazi, culture has gobbled up the Sefardi political class. Your mention of McDonalds at the end is apt.