Home / Series / Al Jazeera World / Aired Order / Season 2016 / Episode 18

Israel's Great Divide

Israel is a nation of immigrants, and first-generation Israelis comprise only 32 percent of the population.Integration into Israeli society has been one of its main political goals and, under the leadership of founding prime minister David Ben-Gurion, Israel was going to be 'the great Jewish melting pot', but it has come under severe strain almost since its inception in 1948.'There's a gap in Israeli society,' says Karen Amit, an Israeli of Moroccan origin.'They support the arrival of immigrants in theory and love them but, in practice, the ordinary Israeli doesn't open his arms to welcome them. Research about Israeli attitude towards immigrants from Ethiopia has shown surprising results. On the one hand, they love them and have no problem with them. But when asked if they'd accept an Ethiopian neighbour or their children being at school with Ethiopians, their reply was negative.'Jewish people living in Israel today are largely divided into three main groups: Ashkenazi, Sephardi and Mizrahi.The Ashkenazim are from Germany, France and Eastern Europe. The term 'Ashkenazi' comes from the Hebrew word for Germany. Most American Jews today are Ashkenazim, descended from those who arrived from Europe in the mid-1800s and early 1900s.The Sephardim are from Spain, Portugal, North Africa and the Middle East. The term 'Sephardi' comes from the Hebrew word for Spain. Many Jews fled Spain after the end of Muslim rule there in 1492.Sephardic Jews are often subdivided into Sephardim and Mizrahim, from North Africa and the Middle East. The term 'Mizrahi' comes from the Hebrew word for eastern.There are claims of discrimination against the Mizrahi community in Israel.'Discrimination and inequality were always a common practice. Western [Ashkenazi] Jews look down on others. They don't want to grant the Mizrahis power ... They want to fill their prisons with them rather than offering them education, culture and guidance,' says Pinhas Aloshi, an Israeli of Tunisian origin.David Hetsron

English
  • Originally Aired July 13, 2016
  • Runtime 50 minutes
  • Production Code 5033644824001
  • Network Al Jazeera
  • Created March 2, 2017 by
    Administrator admin
  • Modified March 2, 2017 by
    Administrator admin