The end of ethnicity? Racism and ambivalence among offspring of mixed marriages in Israel

ABSTRACT

Research into ethnic inequality in Israel indicates continuing gaps in education and employment between Israelis whose ethnic origin lies in Muslim countries and those with roots in Christian countries. The categories that were created ex nihilo with the establishment of the state of Israel to refer to these groups were ‘Mizrahi’ and ‘Ashkenazi’, and these continue to play a role in Israeli society today. ‘Mixed’ Israelis (those who were born to ethnically mixed marriages) have, since the establishment of the state, been the population in whom Israel’s policy makers have invested their hopes as the future proof of the success of the social experiment launched by the Zionist enterprise. These Israelis, it was anticipated, would create a new social reality – a post-ethnic age, in which internal Jewish ethnic social tensions would cease to exist. This study, which is based on interviews with tens of such Israelis, reveals that ethnic identity plays a significant role in the interviewees’ self-definition, and is very much a salient aspect of their daily lives. They offer stereotypical presentations of both Mizrahi-ness and Ashkenazi-ness, which they simultaneously internalise and reject, while explaining why these stereotypes are erroneous and even dangerous.

KEYWORDS:

• Mixed ethnicity
• Israel
• Israeli identity
• Zionism
• family
• parenthood

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 Our study focuses on Jewish ethnic gaps. For national and religious divides, see Fogiel-Bijaoui (2017).

2 In Hebrew, the term Sabra – literally, ‘prickly pear’, being prickly on the outside but sweet inside – refers to a native Israeli Jew.

3 Listen to this speech here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGDlq0DouJo

4 As Davenport (2016) notes, the term ‘mixed’ should be used with caution, because it may mistakenly be inferred to indicate the existence of ‘pure’ marriages. In this article, then, our use of ‘mixed’ is based solely on our interviewees’ own self-definition when talking about their families and ethnic identity.

5 A derogatory name for Mizrahi Israelis.

6 Lehi and Etzel were right-wing Jewish militias active during the pre-State era.

7 In some contexts, it is even better to use the concept of a ‘matrix of identities’, as there are multiple ethnic and religious groups involved. This creates an even more complex array of privilege and subordination (see Brunsma, Delgado, and Rockquemore 2013; Brunsma and Rockquemore 2001).