false 6074562 <![CDATA[We Look Like the Enemy: The Hidden Story of Israel's Jews from Arab Lands]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg “There is a class split,” writes Rachel Shabi, “that runs on ethnic lines”—specifically, between Jews of European origin and those whose ancestral homes were Arab countries. Middle Eastern Jews from Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Yemen, and other Arab lands make up nearly half of Israel’s population. Yet European or “Ashkenazi” Jews have historically disparaged them because the emigrants looked Arab, spoke Arabic, and brought with them what was viewed as a “backward” Middle Eastern culture. David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, called them “human dust with no Jewish or human culture.” Such opinions permeated Israeli society. Middle Eastern or “Mizrahi” emigrants were kept in transit camp longer than Ashkenazi Jews and had poorer housing, educational, and occupational opportunities. 

Shabi returned to Israel for a year to investigate the tense relations that still exist between Mizrahi and Ashkenazi Jews in Israel. She traces the history of this split, starting with the centuries-old story of the Jewish Diaspora, then discussing how Mizrahi figured in the founding and building of Israel, protests by the Mizrahi Black Panther Party in 1971—“the first clash of Jew against Jew in Israel”—and a successful campaign in the 1990s to get the Israeli Ministry of Education to remove negative stereotyping of Yemenites in a textbook. Internalizing such stereotypes led a Moroccan Israeli university professor to begin passing for Ashkenazi when she was only eight years old, even though it meant “destroying, down to the roots, the identity that my parents gave me…rejecting everything: their past, their language, their values.”

Israel’s striving to be a European country and demeaning the culture of its Mizrahi citizens has dislocated those citizens from their own Judeo-Arab identities, and has helped make Israel a misfit state in the Middle East. Shabi combines historical research with intimate oral interviews to shed light on ethnic injustice within Israel, past and present.  Her passionate, personal connection and the heartfelt stories told by other Mizrahis make “We Looked Like the Enemy” a stunning, unforgettable book.

]]> 6074562 2 6251087 book 2 1 2009 We Look Like the Enemy: The Hidden Story of Israel's Jews from Arab Lands total:6|5:1|4:4|3:1|2:0|1:0| 6 24 48 6 2773745 4.00 6 6 70325719 587424 6074562 0802715729 9780802715722 6 <![CDATA[We Look Like the Enemy: The Hidden Story of Israel's Jews from Arab Lands]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6074562.We_Look_Like_the_Enemy_The_Hidden_Story_of_Israel_s_Jews_from_Arab_Lands 4.00 6 “There is a class split,” writes Rachel Shabi, “that runs on ethnic lines”—specifically, between Jews of European origin and those whose ancestral homes were Arab countries. Middle Eastern Jews from Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Yemen, and other Arab lands make up nearly half of Israel’s population. Yet European or “Ashkenazi” Jews have historically disparaged them because the emigrants looked Arab, spoke Arabic, and brought with them what was viewed as a “backward” Middle Eastern culture. David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, called them “human dust with no Jewish or human culture.” Such opinions permeated Israeli society. Middle Eastern or “Mizrahi” emigrants were kept in transit camp longer than Ashkenazi Jews and had poorer housing, educational, and occupational opportunities. 

Shabi returned to Israel for a year to investigate the tense relations that still exist between Mizrahi and Ashkenazi Jews in Israel. She traces the history of this split, starting with the centuries-old story of the Jewish Diaspora, then discussing how Mizrahi figured in the founding and building of Israel, protests by the Mizrahi Black Panther Party in 1971—“the first clash of Jew against Jew in Israel”—and a successful campaign in the 1990s to get the Israeli Ministry of Education to remove negative stereotyping of Yemenites in a textbook. Internalizing such stereotypes led a Moroccan Israeli university professor to begin passing for Ashkenazi when she was only eight years old, even though it meant “destroying, down to the roots, the identity that my parents gave me…rejecting everything: their past, their language, their values.”

Israel’s striving to be a European country and demeaning the culture of its Mizrahi citizens has dislocated those citizens from their own Judeo-Arab identities, and has helped make Israel a misfit state in the Middle East. Shabi combines historical research with intimate oral interviews to shed light on ethnic injustice within Israel, past and present.  Her passionate, personal connection and the heartfelt stories told by other Mizrahis make “We Looked Like the Enemy” a stunning, unforgettable book.

]]> 2009 3 0 false Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 07 00:13:54 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 07 00:18:06 -0700 2009 more...]]> 75720257 2595448 6074562 0802715729 9780802715722 6 <![CDATA[We Look Like the Enemy: The Hidden Story of Israel's Jews from Arab Lands]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6074562.We_Look_Like_the_Enemy_The_Hidden_Story_of_Israel_s_Jews_from_Arab_Lands 4.00 6 “There is a class split,” writes Rachel Shabi, “that runs on ethnic lines”—specifically, between Jews of European origin and those whose ancestral homes were Arab countries. Middle Eastern Jews from Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Yemen, and other Arab lands make up nearly half of Israel’s population. Yet European or “Ashkenazi” Jews have historically disparaged them because the emigrants looked Arab, spoke Arabic, and brought with them what was viewed as a “backward” Middle Eastern culture. David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, called them “human dust with no Jewish or human culture.” Such opinions permeated Israeli society. Middle Eastern or “Mizrahi” emigrants were kept in transit camp longer than Ashkenazi Jews and had poorer housing, educational, and occupational opportunities. 

Shabi returned to Israel for a year to investigate the tense relations that still exist between Mizrahi and Ashkenazi Jews in Israel. She traces the history of this split, starting with the centuries-old story of the Jewish Diaspora, then discussing how Mizrahi figured in the founding and building of Israel, protests by the Mizrahi Black Panther Party in 1971—“the first clash of Jew against Jew in Israel”—and a successful campaign in the 1990s to get the Israeli Ministry of Education to remove negative stereotyping of Yemenites in a textbook. Internalizing such stereotypes led a Moroccan Israeli university professor to begin passing for Ashkenazi when she was only eight years old, even though it meant “destroying, down to the roots, the identity that my parents gave me…rejecting everything: their past, their language, their values.”

Israel’s striving to be a European country and demeaning the culture of its Mizrahi citizens has dislocated those citizens from their own Judeo-Arab identities, and has helped make Israel a misfit state in the Middle East. Shabi combines historical research with intimate oral interviews to shed light on ethnic injustice within Israel, past and present.  Her passionate, personal connection and the heartfelt stories told by other Mizrahis make “We Looked Like the Enemy” a stunning, unforgettable book.

]]> 2009 4 0 false Fri Sep 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 25 18:31:37 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 25 18:31:37 -0700 2009 more...]]> 80699618 1521198 6074562 0802715729 9780802715722 6 <![CDATA[We Look Like the Enemy: The Hidden Story of Israel's Jews from Arab Lands]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6074562.We_Look_Like_the_Enemy_The_Hidden_Story_of_Israel_s_Jews_from_Arab_Lands 4.00 6 “There is a class split,” writes Rachel Shabi, “that runs on ethnic lines”—specifically, between Jews of European origin and those whose ancestral homes were Arab countries. Middle Eastern Jews from Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Yemen, and other Arab lands make up nearly half of Israel’s population. Yet European or “Ashkenazi” Jews have historically disparaged them because the emigrants looked Arab, spoke Arabic, and brought with them what was viewed as a “backward” Middle Eastern culture. David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, called them “human dust with no Jewish or human culture.” Such opinions permeated Israeli society. Middle Eastern or “Mizrahi” emigrants were kept in transit camp longer than Ashkenazi Jews and had poorer housing, educational, and occupational opportunities. 

Shabi returned to Israel for a year to investigate the tense relations that still exist between Mizrahi and Ashkenazi Jews in Israel. She traces the history of this split, starting with the centuries-old story of the Jewish Diaspora, then discussing how Mizrahi figured in the founding and building of Israel, protests by the Mizrahi Black Panther Party in 1971—“the first clash of Jew against Jew in Israel”—and a successful campaign in the 1990s to get the Israeli Ministry of Education to remove negative stereotyping of Yemenites in a textbook. Internalizing such stereotypes led a Moroccan Israeli university professor to begin passing for Ashkenazi when she was only eight years old, even though it meant “destroying, down to the roots, the identity that my parents gave me…rejecting everything: their past, their language, their values.”

Israel’s striving to be a European country and demeaning the culture of its Mizrahi citizens has dislocated those citizens from their own Judeo-Arab identities, and has helped make Israel a misfit state in the Middle East. Shabi combines historical research with intimate oral interviews to shed light on ethnic injustice within Israel, past and present.  Her passionate, personal connection and the heartfelt stories told by other Mizrahis make “We Looked Like the Enemy” a stunning, unforgettable book.

]]> 2009 0 0 false Fri Dec 11 16:05:51 -0800 2009 Fri Dec 11 19:03:12 -0800 2009

When this is received a review will be put on.]]> 79113511 1064820 6074562 0802715729 9780802715722 6 <![CDATA[We Look Like the Enemy: The Hidden Story of Israel's Jews from Arab Lands]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6074562.We_Look_Like_the_Enemy_The_Hidden_Story_of_Israel_s_Jews_from_Arab_Lands 4.00 6 “There is a class split,” writes Rachel Shabi, “that runs on ethnic lines”—specifically, between Jews of European origin and those whose ancestral homes were Arab countries. Middle Eastern Jews from Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Yemen, and other Arab lands make up nearly half of Israel’s population. Yet European or “Ashkenazi” Jews have historically disparaged them because the emigrants looked Arab, spoke Arabic, and brought with them what was viewed as a “backward” Middle Eastern culture. David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, called them “human dust with no Jewish or human culture.” Such opinions permeated Israeli society. Middle Eastern or “Mizrahi” emigrants were kept in transit camp longer than Ashkenazi Jews and had poorer housing, educational, and occupational opportunities. 

Shabi returned to Israel for a year to investigate the tense relations that still exist between Mizrahi and Ashkenazi Jews in Israel. She traces the history of this split, starting with the centuries-old story of the Jewish Diaspora, then discussing how Mizrahi figured in the founding and building of Israel, protests by the Mizrahi Black Panther Party in 1971—“the first clash of Jew against Jew in Israel”—and a successful campaign in the 1990s to get the Israeli Ministry of Education to remove negative stereotyping of Yemenites in a textbook. Internalizing such stereotypes led a Moroccan Israeli university professor to begin passing for Ashkenazi when she was only eight years old, even though it meant “destroying, down to the roots, the identity that my parents gave me…rejecting everything: their past, their language, their values.”

Israel’s striving to be a European country and demeaning the culture of its Mizrahi citizens has dislocated those citizens from their own Judeo-Arab identities, and has helped make Israel a misfit state in the Middle East. Shabi combines historical research with intimate oral interviews to shed light on ethnic injustice within Israel, past and present.  Her passionate, personal connection and the heartfelt stories told by other Mizrahis make “We Looked Like the Enemy” a stunning, unforgettable book.

]]> 2009 0 0 false Fri Nov 27 08:04:56 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 27 08:06:10 -0800 2009 49943981 153267 6074562 0802715729 9780802715722 6 <![CDATA[We Look Like the Enemy: The Hidden Story of Israel's Jews from Arab Lands]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6074562.We_Look_Like_the_Enemy_The_Hidden_Story_of_Israel_s_Jews_from_Arab_Lands 4.00 6 “There is a class split,” writes Rachel Shabi, “that runs on ethnic lines”—specifically, between Jews of European origin and those whose ancestral homes were Arab countries. Middle Eastern Jews from Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Yemen, and other Arab lands make up nearly half of Israel’s population. Yet European or “Ashkenazi” Jews have historically disparaged them because the emigrants looked Arab, spoke Arabic, and brought with them what was viewed as a “backward” Middle Eastern culture. David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, called them “human dust with no Jewish or human culture.” Such opinions permeated Israeli society. Middle Eastern or “Mizrahi” emigrants were kept in transit camp longer than Ashkenazi Jews and had poorer housing, educational, and occupational opportunities. 

Shabi returned to Israel for a year to investigate the tense relations that still exist between Mizrahi and Ashkenazi Jews in Israel. She traces the history of this split, starting with the centuries-old story of the Jewish Diaspora, then discussing how Mizrahi figured in the founding and building of Israel, protests by the Mizrahi Black Panther Party in 1971—“the first clash of Jew against Jew in Israel”—and a successful campaign in the 1990s to get the Israeli Ministry of Education to remove negative stereotyping of Yemenites in a textbook. Internalizing such stereotypes led a Moroccan Israeli university professor to begin passing for Ashkenazi when she was only eight years old, even though it meant “destroying, down to the roots, the identity that my parents gave me…rejecting everything: their past, their language, their values.”

Israel’s striving to be a European country and demeaning the culture of its Mizrahi citizens has dislocated those citizens from their own Judeo-Arab identities, and has helped make Israel a misfit state in the Middle East. Shabi combines historical research with intimate oral interviews to shed light on ethnic injustice within Israel, past and present.  Her passionate, personal connection and the heartfelt stories told by other Mizrahis make “We Looked Like the Enemy” a stunning, unforgettable book.

]]> 2009 4 0 false Tue Mar 31 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Mar 21 06:16:58 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 03 12:58:44 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 79101234 1520750 6074562 0802715729 9780802715722 6 <![CDATA[We Look Like the Enemy: The Hidden Story of Israel's Jews from Arab Lands]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6074562.We_Look_Like_the_Enemy_The_Hidden_Story_of_Israel_s_Jews_from_Arab_Lands 4.00 6 “There is a class split,” writes Rachel Shabi, “that runs on ethnic lines”—specifically, between Jews of European origin and those whose ancestral homes were Arab countries. Middle Eastern Jews from Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Yemen, and other Arab lands make up nearly half of Israel’s population. Yet European or “Ashkenazi” Jews have historically disparaged them because the emigrants looked Arab, spoke Arabic, and brought with them what was viewed as a “backward” Middle Eastern culture. David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, called them “human dust with no Jewish or human culture.” Such opinions permeated Israeli society. Middle Eastern or “Mizrahi” emigrants were kept in transit camp longer than Ashkenazi Jews and had poorer housing, educational, and occupational opportunities. 

Shabi returned to Israel for a year to investigate the tense relations that still exist between Mizrahi and Ashkenazi Jews in Israel. She traces the history of this split, starting with the centuries-old story of the Jewish Diaspora, then discussing how Mizrahi figured in the founding and building of Israel, protests by the Mizrahi Black Panther Party in 1971—“the first clash of Jew against Jew in Israel”—and a successful campaign in the 1990s to get the Israeli Ministry of Education to remove negative stereotyping of Yemenites in a textbook. Internalizing such stereotypes led a Moroccan Israeli university professor to begin passing for Ashkenazi when she was only eight years old, even though it meant “destroying, down to the roots, the identity that my parents gave me…rejecting everything: their past, their language, their values.”

Israel’s striving to be a European country and demeaning the culture of its Mizrahi citizens has dislocated those citizens from their own Judeo-Arab identities, and has helped make Israel a misfit state in the Middle East. Shabi combines historical research with intimate oral interviews to shed light on ethnic injustice within Israel, past and present.  Her passionate, personal connection and the heartfelt stories told by other Mizrahis make “We Looked Like the Enemy” a stunning, unforgettable book.

]]> 2009 0 0 false Fri Nov 27 03:19:27 -0800 2009 Fri Dec 11 16:45:19 -0800 2009 81853862 321314 6074562 0802715729 9780802715722 6 <![CDATA[We Look Like the Enemy: The Hidden Story of Israel's Jews from Arab Lands]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6074562.We_Look_Like_the_Enemy_The_Hidden_Story_of_Israel_s_Jews_from_Arab_Lands 4.00 6 “There is a class split,” writes Rachel Shabi, “that runs on ethnic lines”—specifically, between Jews of European origin and those whose ancestral homes were Arab countries. Middle Eastern Jews from Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Yemen, and other Arab lands make up nearly half of Israel’s population. Yet European or “Ashkenazi” Jews have historically disparaged them because the emigrants looked Arab, spoke Arabic, and brought with them what was viewed as a “backward” Middle Eastern culture. David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, called them “human dust with no Jewish or human culture.” Such opinions permeated Israeli society. Middle Eastern or “Mizrahi” emigrants were kept in transit camp longer than Ashkenazi Jews and had poorer housing, educational, and occupational opportunities. 

Shabi returned to Israel for a year to investigate the tense relations that still exist between Mizrahi and Ashkenazi Jews in Israel. She traces the history of this split, starting with the centuries-old story of the Jewish Diaspora, then discussing how Mizrahi figured in the founding and building of Israel, protests by the Mizrahi Black Panther Party in 1971—“the first clash of Jew against Jew in Israel”—and a successful campaign in the 1990s to get the Israeli Ministry of Education to remove negative stereotyping of Yemenites in a textbook. Internalizing such stereotypes led a Moroccan Israeli university professor to begin passing for Ashkenazi when she was only eight years old, even though it meant “destroying, down to the roots, the identity that my parents gave me…rejecting everything: their past, their language, their values.”

Israel’s striving to be a European country and demeaning the culture of its Mizrahi citizens has dislocated those citizens from their own Judeo-Arab identities, and has helped make Israel a misfit state in the Middle East. Shabi combines historical research with intimate oral interviews to shed light on ethnic injustice within Israel, past and present.  Her passionate, personal connection and the heartfelt stories told by other Mizrahis make “We Looked Like the Enemy” a stunning, unforgettable book.

]]> 2009 0 0 false Wed Dec 23 08:26:38 -0800 2009 Wed Dec 23 08:26:38 -0800 2009 80435181 2977977 6074562 0802715729 9780802715722 6 <![CDATA[We Look Like the Enemy: The Hidden Story of Israel's Jews from Arab Lands]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6074562.We_Look_Like_the_Enemy_The_Hidden_Story_of_Israel_s_Jews_from_Arab_Lands 4.00 6 “There is a class split,” writes Rachel Shabi, “that runs on ethnic lines”—specifically, between Jews of European origin and those whose ancestral homes were Arab countries. Middle Eastern Jews from Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Yemen, and other Arab lands make up nearly half of Israel’s population. Yet European or “Ashkenazi” Jews have historically disparaged them because the emigrants looked Arab, spoke Arabic, and brought with them what was viewed as a “backward” Middle Eastern culture. David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, called them “human dust with no Jewish or human culture.” Such opinions permeated Israeli society. Middle Eastern or “Mizrahi” emigrants were kept in transit camp longer than Ashkenazi Jews and had poorer housing, educational, and occupational opportunities. 

Shabi returned to Israel for a year to investigate the tense relations that still exist between Mizrahi and Ashkenazi Jews in Israel. She traces the history of this split, starting with the centuries-old story of the Jewish Diaspora, then discussing how Mizrahi figured in the founding and building of Israel, protests by the Mizrahi Black Panther Party in 1971—“the first clash of Jew against Jew in Israel”—and a successful campaign in the 1990s to get the Israeli Ministry of Education to remove negative stereotyping of Yemenites in a textbook. Internalizing such stereotypes led a Moroccan Israeli university professor to begin passing for Ashkenazi when she was only eight years old, even though it meant “destroying, down to the roots, the identity that my parents gave me…rejecting everything: their past, their language, their values.”

Israel’s striving to be a European country and demeaning the culture of its Mizrahi citizens has dislocated those citizens from their own Judeo-Arab identities, and has helped make Israel a misfit state in the Middle East. Shabi combines historical research with intimate oral interviews to shed light on ethnic injustice within Israel, past and present.  Her passionate, personal connection and the heartfelt stories told by other Mizrahis make “We Looked Like the Enemy” a stunning, unforgettable book.

]]> 2009 0 0 false Wed Dec 09 12:34:45 -0800 2009 Wed Dec 09 12:34:45 -0800 2009 79366051 234908 6074562 0802715729 9780802715722 6 <![CDATA[We Look Like the Enemy: The Hidden Story of Israel's Jews from Arab Lands]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6074562.We_Look_Like_the_Enemy_The_Hidden_Story_of_Israel_s_Jews_from_Arab_Lands 4.00 6 “There is a class split,” writes Rachel Shabi, “that runs on ethnic lines”—specifically, between Jews of European origin and those whose ancestral homes were Arab countries. Middle Eastern Jews from Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Yemen, and other Arab lands make up nearly half of Israel’s population. Yet European or “Ashkenazi” Jews have historically disparaged them because the emigrants looked Arab, spoke Arabic, and brought with them what was viewed as a “backward” Middle Eastern culture. David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, called them “human dust with no Jewish or human culture.” Such opinions permeated Israeli society. Middle Eastern or “Mizrahi” emigrants were kept in transit camp longer than Ashkenazi Jews and had poorer housing, educational, and occupational opportunities. 

Shabi returned to Israel for a year to investigate the tense relations that still exist between Mizrahi and Ashkenazi Jews in Israel. She traces the history of this split, starting with the centuries-old story of the Jewish Diaspora, then discussing how Mizrahi figured in the founding and building of Israel, protests by the Mizrahi Black Panther Party in 1971—“the first clash of Jew against Jew in Israel”—and a successful campaign in the 1990s to get the Israeli Ministry of Education to remove negative stereotyping of Yemenites in a textbook. Internalizing such stereotypes led a Moroccan Israeli university professor to begin passing for Ashkenazi when she was only eight years old, even though it meant “destroying, down to the roots, the identity that my parents gave me…rejecting everything: their past, their language, their values.”

Israel’s striving to be a European country and demeaning the culture of its Mizrahi citizens has dislocated those citizens from their own Judeo-Arab identities, and has helped make Israel a misfit state in the Middle East. Shabi combines historical research with intimate oral interviews to shed light on ethnic injustice within Israel, past and present.  Her passionate, personal connection and the heartfelt stories told by other Mizrahis make “We Looked Like the Enemy” a stunning, unforgettable book.

]]> 2009 0 0 false Sun Nov 29 21:01:07 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 29 21:01:11 -0800 2009 79309381 1820056 6074562 0802715729 9780802715722 6 <![CDATA[We Look Like the Enemy: The Hidden Story of Israel's Jews from Arab Lands]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6074562.We_Look_Like_the_Enemy_The_Hidden_Story_of_Israel_s_Jews_from_Arab_Lands 4.00 6 “There is a class split,” writes Rachel Shabi, “that runs on ethnic lines”—specifically, between Jews of European origin and those whose ancestral homes were Arab countries. Middle Eastern Jews from Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Yemen, and other Arab lands make up nearly half of Israel’s population. Yet European or “Ashkenazi” Jews have historically disparaged them because the emigrants looked Arab, spoke Arabic, and brought with them what was viewed as a “backward” Middle Eastern culture. David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, called them “human dust with no Jewish or human culture.” Such opinions permeated Israeli society. Middle Eastern or “Mizrahi” emigrants were kept in transit camp longer than Ashkenazi Jews and had poorer housing, educational, and occupational opportunities. 

Shabi returned to Israel for a year to investigate the tense relations that still exist between Mizrahi and Ashkenazi Jews in Israel. She traces the history of this split, starting with the centuries-old story of the Jewish Diaspora, then discussing how Mizrahi figured in the founding and building of Israel, protests by the Mizrahi Black Panther Party in 1971—“the first clash of Jew against Jew in Israel”—and a successful campaign in the 1990s to get the Israeli Ministry of Education to remove negative stereotyping of Yemenites in a textbook. Internalizing such stereotypes led a Moroccan Israeli university professor to begin passing for Ashkenazi when she was only eight years old, even though it meant “destroying, down to the roots, the identity that my parents gave me…rejecting everything: their past, their language, their values.”

Israel’s striving to be a European country and demeaning the culture of its Mizrahi citizens has dislocated those citizens from their own Judeo-Arab identities, and has helped make Israel a misfit state in the Middle East. Shabi combines historical research with intimate oral interviews to shed light on ethnic injustice within Israel, past and present.  Her passionate, personal connection and the heartfelt stories told by other Mizrahis make “We Looked Like the Enemy” a stunning, unforgettable book.

]]> 2009 0 0 false Sun Nov 29 12:40:01 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 29 12:40:01 -0800 2009 79237487 1838330 6074562 0802715729 9780802715722 6 <![CDATA[We Look Like the Enemy: The Hidden Story of Israel's Jews from Arab Lands]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6074562.We_Look_Like_the_Enemy_The_Hidden_Story_of_Israel_s_Jews_from_Arab_Lands 4.00 6 “There is a class split,” writes Rachel Shabi, “that runs on ethnic lines”—specifically, between Jews of European origin and those whose ancestral homes were Arab countries. Middle Eastern Jews from Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Yemen, and other Arab lands make up nearly half of Israel’s population. Yet European or “Ashkenazi” Jews have historically disparaged them because the emigrants looked Arab, spoke Arabic, and brought with them what was viewed as a “backward” Middle Eastern culture. David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, called them “human dust with no Jewish or human culture.” Such opinions permeated Israeli society. Middle Eastern or “Mizrahi” emigrants were kept in transit camp longer than Ashkenazi Jews and had poorer housing, educational, and occupational opportunities. 

Shabi returned to Israel for a year to investigate the tense relations that still exist between Mizrahi and Ashkenazi Jews in Israel. She traces the history of this split, starting with the centuries-old story of the Jewish Diaspora, then discussing how Mizrahi figured in the founding and building of Israel, protests by the Mizrahi Black Panther Party in 1971—“the first clash of Jew against Jew in Israel”—and a successful campaign in the 1990s to get the Israeli Ministry of Education to remove negative stereotyping of Yemenites in a textbook. Internalizing such stereotypes led a Moroccan Israeli university professor to begin passing for Ashkenazi when she was only eight years old, even though it meant “destroying, down to the roots, the identity that my parents gave me…rejecting everything: their past, their language, their values.”

Israel’s striving to be a European country and demeaning the culture of its Mizrahi citizens has dislocated those citizens from their own Judeo-Arab identities, and has helped make Israel a misfit state in the Middle East. Shabi combines historical research with intimate oral interviews to shed light on ethnic injustice within Israel, past and present.  Her passionate, personal connection and the heartfelt stories told by other Mizrahis make “We Looked Like the Enemy” a stunning, unforgettable book.

]]> 2009 0 0 false Sat Nov 28 16:27:09 -0800 2009 Sat Nov 28 16:27:09 -0800 2009 79165219 2982891 6074562 0802715729 9780802715722 6 <![CDATA[We Look Like the Enemy: The Hidden Story of Israel's Jews from Arab Lands]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6074562.We_Look_Like_the_Enemy_The_Hidden_Story_of_Israel_s_Jews_from_Arab_Lands 4.00 6 “There is a class split,” writes Rachel Shabi, “that runs on ethnic lines”—specifically, between Jews of European origin and those whose ancestral homes were Arab countries. Middle Eastern Jews from Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Yemen, and other Arab lands make up nearly half of Israel’s population. Yet European or “Ashkenazi” Jews have historically disparaged them because the emigrants looked Arab, spoke Arabic, and brought with them what was viewed as a “backward” Middle Eastern culture. David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, called them “human dust with no Jewish or human culture.” Such opinions permeated Israeli society. Middle Eastern or “Mizrahi” emigrants were kept in transit camp longer than Ashkenazi Jews and had poorer housing, educational, and occupational opportunities. 

Shabi returned to Israel for a year to investigate the tense relations that still exist between Mizrahi and Ashkenazi Jews in Israel. She traces the history of this split, starting with the centuries-old story of the Jewish Diaspora, then discussing how Mizrahi figured in the founding and building of Israel, protests by the Mizrahi Black Panther Party in 1971—“the first clash of Jew against Jew in Israel”—and a successful campaign in the 1990s to get the Israeli Ministry of Education to remove negative stereotyping of Yemenites in a textbook. Internalizing such stereotypes led a Moroccan Israeli university professor to begin passing for Ashkenazi when she was only eight years old, even though it meant “destroying, down to the roots, the identity that my parents gave me…rejecting everything: their past, their language, their values.”

Israel’s striving to be a European country and demeaning the culture of its Mizrahi citizens has dislocated those citizens from their own Judeo-Arab identities, and has helped make Israel a misfit state in the Middle East. Shabi combines historical research with intimate oral interviews to shed light on ethnic injustice within Israel, past and present.  Her passionate, personal connection and the heartfelt stories told by other Mizrahis make “We Looked Like the Enemy” a stunning, unforgettable book.

]]> 2009 0 0 false Fri Nov 27 19:48:35 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 27 19:48:35 -0800 2009 79163990 1847134 6074562 0802715729 9780802715722 6 <![CDATA[We Look Like the Enemy: The Hidden Story of Israel's Jews from Arab Lands]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6074562.We_Look_Like_the_Enemy_The_Hidden_Story_of_Israel_s_Jews_from_Arab_Lands 4.00 6 “There is a class split,” writes Rachel Shabi, “that runs on ethnic lines”—specifically, between Jews of European origin and those whose ancestral homes were Arab countries. Middle Eastern Jews from Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Yemen, and other Arab lands make up nearly half of Israel’s population. Yet European or “Ashkenazi” Jews have historically disparaged them because the emigrants looked Arab, spoke Arabic, and brought with them what was viewed as a “backward” Middle Eastern culture. David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, called them “human dust with no Jewish or human culture.” Such opinions permeated Israeli society. Middle Eastern or “Mizrahi” emigrants were kept in transit camp longer than Ashkenazi Jews and had poorer housing, educational, and occupational opportunities. 

Shabi returned to Israel for a year to investigate the tense relations that still exist between Mizrahi and Ashkenazi Jews in Israel. She traces the history of this split, starting with the centuries-old story of the Jewish Diaspora, then discussing how Mizrahi figured in the founding and building of Israel, protests by the Mizrahi Black Panther Party in 1971—“the first clash of Jew against Jew in Israel”—and a successful campaign in the 1990s to get the Israeli Ministry of Education to remove negative stereotyping of Yemenites in a textbook. Internalizing such stereotypes led a Moroccan Israeli university professor to begin passing for Ashkenazi when she was only eight years old, even though it meant “destroying, down to the roots, the identity that my parents gave me…rejecting everything: their past, their language, their values.”

Israel’s striving to be a European country and demeaning the culture of its Mizrahi citizens has dislocated those citizens from their own Judeo-Arab identities, and has helped make Israel a misfit state in the Middle East. Shabi combines historical research with intimate oral interviews to shed light on ethnic injustice within Israel, past and present.  Her passionate, personal connection and the heartfelt stories told by other Mizrahis make “We Looked Like the Enemy” a stunning, unforgettable book.

]]> 2009 0 0 false Fri Nov 27 19:33:59 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 27 19:34:11 -0800 2009 79136098 1676914 6074562 0802715729 9780802715722 6 <![CDATA[We Look Like the Enemy: The Hidden Story of Israel's Jews from Arab Lands]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6074562.We_Look_Like_the_Enemy_The_Hidden_Story_of_Israel_s_Jews_from_Arab_Lands 4.00 6 “There is a class split,” writes Rachel Shabi, “that runs on ethnic lines”—specifically, between Jews of European origin and those whose ancestral homes were Arab countries. Middle Eastern Jews from Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Yemen, and other Arab lands make up nearly half of Israel’s population. Yet European or “Ashkenazi” Jews have historically disparaged them because the emigrants looked Arab, spoke Arabic, and brought with them what was viewed as a “backward” Middle Eastern culture. David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, called them “human dust with no Jewish or human culture.” Such opinions permeated Israeli society. Middle Eastern or “Mizrahi” emigrants were kept in transit camp longer than Ashkenazi Jews and had poorer housing, educational, and occupational opportunities. 

Shabi returned to Israel for a year to investigate the tense relations that still exist between Mizrahi and Ashkenazi Jews in Israel. She traces the history of this split, starting with the centuries-old story of the Jewish Diaspora, then discussing how Mizrahi figured in the founding and building of Israel, protests by the Mizrahi Black Panther Party in 1971—“the first clash of Jew against Jew in Israel”—and a successful campaign in the 1990s to get the Israeli Ministry of Education to remove negative stereotyping of Yemenites in a textbook. Internalizing such stereotypes led a Moroccan Israeli university professor to begin passing for Ashkenazi when she was only eight years old, even though it meant “destroying, down to the roots, the identity that my parents gave me…rejecting everything: their past, their language, their values.”

Israel’s striving to be a European country and demeaning the culture of its Mizrahi citizens has dislocated those citizens from their own Judeo-Arab identities, and has helped make Israel a misfit state in the Middle East. Shabi combines historical research with intimate oral interviews to shed light on ethnic injustice within Israel, past and present.  Her passionate, personal connection and the heartfelt stories told by other Mizrahis make “We Looked Like the Enemy” a stunning, unforgettable book.

]]> 2009 0 0 false Fri Nov 27 13:14:05 -0800 2009 Tue Dec 15 14:39:13 -0800 2009 79135339 1473206 7159855 0802717667 9780802717665 0 <![CDATA[We Look Like the Enemy: The Hidden Story of Israel's Jews from Arab Lands]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1261121386m/7159855.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1261121386s/7159855.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7159855-we-look-like-the-enemy 0.0 0 “There is a class split,” writes Rachel Shabi, “that runs on ethnic lines”—specifically, between Jews of European origin and those whose ancestral homes were Arab countries. Middle Eastern Jews from Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Yemen, and other Arab lands make up nearly half of Israel’s population. Yet European or “Ashkenazi” Jews have historically disparaged them because the emigrants looked Arab, spoke Arabic, and brought with them what was viewed as a “backward” Middle Eastern culture. David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, called them “human dust with no Jewish or human culture.” Such opinions permeated Israeli society. Middle Eastern or “Mizrahi” emigrants were kept in transit camp longer than Ashkenazi Jews and had poorer housing, educational, and occupational opportunities. 

Shabi returned to Israel for a year to investigate the tense relations that still exist between Mizrahi and Ashkenazi Jews in Israel. She traces the history of this split, starting with the centuries-old story of the Jewish Diaspora, then discussing how Mizrahi figured in the founding and building of Israel, protests by the Mizrahi Black Panther Party in 1971—“the first clash of Jew against Jew in Israel”—and a successful campaign in the 1990s to get the Israeli Ministry of Education to remove negative stereotyping of Yemenites in a textbook. Internalizing such stereotypes led a Moroccan Israeli university professor to begin passing for Ashkenazi when she was only eight years old, even though it meant “destroying, down to the roots, the identity that my parents gave me…rejecting everything: their past, their language, their values.”

Israel’s striving to be a European country and demeaning the culture of its Mizrahi citizens has dislocated those citizens from their own Judeo-Arab identities, and has helped make Israel a misfit state in the Middle East. Shabi combines historical research with intimate oral interviews to shed light on ethnic injustice within Israel, past and present.  Her passionate, personal connection and the heartfelt stories told by other Mizrahis make “We Looked Like the Enemy” a stunning, unforgettable book.

]]> 2009 0 0 false Fri Nov 27 13:06:34 -0800 2009 Thu Dec 17 23:33:30 -0800 2009 79111045 125614 6074562 0802715729 9780802715722 6 <![CDATA[We Look Like the Enemy: The Hidden Story of Israel's Jews from Arab Lands]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6074562.We_Look_Like_the_Enemy_The_Hidden_Story_of_Israel_s_Jews_from_Arab_Lands 4.00 6 “There is a class split,” writes Rachel Shabi, “that runs on ethnic lines”—specifically, between Jews of European origin and those whose ancestral homes were Arab countries. Middle Eastern Jews from Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Yemen, and other Arab lands make up nearly half of Israel’s population. Yet European or “Ashkenazi” Jews have historically disparaged them because the emigrants looked Arab, spoke Arabic, and brought with them what was viewed as a “backward” Middle Eastern culture. David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, called them “human dust with no Jewish or human culture.” Such opinions permeated Israeli society. Middle Eastern or “Mizrahi” emigrants were kept in transit camp longer than Ashkenazi Jews and had poorer housing, educational, and occupational opportunities. 

Shabi returned to Israel for a year to investigate the tense relations that still exist between Mizrahi and Ashkenazi Jews in Israel. She traces the history of this split, starting with the centuries-old story of the Jewish Diaspora, then discussing how Mizrahi figured in the founding and building of Israel, protests by the Mizrahi Black Panther Party in 1971—“the first clash of Jew against Jew in Israel”—and a successful campaign in the 1990s to get the Israeli Ministry of Education to remove negative stereotyping of Yemenites in a textbook. Internalizing such stereotypes led a Moroccan Israeli university professor to begin passing for Ashkenazi when she was only eight years old, even though it meant “destroying, down to the roots, the identity that my parents gave me…rejecting everything: their past, their language, their values.”

Israel’s striving to be a European country and demeaning the culture of its Mizrahi citizens has dislocated those citizens from their own Judeo-Arab identities, and has helped make Israel a misfit state in the Middle East. Shabi combines historical research with intimate oral interviews to shed light on ethnic injustice within Israel, past and present.  Her passionate, personal connection and the heartfelt stories told by other Mizrahis make “We Looked Like the Enemy” a stunning, unforgettable book.

]]> 2009 0 0 false Fri Nov 27 07:27:58 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 27 07:28:06 -0800 2009 78992798 914081 6074562 0802715729 9780802715722 6 <![CDATA[We Look Like the Enemy: The Hidden Story of Israel's Jews from Arab Lands]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6074562.We_Look_Like_the_Enemy_The_Hidden_Story_of_Israel_s_Jews_from_Arab_Lands 4.00 6 “There is a class split,” writes Rachel Shabi, “that runs on ethnic lines”—specifically, between Jews of European origin and those whose ancestral homes were Arab countries. Middle Eastern Jews from Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Yemen, and other Arab lands make up nearly half of Israel’s population. Yet European or “Ashkenazi” Jews have historically disparaged them because the emigrants looked Arab, spoke Arabic, and brought with them what was viewed as a “backward” Middle Eastern culture. David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, called them “human dust with no Jewish or human culture.” Such opinions permeated Israeli society. Middle Eastern or “Mizrahi” emigrants were kept in transit camp longer than Ashkenazi Jews and had poorer housing, educational, and occupational opportunities. 

Shabi returned to Israel for a year to investigate the tense relations that still exist between Mizrahi and Ashkenazi Jews in Israel. She traces the history of this split, starting with the centuries-old story of the Jewish Diaspora, then discussing how Mizrahi figured in the founding and building of Israel, protests by the Mizrahi Black Panther Party in 1971—“the first clash of Jew against Jew in Israel”—and a successful campaign in the 1990s to get the Israeli Ministry of Education to remove negative stereotyping of Yemenites in a textbook. Internalizing such stereotypes led a Moroccan Israeli university professor to begin passing for Ashkenazi when she was only eight years old, even though it meant “destroying, down to the roots, the identity that my parents gave me…rejecting everything: their past, their language, their values.”

Israel’s striving to be a European country and demeaning the culture of its Mizrahi citizens has dislocated those citizens from their own Judeo-Arab identities, and has helped make Israel a misfit state in the Middle East. Shabi combines historical research with intimate oral interviews to shed light on ethnic injustice within Israel, past and present.  Her passionate, personal connection and the heartfelt stories told by other Mizrahis make “We Looked Like the Enemy” a stunning, unforgettable book.

]]> 2009 0 0 false Wed Nov 25 16:13:57 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 25 16:13:57 -0800 2009 78653618 2385123 6074562 0802715729 9780802715722 6 <![CDATA[We Look Like the Enemy: The Hidden Story of Israel's Jews from Arab Lands]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6074562.We_Look_Like_the_Enemy_The_Hidden_Story_of_Israel_s_Jews_from_Arab_Lands 4.00 6 “There is a class split,” writes Rachel Shabi, “that runs on ethnic lines”—specifically, between Jews of European origin and those whose ancestral homes were Arab countries. Middle Eastern Jews from Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Yemen, and other Arab lands make up nearly half of Israel’s population. Yet European or “Ashkenazi” Jews have historically disparaged them because the emigrants looked Arab, spoke Arabic, and brought with them what was viewed as a “backward” Middle Eastern culture. David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, called them “human dust with no Jewish or human culture.” Such opinions permeated Israeli society. Middle Eastern or “Mizrahi” emigrants were kept in transit camp longer than Ashkenazi Jews and had poorer housing, educational, and occupational opportunities. 

Shabi returned to Israel for a year to investigate the tense relations that still exist between Mizrahi and Ashkenazi Jews in Israel. She traces the history of this split, starting with the centuries-old story of the Jewish Diaspora, then discussing how Mizrahi figured in the founding and building of Israel, protests by the Mizrahi Black Panther Party in 1971—“the first clash of Jew against Jew in Israel”—and a successful campaign in the 1990s to get the Israeli Ministry of Education to remove negative stereotyping of Yemenites in a textbook. Internalizing such stereotypes led a Moroccan Israeli university professor to begin passing for Ashkenazi when she was only eight years old, even though it meant “destroying, down to the roots, the identity that my parents gave me…rejecting everything: their past, their language, their values.”

Israel’s striving to be a European country and demeaning the culture of its Mizrahi citizens has dislocated those citizens from their own Judeo-Arab identities, and has helped make Israel a misfit state in the Middle East. Shabi combines historical research with intimate oral interviews to shed light on ethnic injustice within Israel, past and present.  Her passionate, personal connection and the heartfelt stories told by other Mizrahis make “We Looked Like the Enemy” a stunning, unforgettable book.

]]> 2009 0 0 false Sun Nov 22 13:36:16 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 22 13:36:16 -0800 2009 78454012 624574 6074562 0802715729 9780802715722 6 <![CDATA[We Look Like the Enemy: The Hidden Story of Israel's Jews from Arab Lands]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6074562.We_Look_Like_the_Enemy_The_Hidden_Story_of_Israel_s_Jews_from_Arab_Lands 4.00 6 “There is a class split,” writes Rachel Shabi, “that runs on ethnic lines”—specifically, between Jews of European origin and those whose ancestral homes were Arab countries. Middle Eastern Jews from Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Yemen, and other Arab lands make up nearly half of Israel’s population. Yet European or “Ashkenazi” Jews have historically disparaged them because the emigrants looked Arab, spoke Arabic, and brought with them what was viewed as a “backward” Middle Eastern culture. David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, called them “human dust with no Jewish or human culture.” Such opinions permeated Israeli society. Middle Eastern or “Mizrahi” emigrants were kept in transit camp longer than Ashkenazi Jews and had poorer housing, educational, and occupational opportunities. 

Shabi returned to Israel for a year to investigate the tense relations that still exist between Mizrahi and Ashkenazi Jews in Israel. She traces the history of this split, starting with the centuries-old story of the Jewish Diaspora, then discussing how Mizrahi figured in the founding and building of Israel, protests by the Mizrahi Black Panther Party in 1971—“the first clash of Jew against Jew in Israel”—and a successful campaign in the 1990s to get the Israeli Ministry of Education to remove negative stereotyping of Yemenites in a textbook. Internalizing such stereotypes led a Moroccan Israeli university professor to begin passing for Ashkenazi when she was only eight years old, even though it meant “destroying, down to the roots, the identity that my parents gave me…rejecting everything: their past, their language, their values.”

Israel’s striving to be a European country and demeaning the culture of its Mizrahi citizens has dislocated those citizens from their own Judeo-Arab identities, and has helped make Israel a misfit state in the Middle East. Shabi combines historical research with intimate oral interviews to shed light on ethnic injustice within Israel, past and present.  Her passionate, personal connection and the heartfelt stories told by other Mizrahis make “We Looked Like the Enemy” a stunning, unforgettable book.

]]> 2009 0 0 false Fri Nov 20 13:32:42 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 20 13:32:42 -0800 2009 78268973 1689580 6074562 0802715729 9780802715722 6 <![CDATA[We Look Like the Enemy: The Hidden Story of Israel's Jews from Arab Lands]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6074562.We_Look_Like_the_Enemy_The_Hidden_Story_of_Israel_s_Jews_from_Arab_Lands 4.00 6 “There is a class split,” writes Rachel Shabi, “that runs on ethnic lines”—specifically, between Jews of European origin and those whose ancestral homes were Arab countries. Middle Eastern Jews from Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Yemen, and other Arab lands make up nearly half of Israel’s population. Yet European or “Ashkenazi” Jews have historically disparaged them because the emigrants looked Arab, spoke Arabic, and brought with them what was viewed as a “backward” Middle Eastern culture. David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, called them “human dust with no Jewish or human culture.” Such opinions permeated Israeli society. Middle Eastern or “Mizrahi” emigrants were kept in transit camp longer than Ashkenazi Jews and had poorer housing, educational, and occupational opportunities. 

Shabi returned to Israel for a year to investigate the tense relations that still exist between Mizrahi and Ashkenazi Jews in Israel. She traces the history of this split, starting with the centuries-old story of the Jewish Diaspora, then discussing how Mizrahi figured in the founding and building of Israel, protests by the Mizrahi Black Panther Party in 1971—“the first clash of Jew against Jew in Israel”—and a successful campaign in the 1990s to get the Israeli Ministry of Education to remove negative stereotyping of Yemenites in a textbook. Internalizing such stereotypes led a Moroccan Israeli university professor to begin passing for Ashkenazi when she was only eight years old, even though it meant “destroying, down to the roots, the identity that my parents gave me…rejecting everything: their past, their language, their values.”

Israel’s striving to be a European country and demeaning the culture of its Mizrahi citizens has dislocated those citizens from their own Judeo-Arab identities, and has helped make Israel a misfit state in the Middle East. Shabi combines historical research with intimate oral interviews to shed light on ethnic injustice within Israel, past and present.  Her passionate, personal connection and the heartfelt stories told by other Mizrahis make “We Looked Like the Enemy” a stunning, unforgettable book.

]]> 2009 0 0 false Wed Nov 18 19:24:31 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 18 19:24:31 -0800 2009 8 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=6074562