By Michelle Agiviav, Stony Brook University, Hasbara Fellow
Dear Israel,
There’s so much I can say about you. You are what we needed for thousands of years.
No other nation is like you are. The Jewish people finally belong and are accepted somewhere. After years of being told to go back to our home, we can finally go home. With all this in mind, it’s important to remind you that you still have imperfections.
The Jewish people are a diverse one. Though we all came from the same nation of Judea, we have not been through the same experiences. The Diaspora led to the dispersal of Jews to different areas of the world. We were not favorably viewed in most places, however, some nations treated our people worse than others. Thankfully the day finally came that the Jewish people would be allowed to move back to our homeland – the land that our souls are connected to. For some, the decision to make aliyah was logical, while for others, it would determine whether they would stay alive.
You are filled with Jews who feel immense joy to be safe in a Jewish state. While about half of your citizens are Mizrahi and non-Ashkenazi, the government was and still is composed of mostly Ashkenazi officials. This has been a consistent problem. Your major issue of colorism has not been addressed and is ingrained into society. My family, just like so many others, were forced into low-income housing with little or no social mobility. They were often rejected from jobs they were qualified for, which led the cycle of poverty and class status to remain stagnant.
I am Mizrahi and so are my parents. When my dad and his family decided to flee Azerbaijan and the USSR, they knew that they would be safe in Israel. What they didn’t expect was to face great discrimination from their Ashkenazi neighbors and government. They were looked down upon and called savages for their culture, food, and darker features. You are a safe haven for millions of Jewish people, but it doesn’t mean that you don’t have issues that have persisted for decades.
Change needs to happen, but it won’t until government officials begin reflecting your population and addressing our struggles. There needs to be more non-Ashkenazi representations in positions of power and greater education in the challenges faced by Jews who do not come from positions of diasporic privilege. Despite all of this, my dad and his family’s love for you never faded. Through all of the challenges, their support for you has not faltered. If this doesn’t show your impact and importance to the Jewish people, then I don’t know what would.
Your independence day is in a few short weeks – 73 years of your official statehood, yet you have been our homeland for thousands of years. You may have imperfections, but you will always be home. Change needs to happen and it needs to happen soon.
With love and support,
A Mizrahi Jew
