Mizrahi Jews speak out

Arab Times

22-07-2025

Jews from the Middle East and North Africa are commonly referred to as 'Mizrahim', a term derived from the Hebrew word 'mizrah', meaning 'east', with some identifying as Arab Jews. The Mizrahim trace their roots to some of the world's oldest Jewish communities, dating back to the Babylonian and Roman exiles. Historically, they lived in countries such as Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Syria, Egypt, and Morocco.
Over centuries, the Mizrahim developed unique traditions, languages, and customs shaped by the diverse societies in which they lived. Nearly all Mizrahi Jews immigrated to Israel before, during, and after 1948, and today they make up nearly half of the country's population. However, as Eastern Jews, they faced discrimination similar to that experienced by Sephardic Jews, whose roots trace back to Spain and Portugal, at the hands of the Ashkenazim, the upper class of Israeli society whose origins lie primarily in Russia, Ukraine, Eastern Europe, and, to a lesser extent, Western Europe.
Prominent anti-Zionist political commentator Alon Mizrahi, who identifies as an Arab Jew, recently offered his perspective on developments concerning the relationship between Lebanon and Syria, and the roles the United States and Israel are playing in them. Mizrahi claimed that the recent aggressive rhetoric and actions toward these two countries stem from a simple reason: The Israelis realize, and can feel, that the era of Zionism is rapidly nearing its end, both in American public opinion and in the Middle East. He described the current efforts as a last-ditch attempt to secure short-term gains in the hope that the existing political structure might somehow survive.
However, he suggested that such hopes are unlikely to materialize. The remainder of his commentary focused on what he views as the looming decline of the Israeli state. Mizrahi's words may strike some as overly optimistic. After all, who would have imagined that Iran, isolated under a harsh American-Western blockade for over 40 years, lacking even a single operational warplane, and governed by a hardline religious regime, could partially breach Israel's defenses and inflict any level of disruption? Yet it has managed to do so. While the situation remains complex, the long-elusive dream of peace may now be closer than ever. But what about Israel's nuclear arsenal? Some may point to Ukraine, which once gave up its nuclear weapons, as a precedent. Neutralizing Israel's nuclear capabilities is not impossible, especially as other regional powers now possess comparable strategic assets. However, achieving such an outcome remains highly unlikely soon.
By Ahmad alsarraf