#ashkenazi jew = white settler colonist

[former-leftist-jew]

You should also read "The Wandering Jew Has Arrived" by Albert Londres.

Published in 1930, it was written by a French Christian journalist who spent a year living and traveling among Jewish ghettos, from the East End (read: poor end) of London all the way to Ukraine, before traveling to Palestine to witness this new-fangled, unpopular "Zionism" movement.

Since Albert Londres wasn't Jewish (or Arab) and thus didn't have any skin in the game, this is as unbiased a source as you're going to read from someone who actually lived during that time, and tried to faithfully record the thoughts and feelings of those he met.

Which Jews was this new movement actually popular with? How many were against it? How many returned to Europe? How did the Arab Muslims feel about Jews in Palestine prior to 1948?

Here's a rare chance to read all about it from people who actually lived during that time and experienced it firsthand.

finished reading thru The Hundred Years' War On Palestine: A History of Settler Colonial Conquest and Resistance by Rashid Khalidi and I cannot recommend it enough. A lot of people and, very likely, the average, person not completely blinded by Islamophobia and/or USamerican/European/British exceptionalism are probably at least moderately sympathetic to the Palestinian cause but I don't know how many of us actually understand the degrees by which Israel is based in settler colonial ideology, how it has continually attempted to subjugate and ultimately eradicate the Palestinian people, and the degree by which the US and Britain (but mostly the US ever since the Six Day War in 1967) have been complicit in this continual genocide.

This book is an amazing comprehensive guide on understanding the conflict and I genuinely think you should give it a read (or listen) if you want to learn more. It is one thing to feel sympathy and to declare support for a cause, but I think it is important to take a step further and educate yourself more on it. A ploy I have seen frequently by zionists is to tell people to "educate themselves" before commenting on this genocide, hoping to instill doubt and encourage silence. Well, here is your chance to educate yourself! I'm obviously biased in favor of this one as it is the first major text on the Palestinian genocide that I have read, but I fully believe in its quality.

You can find this book online in PDF format or, if you prefer, you can purchase a physical copy from many of the large retail bookstores; Barnes & Noble in the US sells it, and so does Waterstones in the UK. There is also an official audiobook that you can either purchase through many of the major audiobook distributors (though I recommend avoiding Amazon if it can be helped), but you can also obtain it via other means if necessary. It's actually currently up on YouTube in its entirety, though I won't link it here in case it gets taken down. (It's really easy to search for, just type in the books title + 'audiobook' into your preferred search engine or on YouTube itself and you'll find it. It's about 10 hours long which is a reasonable length for an audiobook). I'll include a link in this post to an overview/lecture/dialogue with the author Rashid Khalidi on the contents of the book conducted at Brown University in 2020.

I do ask you read this book. I think a lot of people already are. I checked a couple of online libraries that have a limited number of audiobook copies that had all been checked out and that to me implies that people do want to educate themselves. There's a sizeable stack of these books at the local bookstore I ocassionally shop at, front and center on the table in the history and world affairs section. It's not hard to find. I hope you all have a good day or evening and I know that if we all take the time to educate ourselves further and approach this genocide with a deeper understanding, we may be able to do something about it. Emotional pleas are not enough, they must be informed ones as well.

[psychotrenny]

And people keep trying to justify Israel's existence on the basis that it is somehow a safe place for the preservation of Jewish people and their culture and not only is that an awful argument for establishing a Settler Colonist Apartheid State but it's not even true. Like the state is politically and economically dominated by Ashkenazi Jews from Northern Europe and their descendants. While not as severely mistreated as Palestinians, there is still a significant disparity between the European and Non-European Jews in terms of income and education. Non-European Jews are still regularly subject to interpersonal bigotry (hell earlier this year there was a news story about a viral video where Ashkenazi girls in a Purim made a skit mocking the Mizrahi) and Israel government policies towards non-Ashkenazi migrants have done severe damage to their social structure and cultural traditions. Not to mention the fact that the whole reason why many Mizrahi migrated in the first place was to escape the violence caused by European Jews committing atrocities in their name, tearing communities apart as neighbours that had peacefully co-existed for centuries found themselves on opposite sides of this new ethno-religious conflict

There have even been attempts in Israeli history at the forceful assimilation or even biological reduction of non-European Jews; the kidnapping and adoption of Yemeni Jewish children in the 1950s is significant example of the former while the forced contraception of Beta Israeli (Ethiopean Jewish migrants) with the explicit intention of reducing their population's birth rate is an example of the latter. There's also very clear favouritism when it comes to recent converts; white Afrikaner converts are given the right of Aliyah while Nigerian Igbos are not. Like the fact of the matter is that Israel's fundamental nature is as a European Settler Colony, incredibly racist not only towards the indigenous Palestinians but the many Non-European Jews it claims to represent. It's an outpost of Western Imperialism, not a haven for the Jewish people. If it was ever meant to be the latter than it has failed miserably

[okjuuzu]

"especially for me to come live in, from europe"

Yes, because the Arab Israelis and the Jews forced out of the SWANA region and Central Asia and the Ethiopian Jews who had no other option but to seek safety when they were expelled from their homes with no one to take them in should go back to... Europe.

And people keep trying to justify Israel's existence on the basis that it is somehow a safe place for the preservation of Jewish people and their culture and not only is that an awful argument for establishing a Settler Colonist Apartheid State but it's not even true. Like the state is politically and economically dominated by Ashkenazi Jews from Northern Europe and their descendants. While not as severely mistreated as Palestinians, there is still a significant disparity between the European and Non-European Jews in terms of income and education. Non-European Jews are still regularly subject to interpersonal bigotry (hell earlier this year there was a news story about a viral video where Ashkenazi girls in a Purim made a skit mocking the Mizrahi) and Israel government policies towards non-Ashkenazi migrants have done severe damage to their social structure and cultural traditions. Not to mention the fact that the whole reason why many Mizrahi migrated in the first place was to escape the violence caused by European Jews committing atrocities in their name, tearing communities apart as neighbours that had peacefully co-existed for centuries found themselves on opposite sides of this new ethno-religious conflict.

There have even been attempts in Israeli history at the forceful assimilation or even biological reduction of non-European Jews; the kidnapping and adoption of Yemeni Jewish children in the 1950s is significant example of the former while the forced contraception of Beta Israeli (Ethiopean Jewish migrants) with the explicit intention of reducing their population's birth rate is an example of the latter. There's also very clear favouritism when it comes to recent converts; white Afrikaner converts are given the right of Aliyah while Nigerian Igbos are not. Like the fact of the matter is that Israel's fundamental nature is as a European Settler Colony, incredibly racist not only towards the indigenous Palestinians but the many Non-European Jews it claims to represent. It's an outpost of Western Imperialism, not a haven for the Jewish people. If it was ever meant to be the latter than it has failed miserably

This was a post from @psychotrenny

[girlactionfigure]

Israelis, and Jews More Broadly, Are Not Appropriating Anything

Good old Israeli hummus

With the “debate” over Israel’s legitimacy permeating Western campuses and media, Israeli culture has periodically oscillated in and out of the limelight. In particular, disputes over what aspects of Israeli culture – especially Israeli cuisine – are “authentically” Israeli (hint: if it’s Middle Eastern, then it’s “obviously not Israeli”) have become one of the most contentious frontiers of the entire anti-Zionist war on Jewish rights.

Attendant to the narrative that Zionist returnees in Israel/Palestine are “settler colonists” who “stole” Arab land, anti-Semites similarly charge Israelis and diaspora Jews alike with “stealing” Arab culture in the hope of weaving a convincing tale of Jewish indigeneity out of whole cloth. It is a fictive that aims to dispossess Jews of their own cultural heritage, identity, peoplehood and, eventually, their land.

However, the fact remains that most – if not all – of what Palestinian Arabs accuse us of “appropriating” are not really “Palestinian” at all. In fact, they have been a part of Jewish culture since Biblical times, long predating the Arab conquest of the Levant – and thus any Palestinian claim to exclusive ownership thereof. Since these allegations tend to fall exclusively on Ashkenazi Israelis – who are erroneously defamed as “white European settlers” – I will not focus on the Mizrahi claim to these items, but instead on the broader Jewish one.

Hummus and Pita – Hummus is a popular chickpea-spread that is eaten all over the Levant, whereas pitas are a type of flatbread — made from unleavened or slightly leavened bread — that is often used to make wraps/sandwiches. Both are mentioned in the Torah, a Jewish text that was written in the 6th century BCE and is thus far older than the Arab occupation of Israel.

A direct translation of Ruth 2:14 into English gives us this “And Boaz told her when it came time to eat, ‘come forward and eat the bread, and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar'”

Of particular note here are the words used for vinegar (hamitz, or hometz) and piece of bread (pat/pittek). The Hebrew term “hometz/hamitz” sounds virtually identical to the modern Arabic term “hummus”, and to the modern Hebrew term “himtza” which means “chickpeas”. It is unlikely that hamitz or hometz actually meant “vinegar”, since vinegar is not a dip. It is an acid that is often used in cooking, but is not served on its own. Hummus, on the other hand, is a dip. The Arabic term “hummus” is most likely just a bastardized form of the Hebrew word for chickpeas.

A delicious pita sandwich

Moreover, chickpea cultivation in the Levant goes all the way back to the Bronze Age, and chickpeas were considered a main source of protein in ancient Israel. They’ve been found at Iron Age Israelite sites as well.

The Hebrew term “pat” or “pittek” essentially means “a piece of bread”. In Aramaic, a language that is extremely close to Hebrew (and was even spoken by most Jews in late antiquity), “pat” means “pita”. The Encyclopedia of Jewish Food written by Gil Marks also mentions pita-like flatbread that was both eaten and used for cooking in ancient Israel.

In other words, it is clear from these texts that the Jews were familiar enough with hummus and pita in Biblical times to have a written record of them. That means these foods cannot possibly be of Palestinian Arab origin, since these events occurred at least 1,000 years before the Arab conquest of the Levant. It should also go without saying that the idea that no one in Israel ate chickpeas or flatbread before the Arabs showed up is flat out ridiculous.

Lentil soup – Or “Nezid”/”Meraq Adashim” in Hebrew. As the name suggests, it is a soup made with lentil. Other common ingredients include beans, peas, and sometimes meat. As with hummus and pita, lentil soup is mentioned in the Torah, specifically in Genesis 25:29-34.

Nezid aka lentil soup

“And Esau said to Jacob, ‘Please pour me some of this red stuff’……..And Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil soup”

Likewise, archaeologists and non-Biblical historians have confirmed the existence of lentil soups and porridges in ancient Israel.

Halva – Although the precise origins of halva are still a matter of debate, there is sufficient evidence that Jews have been eating Levantine halva since Biblical times. This version is made from tahini, a type of ground sesame paste that was allegedly introduced to Israel by the ancient Persians either during or shortly after the Babylonian Exile, although sesame and honey (the main ingredients for halva) have existed in Israel since the Natufian period. The Babylonian Exile predates the Arab conquest by more than 1,000 years, whereas the Natufian period predates the Arab invasions by 9-10,000 years, so halva is obviously not an Arab food. According to archaeologists, sesame in a “cake-like form” (halva) was eaten by Jews in ancient Israel. Some scholars have even theorized that Levantine halva may, in fact, be the fabled manna mentioned in the Torah. Other optional ingredients (e.g. pistachios) may be included also.

Israeli halva with pistachios

It is commonly assumed, based on the etymology of the term “halva” (Arabic for “sweet”) and the fact that the earliest recorded mention of halva is in a 13th century Egyptian cookbook, that halva is an Arab food. This view is flawed for a number of reasons. One, ground sesame (tahini) forms the basis of the Israeli halva. Although sesame is native to the Levant and Mesopotamia, it does not grow in the Arabian Peninsula (as the environment there is too arid to support such a crop). Furthermore, ground sesame is mentioned in ancient Mesopotamian texts going back at least 3,000 years (at a time when Israel and Mesopotamia were closely linked), so the concept certainly did not arise in Arabia. As with hummus and pita, the idea that no one in the Levant ate tahini before the Arabs arrived is ludicrous.

Second, Levant style halva is apparently old enough that it had been eaten by Ashkenazi Jews in Europe for well over 1,000 years, even in areas that had never been touched by the Arabs or the Ottomans. Third, and most importantly, it was customary of Arab colonists to attach Arabic names to foods, clothing items, instruments, and even cities taken from indigenous peoples. The fact that halva is an Arabic term is by no means conclusive proof, or even evidence, of Arab origin. If anything, it is consistent with the pattern of Arab colonialism and appropriation of indigenous cultures.

The most likely explanation is that Levantine halva is an indigenous (albeit Persian-influenced) southern Levantine food that had been eaten by Jews since antiquity, but had an Arabic name grafted onto it either during or after the Arab conquests.

Za’atar and other Middle Eastern spices – Za’atar is the Arabic term for “Ezob”, an indigenous herb of Israel. Ezob is Hebrew for “hyssop” and is mentioned in both the Torah and the Mishnah, wherein it is described as a condiment and a ritual purification agent. This herb is frequently mixed with sesame (which, again, does not grow in the Arabian Peninsula), sumac (which comes from southern Europe), and salt (which could easily be obtained from the Dead Sea). Other popular Middle Eastern spices like saffron, coriander, myrrh, ginger, pepper, and thyme are known to have been used in ancient Israel as well, although some of these were imported from Arabia, Egypt, Africa, Greece, India, and China.

Za’atar

Turbans and robes – Turbans are mentioned at least 11 times in the Old Testament as miznefet (i.e. “to wrap”), mainly in Exodus, Leviticus (Latin for “Levi”), and Ezekiel. They were worn by both ordinary people and by priests, although the turbans worn by priests were different from those worn by commoners. The high priest of Israel wore a turban that was much larger than that of other priests, winding to make a broad, flat-topped shape resembling the blossom of a flower. The priestly crown (Hebrew “tzitz”, meaning “blossom” or “flower”) was attached to the turban by means of two sets of blue cords: one going over the top of the head and the other around the sides of the head at the ear level.

Yes, I know they are Samaritans, but I couldn’t find anything else that wasn’t copyrighted. And I figure it’s close enough anyway.

Moreover, Jews in medieval Europe (e.g. the 13th/14th century Ashkenazi rabbi Gersonides) are known to have worn turbans. At least until they were outlawed under Europe’s Sumptuary laws.

Robes are also mentioned in the Torah, and are referred to as “adderet”. They are seen as a symbol of glory or wealth, and were also commonly worn by priests. In many cases, they still are.

Ashkenazi Jewish musician Idan Raichel (on the right) wearing a turban and dreadlocks (more on that below)

Abaya – In Hebrew, it is called the sudara or sudra. It is a large square piece of woolen cloth folded diagonally in half into a triangle. It is known to have been worn by Jews in pre-colonial (read: pre-Roman and pre-Arab) Israel.

Read More: Here

Dani Ishai Behan

H/T scartale-an-undertale-au