Culture  Lifestyle
Melting pot or not
Yuval Kinar
Published: 31.08.07, 17:49
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26 Talkbacks for this article
1. What, no witty talkbacks from the usual suspects?
Jakie ,   Sydney, Australia   (09.01.07)
Wow, this article is pretty sad. I feel sorry for Said and Senbato. As for the Orthodox guy - they do have their own institutions in which secular people (let alone often mizrahi and ethiopians!) generally are not welcome. this division in israeli society really must be overcome. however, it is not fair to think that these attitudes are only present in israel - one would expect similar results all over the world sadly. funny that from once being ill-perceived sephardim are now near the top according to this study.
2. Validity, but posibly misleading
J K ,   NYC, USA   (08.31.07)
People are people everywhere you go. They like some, they dont like others. This doesnt necessarily prove such things are institutionalized in any sort of controlled way. Just that people have their own prejudices anywhere and need to get over themselves.
3. Wow! Great job, Ynet!
Damir ,   Russia   (08.31.07)
4. thanks again ynet......study? lmao
jack bauer ,   AU   (09.01.07)
what does this show us all? that Israel is just like every other country on earth. It also shows how when ynet has real news stories they can research, instead they put up this stuff to convince the world how racist Israelis are. you know its funny that a few jews can be thrown out of their homes in hebron and the police and troops all get involved....is that racist? I didn't here any leftnik bleeding hearts then going on about the racist Israelis then, oh wait, its ok to hate on jews, just not jews disliking "other kinds" of jews what did this prove? some people dont want a russian living next door? some people dont want an arab next door? hasdim, or not? Just who do you think you are to impose on others what they should think or feel. If your child was killed by a suicide bomber should you be forced to rent out your extra room to an arab to make ynet and the leftniks feel politically correct?
5. Excellent Study - Great Job Ynet
Aharon   (09.01.07)
This is the sort of creativity in journalism I like yo see, which exposes genuine facts rather than digested propaganda. Well done Ynet, keep it up, I hope to see many more creative things of this sort.
6. a couple of questions for jack bauer
Vitaliy ,   Brooklyn   (09.01.07)
these are rhetorical - they need no answer. After reading your last two sentences, I couldn't help but wonder - exactly how many bombings were committed by Ethiopians, Russians, and Hasidim? The point is that there is racism/nativism, call it what you want- that exists in Israeli society...
7. #6 Vitaly - too far away to understand or too arrogant
Haifa, Israel   (09.01.07)
Perhaps only news of bombings get to you over there, or just the larger-scale crimes. Hasidim DO commit terrorist acts here, and Russians (former Soviets, not vatikim) commit so much personal crime only semantics keep it from being called terrorism. This does not even include the "white collar" crimes they commit - stealing tax money, forging medical and driver's licenses, being racist themselves, among a few. The only true act of racism was against Senbato - mostly a result of the garbage from your own countries.
8. Would these results have been any different
Israel, formerly USA   (09.01.07)
if these 6 had been women? All as model-beautiful as Itai? I'm thinking Iman would have had no trouble being invited to espresso machine orientation... Racial prejudice is strong everywhere, but fear of men in an age of rampant crime and terrorism is even stronger.
9. Racism in America
NYC Girl   (09.01.07)
This is reminiscent of a TV commercial for a NYC agency that monitors fair housing practices. It features a man who calls about an apartment for rent using various characters...an African-American, a Hispanic, a man with a Yiddish accent who mentions that he uses a wheel chair and, finally, a man with an Anglo-Saxon name speaking flawless, unaccented English. The upshot is that after the first three calls where he was told the apartment had been rented, the last caller is then informed the apartment is available. And while this was a portrayal done for the purpose of presenting a public service advertisement, it's based on an unfortunate reality that exists even in one of the most liberal cities in America.
10. Publish the names of the discriminators
Mark Leaman ,   Melbourne, Australia   (09.01.07)
From my own living in Israel I can tell you that the country is almost tribal sometime. If it wasn't for the common threat from the likes of Syria. Israel as a nation would have ripped itself apart by now. One of the good things about the IDF is that it does help to break down these barriers in Israeli society. However, those who discriminate should be exposed. The differances are on three palnes - race, religion and politcs! I think that in another 50 years things will be much better.
11. this article seems shorter than the printed one
idan ,   haifa,israel   (09.01.07)
i think a few cities were cut out in the translation process. why is that? anyway, i was surprised to see that in my city a Russian would get a negative response, since as far as I'm concerned the Russians here are just as integrated into the society as the rest. not surprised with the response to the arab, could've told that he would be welcomed a mile away. as for the orthodox, again, not surprised. my brother used to work in a video store for 3 years. then he rediscovered his faith and started wearing kipah and all. within 3 weeks he was fired under some ridicules accusation. he hasn't been able to get a job since, only after he moved to Jerusalem.
12. #11 - They're "integrated"?!
5th generation ,   Haifa, Israel   (09.01.07)
Trying to take over by erasing state culture and language is NOT integrating.
13. Racists
Yaakov Levy ,   Jerusalem   (09.01.07)
I agree with Jack Bauer. Why should someone whose relative or friend was murdered by Arabs have to rent an apartment to them? It's true that not all Arabs are murderers, but most probably don't condemn terrorism, according to some of the polls taken.
14. I'm here to stay
Paz ,   NZ   (09.02.07)
So I'm asking, why try to bring me back to Israel? No amount of incentives for returning residents would tempt me to return. I have my beautiful seaview, here I am known as the clever Jewish inventor & no one cares what ethnicity I am. Do I have to put up not only with bombs around me but to score second class citizen status as well? Moroccan Jews- come in numbers, you will be welcome in the Auckland Jewish community. Email us at aji@xtra.co.nz
15. what you would expect?
South Pacific Jew ,   Wellington   (09.02.07)
Being a diaspora Jew I just appreciate having other Jews around..and I can understand that Arabs might have a problem, as difficult as that might be for them. Sadly accents matter- they certainly do even here in egalitarian NZ. But it's something that Israel needs to get over, because it has enough enemies without making enemies within. As for Sephardim ( which I am not) the most cultured, attractive & interesting Jews I know are the Sephardi. And as for the poor Ethiopian, hasnt he been through enough already? Time to stop all this nonsense. You're stuck together so get over yourselves.
16. As a 'Russian' Israeli I am surprised by the results
NB ,   TA   (09.02.07)
In particular that the Sepharari came up before the Russian. I think in general the situation of our community is not that bad at all. I did not encounter anti Russian sentiments for years now and most people I know are well integrated.
17. there is racism everywhere in the world and, yes, in israel
mike ,   israel (formerly usa   (09.03.07)
although it is nothing like the racism found islamic countries, but racism is EVERYWHERE there are people. why is this news? because there are many who hold israel to a higher standard than the rest of humanity. sorry to disappoint everyone, but israel is just as human as everyone else. welcome to life on planet earth.
18. O.k. good study, but now it's the womens turn!
(09.03.07)
COME ON Y-NET WE'RE WAITING!!!!!
19. Discrimintation
liat ,   rishon lezion israel   (09.04.07)
Why didn't they try a gay men? They would find the most negative responses. I think the fact that they didn't use a guy or transgender person is another example of how Israeli society wants to shun the GLT cummunity.
20. Viva Holon!!!!
Proud Holoni   (09.04.07)
21. Nothing different here than from any
(09.04.07)
other multi-ethnic country in the world. This is how human beings are.
22. I'm very pleased to live in Haifa...
Helene ,   Israel   (09.07.07)
Discrimination may exist anywhere, but so far, I have almost never seen any of it in Haifa (after 20 years since I first saw the city). I was severly discriminated in Hebron, though, in 1987, near the market - if I had stayed another minute, I would have been lynched, without any fault of my own...
23. Rebuttal is not Racism
Eli S ,   London, UK   (09.11.07)
Just because you rebuff someone doesnt mean you are a racist..Halacha demands that a jew always tries and employs a Jew, because its a good deed towards a brother to do so, hence avodah ivrit. Do you think the employer wants an Arab, or any irresponsible Non-Jew, especially as many Arabs are deemed by the most part as an enemy population in Israel (See Sheikg Salah and the Nakaba crowds in the North for the perfect working example), working with jewish kids, I think not! Its the silly western diatribe that labels anything as racist if it seems to oppose the idea. Is opposing a sports team racist, dont think so? I see plenty of poor Jews who need these jobs, after all why doesnt the post-jewish left in israel think about Halacha once in a while, and think about what they are saying. If Arabs want jobs, Im sure Irbid Mall or Paris Hamas HQ has a few vacancies! Also, who said the Jews or Arabs were a race, or are racially seperate, or moreover racially apart. The main thing here is that Jews are Jews because of their chosen yoke, which divides them from the gentiles without any second thoughts, in spite of any assumed racial differences. Again, and so what, Israel is a complex society, does it matter about these things? Dont we expect them in such a web of intricacies? And if so, do so think over half of the country, which are observant gives a dogs dinner about so-called job equality, when they have their priorities on leading Jewsih lives, which means looking after the Klal Yisrael community and therefore putting Jews before Non-Jews in the line of pay packets!
24. Contempt of the other provides a reassuring feeling of
Yoav Naor ,   Haifa   (09.12.07)
Identity.It's everywhere,try wearing a Kippah in Europe or anwhere else in the world,even in Israel. It is not necessery to posess a concept of race to entertain prejudices towards other peoples.
25. WHERE IS THE ANGLO IMMIGRANT...
Olej Gamur ,   Israel   (09.12.07)
NBN get on this right away... Oh, sorry, I forgot. You sold your soul to IDT, telemarketing.
26. no oleh chadash?
RC   (09.15.07)
what about a new immigrant? based on personal experience, I know s/he would be able to get a job as long as it paid no more than minimum wage
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