Levana Finkelstein in campaign's video
Ilan Seinfeld, behind the campaign
Photo: Adi Ness
Mizrahim: Anti-homophobia campaign racist
New internet video campaign tries to promote tolerance for homosexuality as natural, legitimate thing, but Mizrahi Democratic Rainbow Coalition says this is done at the expense of Mizrahim, women. Videos' producer says in response: 'They don't know what satire is'
A new internet campaign has managed to convey a strong message against homophobia, but at the same time has enraged feminists and Mizrahi activists, who say the "Cutting homophobia" campaign only "exchanges one form of hatred for another, and proves above all that the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community in Israel is controlled by white Ashkenazi men."
The critics, from the Mizrahi Democratic Rainbow Coalition, were particularly angered by two video clips meant to promote tolerance of homosexuality as a natural and legitimate thing.
In one video, titled "Majadara" – a lentil dish popular among Mizrahim – actress Levana Finkelstein portrays a Mizrahi woman preaching to mothers to accept their children as they are, while using images derived from the world of cooking.
Chairman of the Mizrahi Democratic Rainbow Coalition Ortal Ben Dayan says this video is insulting to people of Mizrahi origin. "You see Levana Finkelstein speaking inarticulately with intentional language errors and with a Mizrahi accent, while she is sorting lentils and explaining to her Mizrahi audience why they should respect difference – while of course using metaphors from the culinary world," she said.
"As soon as she finishes her Mizrahi text, she puts on her glasses and switches to an Ashkenazi accent," she added.
The other video, titled "Bed stories", shows two IDF officers talking in a bedroom, with one of them telling the other about his day using macho-military slang. The two then undress and get into bed together.
According to Ben Dayan, the language used in this video is offensive to women, with one of the officers saying, "That arms officer is such a cow, it disgusts me… she scares away all the logistics transvestites, I thought I was gonna hit her with a roadside bomb."
His partner responds nonchalantly, as they both fall asleep in each other's arms, saying, "I just don't understand, what are girls doing in the IDF?"
Dayan says the campaign, which is essentially a welcomed move meant to encourage tolerance and nullify society's racial and sexist hierarchies, actually restores sexist and violent trends.
"It is as if they are trying to show they are like everyone else by being as sexist as everyone else," she said. "They are saying, 'We are like everyone else – racist sexists.' This is what the poet and publicist Ilan Seinfeld (who is behind the campaign) does when he's not busy writing bloodthirsty poems for our troops on the Lebanese front: he helps deepen the social polarization, and perpetuate stereotypes."
"We view homophobia as another form of racism that we speak out against, but we are not willing to exchange one form of hatred for another."
Dayan added that the campaign shows that the GLBT community also has a very clear food chain. "Some of the videos display very racist, sexist and chauvinistic statements in a strange and ironic way aimed at the communities weakest link – women, Mizrahim, and transsexuals.
"It's a wonder that the homo-lesbian community of all people is behind such statements."
Producer Yariv Mozer, who produced the campaign, gave a brief response, saying, "I'm sending the Mizrahi Democratic Rainbow Coalition to learn what satires and irony are."
