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“ARE YOU AN ARAB OR A JEW?”  (SAMI SHALOM CHETRIT)—THE JEWISH-ARABIC POSITION IN HEBREW LITERATURE



Author(s)

Mimi Haskin

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DOI:10.17265/1548-6605/2015.10.005

This article focuses on the return to Arab culture in contemporary Mizrachi literature. The paternalistic practices employed by the Ashkenazi authorities towards immigrants from Arab countries delegitimized the Arab culture and its language. This rejection by the hegemonic culture stemmed not only from a self-perception associating itself with the Western world, but also from the perception of Arabism as an enemy. Thus, although the hegemonic culture accepted Jews of Arab countries because of their Judaism, they were excluded due to their Arab roots. In contemporary Mizrachi literature, there is an increasing demand to reclaim and return Arab culture to the Israeli cultural arena, such as in the poetry of Sami Shalom Chetrit, Almog Behar, and Shira Ohayon. This movement towards the Arab sphere is conducted on several levels: A. as a counter-reaction to the oppression of all things Mizrachi; B. activities to present a more complete cultural gamut; C. a political call for reconciliation.