Migration, Discrimination and Assimilation in the State of Israel
A Case Study of the Indian Jewish Diaspora from 1949 to 1973
In: Diaspora StudiesSearch for other papers by Suraj Rajan Kadanthodu in
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Abstract
The coalescence of Jews from across the world to form a unified Jewish nation-state has been the dream of many Jewish and Zionist leaders. With the gathering of immigrants after the State of Israel was established, the founders strived for a ‘fusion of exiles’ (mizug hagaluyot), where individual migrant cultural identities would assimilate to form a new Israeli identity that was predominantly European. Though the idea of a ‘New State’ appealed to Indian Jews, the promises that were made before they migrated from India did not materialise once they arrived in Israel, and they had to undergo several challenges, including discrimination based on colour and ethnicity, thus delaying their assimilation within Israeli society. This paper tries to understand the migration patterns of the Bene Israeli and Cochin Jewish communities and the prejudices enforced by the Israeli government and its agencies on them, which challenged their integration into mainstream Israeli society.
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| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 833 | 182 | 13 |
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Migration, Discrimination and Assimilation in the State of Israel
A Case Study of the Indian Jewish Diaspora from 1949 to 1973
In: Diaspora StudiesSearch for other papers by Suraj Rajan Kadanthodu in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
The coalescence of Jews from across the world to form a unified Jewish nation-state has been the dream of many Jewish and Zionist leaders. With the gathering of immigrants after the State of Israel was established, the founders strived for a ‘fusion of exiles’ (mizug hagaluyot), where individual migrant cultural identities would assimilate to form a new Israeli identity that was predominantly European. Though the idea of a ‘New State’ appealed to Indian Jews, the promises that were made before they migrated from India did not materialise once they arrived in Israel, and they had to undergo several challenges, including discrimination based on colour and ethnicity, thus delaying their assimilation within Israeli society. This paper tries to understand the migration patterns of the Bene Israeli and Cochin Jewish communities and the prejudices enforced by the Israeli government and its agencies on them, which challenged their integration into mainstream Israeli society.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 833 | 182 | 13 |
| Full Text Views | 35 | 6 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 80 | 21 | 1 |