Misconceptions of Israeli Culture

[umair127]

I want to make a thread about the misconceptions of Israeli culture because I have seen, both online and offline, people who do not truly understand Israeli culture.

1.) In Israel, there are around 7.8 million people. About one hundred thousand to two hundred thousand are Arab Christians. 1.6 million are Arab Muslim. 6 million are Jewish. Out of those 6 million Jewish people, 3 million are European, 2.9 million are North African and Southwest Asia, and about one hundred thousand are Ethiopian. So about half of the Jewish people in Israel are from outside of Europe and the other half of the Jewish people in Israel are from Europe. Do not let anyone tell you that 90%+ of Israeli Jews are European. That is simply not true.

2.) Hebrew, a Semitic language similar to Arabic, is spoken in Israel. They do not speak Yiddish in Israel.

3.) Israel has Hebrew rap and Hebrew heavy metal music. Not everyone in Israel is super religious and shuns the media and pop culture. For the most part, except observing Shabbat (the Sabbath), Israel is a fairly secular country.

4.) The former President of Israel, Moshe Katzav, is of Iranian descent. The leader of the Kadima Party in Israel, Shaul Mofaz, is also of Iranian descent. There are many Jewish people of Sephardic/Mizrahi (Arab, Berber, and Iranian Jewish) descent in positions of political power in Israel.

5.) People say Israel expelled 700,000 Palestinians in 1948. Well, between 1948 and 1967, 1 million Jews from North Africa and Southwest Asia were expelled by Arab countries and fled to Israel.

6.) Not a misconception. But a fact. Miss Israel 2013 is of Ethiopian descent.

7.) Another fact. An Israeli company invented the first USB drives.

[Rigon]

You forgot to discuss Zionism.

[umair127]

You forgot to discuss Zionism.

Which aspects of it do you want me to discuss? It is a pretty broad term and broad philosophy that encompasses many different viewpoints and opinions.

[noviapriani]

You forgot to discuss Zionism.

no point. Zionism never really was all that influential and is even less so now.

One huge and growing problem for Israel is the Ultra Orthodox. They refuse to serve in the army or anywhere else and demand all sorts of concessions.

One big defect of a single parliamentary system is that the way Israel's constitution is set up you get small parties with huge influence. Which means all too often a tiny minority gets way too much political power. Like the gays in the US; political clout way beyond what they should have by numbers.

[Chef Ramsay]

You forgot to discuss Zionism.

Zionism (Hebrew: צִיּוֹנוּת, translit. Tsiyonut) is a nationalist movement of Jews and Jewish culture that supports the creation of a Jewish homeland in the territory defined as the Land of Israel.[1] A religious variety of Zionism supports Jews upholding their Jewish identity, opposes the assimilation of Jews into other societies and has advocated the return of Jews to Israel as a means for Jews to be a majority in their own nation, and to be liberated from antisemitic discrimination, exclusion, and persecution that had historically occurred in the diaspora.[1] Zionism emerged in the late 19th century in central and eastern Europe as a national revival movement, and soon after this most leaders of the movement associated the main goal with creating the desired state in Palestine, then an area controlled by the Ottoman Empire.[2][3][4] Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of Israel and address threats to its continued existence and security. In a less common usage, the term may also refer to non-political, cultural Zionism, founded and represented most prominently by Ahad Ha'am; and political support for the State of Israel by non-Jews, as in Christian Zionism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionism

[umair127]

I will discuss what I think Zionism is. I think Zionism exists for religious Jews who want a G-d-fearing Homeland to go to. Zionism exists for secular Jews as a place of sanctuary.

Adolf Hitler, as well as modern day Neo-Nazi groups, usually decide to take on a negative view of a person if they are born to a Jewish mother. Hitler did not care whether one was secular or religious. If they were Jewish, then Hitler did not like them. That is why Israel exists. To give both secular and religious Jews a place to go to when they feel like the world, or a particular part of the world, is bearing down on them with threats of antisemitism. That is why many Jews who are secular still support Israel. Because many anti-Semites seem to dislike Jews because they were born Jewish and not whether or not they practice the religion.

[Starscream]

3.) Israel has Hebrew rap and Hebrew heavy metal music. Not everyone in Israel is super religious and shuns the media and pop culture. For the most part, except observing Shabbat (the Sabbath), Israel is a fairly secular country.

Infected Mushroom too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6hL6fkJ1_k
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infected_Mushroom

7.) Another fact. An Israeli company invented the first USB drives.

And to add a few more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-C3UYq-UxA

[solid12345]

5.) People say Israel expelled 700,000 Palestinians in 1948. Well, between 1948 and 1967, 1 million Jews from North Africa and Southwest Asia were expelled by Arab countries and fled to Israel.

Might I also add in 1923, hundreds of thousands of Greeks were forced to pack their bags and leave Anatolia for Greece along with hundreds of thousands of Turks forced to leave Greece in a population swap. Why did this happen? Because politics and circumstances changed after WW1 and no longer could these two people live together. However neither side bitches about it today because it worked.

This is how the Israel/Palestinian situation SHOULD be looked at, a population swap due to war; cultural, religious and political differences necessitates these two people can no longer co-exist hence the existence of Israel and the PLO territories. Is it terrible many Palestinians were forced out of their homes? Sure, but it was also terrible Jews were forced to flee the Arab world too. Instead of looking back into the past and demanding right of return Palestinians should learn to live in their "new" homes in Gaza and West Bank as Arab Jews had to learn to live in Israel. At least for Palestinians they were forced to move 5-10 miles down the road instead of across the whole middle east.

[noviapriani]

How many of those non-Jew citizens are treated as second/third class ?wot's with the hats and pony tails ? why do jews cut large chunks off the ends of their dicks ?

[umair127]

How many of those non-Jew citizens are treated as second/third class

There are many Israeli Arabs in the Israeli Knesset as well as in many other fields like the movie industry. For example, Israeli actor Mohammad Bakri (Israeli Arab Muslim) starred alongside Antonio Banderas in the movie The Body. Bakri also stars in the television show Tyrant, where Ashraf Barhom (Israeli Arab Christian) plays the main character Jamal. You may remember Ashraf Barhom as the senior Saudi agent in the movie The Kingdom with Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Garner.

[umair127]

...and G-d commands Jewish people to cover their heads, wear beards, and have those pony tails. Just as Muslims have beards and cover their heads as well. It is modesty. To cover one's head to show that they are humble before G-d.

[zolace]

Does everyone pay retail? Why do rabbis suck baby dicks?

[sana8410]

I want to make a thread about the misconceptions of Israeli culture because I have seen, both online and offline, people who do not truly understand Israeli culture.

1.) In Israel, there are around 7.8 million people. About one hundred thousand to two hundred thousand are Arab Christians. 1.6 million are Arab Muslim. 6 million are Jewish. Out of those 6 million Jewish people, 3 million are European, 2.9 million are North African and Southwest Asia, and about one hundred thousand are Ethiopian. So about half of the Jewish people in Israel are from outside of Europe and the other half of the Jewish people in Israel are from Europe. Do not let anyone tell you that 90%+ of Israeli Jews are European. That is simply not true.

2.) Hebrew, a Semitic language similar to Arabic, is spoken in Israel. They do not speak Yiddish in Israel.

3.) Israel has Hebrew rap and Hebrew heavy metal music. Not everyone in Israel is super religious and shuns the media and pop culture. For the most part, except observing Shabbat (the Sabbath), Israel is a fairly secular country.

4.) The former President of Israel, Moshe Katzav, is of Iranian descent. The leader of the Kadima Party in Israel, Shaul Mofaz, is also of Iranian descent. There are many Jewish people of Sephardic/Mizrahi (Arab, Berber, and Iranian Jewish) descent in positions of political power in Israel.

5.) People say Israel expelled 700,000 Palestinians in 1948. Well, between 1948 and 1967, 1 million Jews from North Africa and Southwest Asia were expelled by Arab countries and fled to Israel.

6.) Not a misconception. But a fact. Miss Israel 2013 is of Ethiopian descent.

7.) Another fact. An Israeli company invented the first USB drives.

You have a nice list, but the above is inaccurate and carries with it problems besides. It is absolutely true that many Jews were expelled by Arab countries or fled pogroms / potential violence, but to simply attribute every immigrant that came to Israel from Arab lands as one that was forcibly expelled is completely inaccurate.

[umair127]

Does everyone pay retail? Why do rabbis suck baby dicks?

As far as I know, everyone pays full price plus tax. Unless you are a foreigner. Then you get the Value Added Tax refunded eventually.

Why do rabbis suck baby dicks?

Considering they pioneered a technique that lowers the risk of penal cancer before anyone knew what cancer was, I'd say this criticism is pretty fucking pedantic.

[umair127]

I want to make a thread about the misconceptions of Israeli culture because I have seen, both online and offline, people who do not truly understand Israeli culture.

1.) In Israel, there are around 7.8 million people. About one hundred thousand to two hundred thousand are Arab Christians. 1.6 million are Arab Muslim. 6 million are Jewish. Out of those 6 million Jewish people, 3 million are European, 2.9 million are North African and Southwest Asia, and about one hundred thousand are Ethiopian. So about half of the Jewish people in Israel are from outside of Europe and the other half of the Jewish people in Israel are from Europe. Do not let anyone tell you that 90%+ of Israeli Jews are European. That is simply not true.

2.) Hebrew, a Semitic language similar to Arabic, is spoken in Israel. They do not speak Yiddish in Israel.

3.) Israel has Hebrew rap and Hebrew heavy metal music. Not everyone in Israel is super religious and shuns the media and pop culture. For the most part, except observing Shabbat (the Sabbath), Israel is a fairly secular country.

4.) The former President of Israel, Moshe Katzav, is of Iranian descent. The leader of the Kadima Party in Israel, Shaul Mofaz, is also of Iranian descent. There are many Jewish people of Sephardic/Mizrahi (Arab, Berber, and Iranian Jewish) descent in positions of political power in Israel.

5.) People say Israel expelled 700,000 Palestinians in 1948. Well, between 1948 and 1967, 1 million Jews from North Africa and Southwest Asia were expelled by Arab countries and fled to Israel.

6.) Not a misconception. But a fact. Miss Israel 2013 is of Ethiopian descent.

7.) Another fact. An Israeli company invented the first USB drives.

You have a nice list, but the above is inaccurate and carries with it problems besides. It is absolutely true that many Jews were expelled by Arab countries or fled pogroms / potential violence, but to simply attribute every immigrant that came to Israel from Arab lands as one that was forcibly expelled is completely inaccurate.

If there weren't 1 million Jews living in Arab countries in that time period, then how did Israel's Sephardic/Mizrahi Jewish population go up from 1 million to 3 million by 2014? They had to first immigrate to Israel and then have a population boom.

And when it comes to issues of human rights, if Hamas puts down its weapons, then there will be peace. If Israel puts down its weapons, then there will be no Israel.

[sana8410]

Furthermore, I've never been comfortable with the two incidents being linked like this. Doing so seems to carry some intention of downplaying what was and remains a highly immoral and criminal acts (the expulsion of Palestinians from Israel). The fact that other criminal acts were engaged in elsewhere in no way diminishes the legal responsibilities that Israel carries with regards to the Right of Return for Palestinians. Nor does it in any way deminish the gross abuse of human rights carried out by early Israeli administrations and maintained by all future Israeli administrations since.

Just throwing that out there. Side note: there weren't even 1 million Jews living in Arab countries in total during that time period.

[Rigon]

Does everyone pay retail? Why do rabbis suck baby dicks?

Serious. In the desert, an un-cut slong gets packed with sand. dirt, organic materials and bodily fluids which increase the potential for penal cancer if not cleaned regularly.

[sana8410]

I want to make a thread about the misconceptions of Israeli culture because I have seen, both online and offline, people who do not truly understand Israeli culture.

1.) In Israel, there are around 7.8 million people. About one hundred thousand to two hundred thousand are Arab Christians. 1.6 million are Arab Muslim. 6 million are Jewish. Out of those 6 million Jewish people, 3 million are European, 2.9 million are North African and Southwest Asia, and about one hundred thousand are Ethiopian. So about half of the Jewish people in Israel are from outside of Europe and the other half of the Jewish people in Israel are from Europe. Do not let anyone tell you that 90%+ of Israeli Jews are European. That is simply not true.

2.) Hebrew, a Semitic language similar to Arabic, is spoken in Israel. They do not speak Yiddish in Israel.

3.) Israel has Hebrew rap and Hebrew heavy metal music. Not everyone in Israel is super religious and shuns the media and pop culture. For the most part, except observing Shabbat (the Sabbath), Israel is a fairly secular country.

4.) The former President of Israel, Moshe Katzav, is of Iranian descent. The leader of the Kadima Party in Israel, Shaul Mofaz, is also of Iranian descent. There are many Jewish people of Sephardic/Mizrahi (Arab, Berber, and Iranian Jewish) descent in positions of political power in Israel.

5.) People say Israel expelled 700,000 Palestinians in 1948. Well, between 1948 and 1967, 1 million Jews from North Africa and Southwest Asia were expelled by Arab countries and fled to Israel.

6.) Not a misconception. But a fact. Miss Israel 2013 is of Ethiopian descent.

7.) Another fact. An Israeli company invented the first USB drives.

You have a nice list, but the above is inaccurate and carries with it problems besides. It is absolutely true that many Jews were expelled by Arab countries or fled pogroms / potential violence, but to simply attribute every immigrant that came to Israel from Arab lands as one that was forcibly expelled is completely inaccurate.

If there weren't 1 million Jews living in Arab countries in that time period, then how did Israel's Sephardic/Mizrahi Jewish population go up from 1 million to 3 million by 2014? They had to first immigrate to Israel and then have a population boom.

And when it comes to issues of human rights, if Hamas puts down its weapons, then there will be peace. If Israel puts down its weapons, then there will be no Israel.

How? Because you're counting Jews that came from non-Arab states like Turkey and Iran in your numbers. You're thinking of Jews that came from Muslim states, not just Arab ones.

[Rigon]

Is there the chance of a group of people becoming too religious ?

Say you have to get up in the morning and do a day's work and get some rest after, what if getting too religious radically diminishes any chance of putting a good few hours of work in each day, or putting the feet up ?

Say you were brought up Hascidic and yer father said it is not enough to be Hascidic to properly worship god, therefore it could be an insult to god to just go about doing the general hascidic stuff.

[sana8410]

And when it comes to issues of human rights, if Hamas puts down its weapons, then there will be peace. If Israel puts down its weapons, then there will be no Israel.

1.) That's a really old and very poor propaganda line, and has never been true.

2.) That has nothing to do with the comparison that you tried to make. Hamas has nothing to do with the Right of Return or the expulsion of Palestinians in the 40's or the 60's.