Mizrahi feminism facts for kids

Mizrahi feminism is a special movement within Israeli feminism. It helps people understand the unique experiences of Mizrahi women. Mizrahi Jews are Jewish people who came from countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

This movement wants to show that Mizrahi women face challenges because of both their background and their gender. It's like Black feminism and intersectionality, which means looking at how different parts of a person's identity (like race, gender, and class) combine to affect their life. Mizrahi feminism aims for fairness and equality for all women, especially by recognizing the special place Mizrahi women have in society.

Understanding Mizrahi Feminism

Sociologists study how different groups of people are treated in Israeli society. They look at how Mizrahi Jews might be left out by the main group, Ashkenazi Jews. Ashkenazi Jews are Jewish people who came from Europe. Researchers also study how women are sometimes treated unfairly in society, at work, and by the government.

Before, some feminist ideas, like Marxist feminism, connected unfair treatment based on gender to unfair treatment based on social class. But Mizrahi feminism showed that in Israel, social class and ethnic background are closely linked. This means that women from lower-income Mizrahi families might face more challenges. They are not only below men in terms of class, but also below women from higher-income families. So, the differences between groups of women can sometimes be bigger than the differences between men and women from the same group.

Mizrahi feminism wants to highlight the unique identity of Mizrahi women. It says that Mizrahi women have different life stories than Ashkenazi women. They might face challenges not just because they are women, but also because they are Mizrahi. This is the idea of intersectionality – where different parts of their identity meet and create unique experiences.

Vicki Shiran, who helped start Mizrahi feminism in Israel, explained it well. She said that Mizrahi feminists often face challenges from many sides. They might deal with unfair treatment because they are women, because they are Mizrahi, and because they might be from a lower social class. She also noted that Mizrahi feminists are aware of their own place as part of the Jewish majority in Israel. This means they have a complex view of the world and work to create a fairer society.

Mizrahi feminism also points out that sometimes, even within feminism, some groups might be overlooked. It suggests that Ashkenazi feminism, while important, sometimes focuses on the needs of Ashkenazi women from middle and upper classes. Mizrahi feminism argues that the ideas of feminism should include the experiences and priorities of all women in Israel.

Ktzia Alon, a Mizrahi feminist scholar, says that while Mizrahi feminism brings up important discussions, it can also cause disagreements. This is because both "feminism" and "Mizrahi" can be sensitive topics in Israel. Henriette Dahan Kalev, another scholar, shared three key ideas from Mizrahi feminist thinking:

• First, unfair treatment can happen between any groups, not just from the powerful to the less powerful. Even groups that are treated unfairly can sometimes treat others unfairly.
• Second, understanding these differences is key to finding solutions for social change.
• Third, laws and special programs to help groups (like affirmative action) need public support and political effort first.

The Mizrahi feminist poet Esther Shekalim wrote about her own identity. She said: "I am a woman in all my entirety, I am an Israeli, I am a Persian, I am religious, I am alone... Each of these elements is a crucial part of my identity. I am also in favor of gender equality and I most certainly write women's poetry because I know that if I do not do for my identity as a woman, no one else will do it for me." This shows how different parts of her identity are important to her.

History of the Movement

A very important event for Mizrahi feminism was the 10th Feminist Conference. It happened from June 16 to 18, 1994, in Givat Haviva. Many people see this as the official start of Mizrahi feminism in Israel.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, Mizrahi feminists tried to bring their issues to the attention of the wider feminist movement in Israel. They wanted to highlight the unique life experiences of non-white women. They argued that Israeli feminism, which claimed to speak for all women, mostly represented the interests of Ashkenazi women from higher social classes. They felt that their own problems were being ignored. Mizrahi feminists also said they faced unfair treatment from white feminists within the movement itself.

They asked for their unique challenges, based on their ethnic background and social class, to be recognized. They wanted a new feminist plan that included the needs of Mizrahi women. They also demanded a fair share of resources, decision-making power, and representation in the main feminist organizations, which were mostly controlled by Ashkenazi feminists.

When their attempts to be heard failed, a group of Mizrahi women decided to take a different approach. These women included Ella Shohat, Tikva Levy, Mira Eliezer, Henriette Dahan-Kalev, Neta Amar, and Vicki Shiran. At the 10th Feminist Conference in 1994, they decided to "take the mic." They planned actions that would make sure their voices could not be ignored, even if it meant open disagreement.

The Mizrahi feminists protested strongly at the event. They went onto the stage during a discussion and accused Ashkenazi feminists of racism and exclusion. They then shared their personal stories of being Mizrahi in Israel. They talked about how their names were sometimes changed when they arrived in Israel. They also spoke about the unfair treatment and racism they faced in society and institutions. They felt pressured to give up their Arab culture and languages to fit into Israeli society.

The discussion at the conference became very heated. The original plan for the evening was completely changed. It turned into an open debate between the participants, who were divided by their views on the Mizrahi issue. The Ashkenazi women, including those from groups like the Israel Women's Network, strongly denied the claims. They said that ethnic issues were not relevant to feminism. But the Mizrahi women accused the Ashkenazi women of silencing them. They demanded that Ashkenazi feminists recognize how gender, ethnic background, and social class all affect Mizrahi women's lives. They insisted that the struggles of Mizrahi people should be part of the Israeli feminist movement.

What Happened After the Conference

After the conference, and because Ashkenazi feminists did not accept their demands, some Mizrahi women felt they had to create their own separate movement. They organized the first Mizrahi feminist conference in 1996. This conference focused on the history of unfair treatment of Mizrahi people in Israel, from childhood experiences to the recent feminist conference.

Dealing with these issues helped many Mizrahi women become more aware of Mizrahi feminism. Many had not seen feminism as something relevant to them before. Later, as Mizrahi feminist ideas grew stronger, the movement expanded its activities. They worked on areas like laws, education, and culture. They also founded unique Mizrahi feminist organizations. A key example is Achoti - for Women in Israel, started in 2000. This group works based on Mizrahi feminist ideas, offering workshops, a community center, and political action.

Key Issues for Mizrahi Feminism

Mizrahi feminism focuses on the specific challenges that happen when Mizrahi ethnicity and gender combine. Some of the main issues for Mizrahi women in Israel, which also make Mizrahi feminism different from Ashkenazi feminism, include:

• Where people live: Many Mizrahi immigrants were settled in less developed areas of Israel. This often meant economic hardship, less access to resources, and young people being directed towards manual labor jobs.
• Religion and tradition: Mizrahi culture often has stronger ties to Jewish tradition than the main Ashkenazi culture, which is largely secular (non-religious). Feminism, which came to Israel later, was not always ready to include this different group, especially regarding their religious views, work lives, and economic status.
• Racism and unfair treatment: Schools, workplaces, politics, and even the army in Israel can still be unofficially separated by background. This can lead to unfair stereotypes and discrimination. For example, there are big differences in who gets arrested and goes to prison in Israel based on ethnic background.
• The impact of conflict: The term "Mizrahi" in Israel includes Jewish people from many different countries, like Iraq, Egypt, and Morocco. In their home countries, they might not have shared the same language or culture. In Israel, they often shared a similar experience: being brought to Israel to help build the new country. They were sometimes settled in areas to act as a barrier against conflict. Mizrahi youth have also often been placed in combat roles in the military. This means they are on the front lines of conflict. While they face challenges within Israeli society, they are also part of the military that controls Palestinian areas. For women, this means dealing with the effects of conflict on their husbands and sons, like PTSD. At the same time, they might still be seen as less important in society and have lower earning power.

What Inspired Mizrahi Feminism

Mizrahi feminism gets a lot of its ideas from Black feminism. Black feminism argues that not all women have the same experiences. It challenges the idea that there is one "universal" female identity, often based on the experiences of white women.

Black feminism says that African-American women have different goals and experiences than white women. Their lives include being left out, marginalized, and overlooked by society and culture. Because of this, Black women realized they couldn't just follow the main feminist ideas that came from the dominant group (white women). They needed to recognize that other groups of women were also being overlooked. Mizrahi feminism uses this idea to show that Mizrahi women also have unique experiences that need to be recognized within the broader feminist movement.