Intra-Jewish Conflict
As European Jews became viewed as Whites, Black Jews were excluded and thought of as different from White Jews. An article written by Amith Ben-David and Adital Tirosh Ben-Ari on Black Jews in Israel, they analyze how Black Jews were viewed as different from White Jews. During the early 1990’s, Ethiopia was in the midst of a civil war. In May of 1991, almost 14,000 Ethiopian Jews were rescued and brought to Israel, and have been migrating to Israel ever since (Ben-David and Ben-Ari, 511). Ethiopian Jews were devout followers, but did not follow the Jewish traditions and laws followed by most other Jews (Ben-David and Ben-Ari, 511). This led to the belief that they were distinct from the White Jews living in Israel.
Further, Ben-David and Ben-Ari also state that Ethiopian Jews may have had a drastically reduced self-identity as they moved from a predominantly Black culture to a country where the White race was viewed as typical (Ben-David and Ben-Ari, 511). In interviews on Ethiopian Jews in Israel, many claimed that their religious devotion was questioned and they experienced prejudice by White Jews (Ben-David and Ben-Ari, 511). In their article, they claim that the category that experiences an individual’s life is color, otherwise referred to the as the master status. The Ethiopian Jews claimed that the first impression that many White Jews in Israel perceive is that they are Black (Ben-David and Ben-Ari, 521).
Further, Ben-David and Ben-Ari also state that Ethiopian Jews may have had a drastically reduced self-identity as they moved from a predominantly Black culture to a country where the White race was viewed as typical (Ben-David and Ben-Ari, 511). In interviews on Ethiopian Jews in Israel, many claimed that their religious devotion was questioned and they experienced prejudice by White Jews (Ben-David and Ben-Ari, 511). In their article, they claim that the category that experiences an individual’s life is color, otherwise referred to the as the master status. The Ethiopian Jews claimed that the first impression that many White Jews in Israel perceive is that they are Black (Ben-David and Ben-Ari, 521).