PALESTINE - ISRAEL - JORDAN - SINAI

Off the beaten track tours • Visit sites • Meet locals • Discuss Human Rights & Politics

Israel’s “Foreign Workers”

By Miri –  Neve Sha’anan, South Tel Aviv Israel is a country consisting to a large extent of former refugees and immigrants. At the same time Israel does not consider itself an immigration country – as far as non-Jews are concerned, of course. Walking through Tel Aviv’s South however, will certainly give you a completely […]

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A Community of Its Own? Russian Speaking Jews in Israel

By Miri –  Russian speaking Jews constitute about 20% of Israel’s total population today. Notwithstanding their large numbers, the fact that they have been calling Israel their home for quite a few decades by now, and that especially many of the younger generations perceive of themselves as Israelis, the veteran Israeli population still refers to […]

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On the Bedouin Serving in the Israeli Army

By Miri –  The other day I randomly got into a conversation with two guys. It turned out that they were Bedouin, working for the Ministry of Defense  and living in Tel Aviv. Soon our discussion turned political when I referred to Israel’s Arab population as Palestinians. “They are living in Israel, why do you […]

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On the Economic Situation of Palestinians with Israeli Citizenship

By Miri – A common image of South Tel Aviv Israel and its supporters were shocked by a recent report which qualified the Jewish state as the one with the highest poverty rate among all OECD nations. Poverty in Israel is however not a shared reality for all, instead it is very much concentrated in […]

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The Armenian Community in the Holy Land

By Miri –  The Armenian community in Palestine/Israel is mainly known for their presence in the Armenian Quarter, which constitutes one of the four quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem. The Armenian Church is further known for being part of the custodians of some of the most important Christian sites, including the Church of […]

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The Adyghe – Circassians in Israel

By Miri –  Historical Background Painting of a Circassian Warrior With a history dating back as far as 8000 BC, the Adyghe, commonly known as Circassians or Cherkess, are the oldest indigenous ethnic group of the Northern Caucasus. The original monotheistic religion of the Adyghe, who are subdivided into twelve separate groups, is known as […]

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Jewish Democracy in Action

by Fred Schlomka –The term ‘democracy’ is used today by so many people from different backgrounds that the word has begun to lose any definitive meaning. In particular the dichotomy between the reality of the ‘Jewish Democracy’ in Israel and the Liberal Democracies of the West seems to be diverging rapidly, resulting in a serious […]

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Unrequited Sympathy – The Case of the Maronites in Israel

By Miri –  Obviously the Arab – Jewish divide is by far not the only one in the area and there are way more ethnic or religious groups whose relationships are rather complicated, whose identities have been mobilised and played out against each other during the manifold conflicts that have been shaking the Middle East […]

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The Bahá’ís and Israel

By Miri – Anyone enquiring about the landmarks of the city of Haifa will most likely be right away directed to the majestic Shrine of the Báb and its gardens on Mount Carmel. Together with the Shrine of the Bahá’u’lláh near Acre, these sites make out the Bahá’í World Centre. Much of the international governance […]

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The Beta Israel – Ethiopian Jews in Israel

By Miri –  Today, there are about 130,000 Ethiopians living in Israel, of which more than 38,000 are Israeli-born. In the following we shall briefly outline the origins of these communities, their journeys to Israel and their status within contemporary Israeli society.  Origin and History of the Beta Israel  Beta Israel community in Ethiopia, ca. […]

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The Exodus of Palestinian Christians from the Holy Land

By Miri – Palestine/Israel is unquestionably the birthplace of Christianity. Documentation of pilgrimages to the Holy Land dates back to as early as the 4th century and still today Christians make up the majority of visitors to Israel. Since tourism constitutes one of the major sources of income of the Israeli state, the government is […]

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The Dom Community or the Gypsies of Jerusalem

–> By Miri –  All across Europe Antiziganism or Roma-phobia1is on the rise again. According to human rights organisations Roma communities suffer from systematic discrimination in many areas, and frequently fall victim to serious racist assaults of both verbal and physical nature. The rhetoric used against the communities, including by European government officials and parties, […]

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