A.     A Brief History of the Sources of Stereotyping Yordim

The creation of the state of Israel was the culminating achievement of the Zionist movement.  It replaced both the traditional Orthodox messianic belief and the failure of the Enlightenment’s unfulfilled aspirations. Furthermore, the establishment of the state of Israel was catalyzed by the holocaust, the worst tragedy in Jewish history.  The return of Jews to Israel, the revival of the Hebrew language, the establishment of a modern democratic state, as well as the wars, battles, various inter-group social conflicts and, recently, the peace movement in the Middle East are among the most fascinating world events of the 20th century.  Israel is unique to the Jewish people. This is a source of conflict between various Jewish groups according to how they see the existence and, more importantly, the maintenance of Israel.

The first disappointment confronting Israelis after the foundation of their independent nation was that the affluent Jewish Diaspora, especially those from the United States, did not intend to migrate to Israel.  This became a public issue in 1953 when Ben Gurion expressed his displeasure at an American Zionist conference. He claimed that a Zionist must live in Israel:

In order to see a Zionist we must live an all-embracing Jewish life in our homeland surrounded by the Hebrew language and Hebrew culture.  We must take part in everyday building of our country, educate our children to live and build there, to defend our homeland and fully identify with it (Shokeid, 1987, p.4).

His rhetoric did not move the American Jewish establishment. The conference reached a compromise “contract” whereby Israelis would be the guardians of the Jewish State, and Zionists in America would provide political and financial support.  In Israel, resentment developed toward Diaspora Jews who did not want to actively join in the struggle. The Canaanite movement, for example, claimed that Jews in Israel bore no relationship to Jews of the Diaspora.  Canaanites claimed a closer association with the ancient people who had occupied the land. 

The emigration of Israelis has created an imbalance to the status quo of the 1950's.  Jewish immigrants have essentially invaded and supplanted indigenous Jewish culture, creating even greater conflict among Jews everywhere. Since the middle 1970s, Israeli newspapers and periodicals have dealt with the issue of Yerida.  They often describe emigrating Israelis to the U.S. in disparaging tone.