Xenophobia in Tel Aviv

Guernica, March 8, 2011 This morning, I woke to the news that a woman had been stabbed to death in South Tel Aviv. Two men—dubbed migrant workers by the Hebrew press, but referred to as “African descent” in the English-language media, suggesting they were probably asylum seekers—were briefly held under suspicion for the crime. They …

Israeli rabbis’ racist decree strikes at the soul of Judaism

The Guardian, December 8, 2010 Over 50 of Israel’s leading rabbis have issued a religious decree forbidding Jews from renting or selling homes or land to non-Jews—namely, Arabs, migrant workers, and African refugees. The letter was signed by rabbis across the country—many of who are employed by the state as municipal religious leaders—and urged Jews …