Israeli Domestic Issues

Documentation of the treatment of Mizrahi Jews and exploitation of the Law of Return by fugitives.

Treatment of Mizrahi Jews

Mizrahi Jews (also called Arab Jews, Oriental Jews, or Sephardic Jews in Israeli discourse) are Jews who immigrated to Israel from Arab and Muslim-majority countries including Iraq, Yemen, Morocco, Egypt, Iran, Syria, Libya, and Tunisia. Upon arrival in Israel, they faced systematic discrimination, medical experimentation, family separation, and cultural suppression by the Ashkenazi (European Jewish) establishment.

Background

Demographics: – Approximately 850,000 Jews left or were expelled from Arab countries (1948-1970s) – Many came to Israel; others went to France, Americas, or elsewhere – Today, Mizrahim and their descendants constitute approximately 50% of Israeli Jewish population – Were majority of Israeli Jewish population by 1970s

Context of arrival: – Israel actively encouraged/facilitated Jewish immigration from Arab states – Some communities faced genuine persecution; others were stable before Israeli operations – Mossad conducted operations to encourage/force emigration (Iraq bombings – disputed) – Arrived in a state controlled by Ashkenazi European Jews – Encountered profound discrimination despite shared religion

The Ma'abarot (Transit Camps)

Upon arrival, most Mizrahi immigrants were placed in transit camps rather than integrated into Israeli society.

Camp conditions (1950s-1960s): – Approximately 200,000 people housed in ma'abarot at peak – Tent cities and tin shack encampments – Overcrowded, unsanitary conditions – Limited food, medical care, and education – Separated from existing Israeli society – Located in peripheral areas, often on borders

Duration: – Camps were supposed to be temporary – Many families lived in ma'abarot for years – Last camps not closed until 1963 – Residents transitioned to “development towns” – also peripheral and underfunded

Labor exploitation: – Camp residents used as cheap labor – Sent to agricultural work – Wages below standard rates – Limited economic mobility – Described by some historians as “labor camps”

Contrast with Ashkenazi absorption: – European Jews received preferential housing – Better integration into economy – Access to established communities – More resources allocated per capita

The Ringworm Affair (1950s)

One of the most disturbing episodes in Israeli history: the mass irradiation of Mizrahi children, primarily from North Africa.

The program: – Israeli Health Ministry program ostensibly to treat ringworm (tinea capitis) – Conducted 1948-1960, primarily on children from Morocco, Libya, Tunisia, Yemen – Approximately 100,000 children subjected to radiation treatment – Treatment administered without proper informed consent – Radiation doses far exceeded safe levels

The treatment: – Children's heads irradiated with X-rays – Doses reportedly up to 35,000 times the maximum safe level – Treatment caused hair loss (intended effect) – Caused severe long-term health consequences (unintended or ignored)

Health consequences: – Cancers (brain tumors, thyroid cancer, leukemia) – Epilepsy and neurological damage – Cognitive impairment – Sterility – Skin diseases – Premature death – Effects passed to subsequent generations

Why Mizrahi children: – Ringworm was common in North African communities – Ashkenazi children with ringworm treated with safer methods – Racial/ethnic dimension evident in targeting – Children selected from ma'abarot and immigrant communities

2005 Documentary: “The Ringworm Children”: – Israeli documentary by David Belhassen and Asher Hemias – Interviewed survivors and documented the program – Revealed scale of the program – Sparked renewed public attention

Government acknowledgment: – Israeli government established compensation fund in 1994 – Approximately 6,000 survivors received compensation – Many survivors died before receiving compensation – Full scope of program still debated – Government has not issued formal apology

US involvement: – Program reportedly funded in part by United States – Part of Cold War-era radiation experiments – US interest in radiation effects on human populations – Exact US role remains partially classified

Survivor testimonies: – Describe being taken from schools without parental knowledge – Heads shaved and marked – Severe burns and pain – Long-term suffering and discrimination – Generational trauma

The Yemenite Children Affair

The disappearance of thousands of children from Yemenite and other Mizrahi families in early Israeli state.

The disappearances: – Approximately 1,000-5,000 children disappeared (estimates vary widely) – Primarily Yemenite, but also Mizrahi children from other backgrounds – Occurred 1948-1954 – Children taken from hospitals, clinics, and camps – Parents told children had died; no bodies returned

What happened: – Many children believed to have been given to Ashkenazi families for adoption – Adoption occurred without parental consent – Biological families never informed – Some children raised not knowing their origins – Some bodies may have been used for medical research

Government investigations: – Three official Israeli commissions investigated (1967, 1988, 1995) – Commissions largely dismissed claims – Found “no organized kidnapping” but acknowledged “mistakes” – Families rejected findings as whitewash

2016 disclosure: – Israeli government declassified documents – Prime Minister Netanyahu ordered release of 400,000+ documents – Documents confirmed many children were given for adoption – Confirmed deaths were often not properly documented or communicated

Ongoing impact: – Families still searching for lost relatives – DNA matching efforts ongoing – Deep trauma in Yemenite community – Symbolizes Mizrahi mistreatment by state – Some reunifications have occurred decades later

Systematic Discrimination

Educational discrimination: – Mizrahi children tracked into vocational rather than academic education – Lower funding for schools in Mizrahi areas – Ashkenazi-centric curriculum – Mizrahi history and culture marginalized – Lower rates of university attendance

Housing discrimination: – Mizrahim concentrated in “development towns” and urban periphery – Ashkenazim in established cities and suburbs – Inferior housing quality – Geographic segregation – Limited access to resources and opportunities

Economic discrimination: – Wage gaps between Mizrahi and Ashkenazi workers – Mizrahim overrepresented in manual labor – Underrepresented in management and professions – Gaps persist across generations – Wealth disparities remain significant

Political marginalization: – Ashkenazi dominance of political institutions – Labor Party (Mapai) establishment largely excluded Mizrahim – Limited representation in leadership until 1970s-1980s – Mizrahi votes often taken for granted

Cultural Suppression

Language: – Arabic language stigmatized despite being mother tongue of Mizrahim – Children punished for speaking Arabic in schools – Judeo-Arabic dialects discouraged – Hebrew taught as replacement language – Mizrahi parents encouraged to abandon Arabic

Names: – Many Mizrahim pressured to change Arabic names to Hebrew names – “Hebraization” of surnames – Erasure of Arab/Middle Eastern identity – Names seen as marker of “primitiveness”

Music and culture: – Mizrahi music marginalized for decades – Not played on state radio – Considered inferior to European music – Only accepted into mainstream in 1980s-1990s – Still subject to cultural hierarchies

Religion: – Mizrahi religious traditions marginalized – Ashkenazi rabbinical authority dominant – Sephardic religious practices treated as inferior – Chief Rabbinate historically Ashkenazi-dominated

Historical narratives: – Mizrahi history absent from education – Jewish history taught as European history – Contributions of Arab Jews minimized – Narrative of “rescue” rather than equal partnership

Israeli Black Panthers (1971)

Mizrahi protest movement that emerged in response to discrimination.

Formation: – Founded 1971 in Jerusalem's Musrara neighborhood – Young Mizrahi activists, mostly of Moroccan background – Named after American Black Panther Party – Drew parallels between Mizrahi and Black American experiences

Demands: – End to discrimination in housing, education, employment – Recognition of Mizrahi culture – Equal resource allocation – Political representation

Actions: – Mass demonstrations – Direct action and protests – Media campaigns – Challenged Labor establishment

Government response: – Prime Minister Golda Meir famously dismissed them as “not nice” – Movement subjected to police harassment – Leaders arrested – Some concessions made but fundamental issues unaddressed

Legacy: – Raised awareness of Mizrahi issues – Contributed to Labor Party's 1977 electoral defeat – Influenced later Mizrahi political movements – Remains symbol of Mizrahi resistance

The Wadi Salib Riots (1959)

Earlier Mizrahi uprising against discrimination.

Context: – Wadi Salib: impoverished Haifa neighborhood, mostly Moroccan Jews – High unemployment, poor housing, discrimination

Trigger: – July 9, 1959: Police shot and wounded Moroccan immigrant – Rumors spread that he had died

The uprising: – Residents rioted for several days – Spread to other cities with Mizrahi populations – Property destruction, clashes with police – First major Mizrahi protest against establishment

Response: – Government suppression – Leaders arrested – Promised reforms largely unfulfilled – Event largely erased from Israeli historical memory until recently

Ongoing Disparities

Despite decades of integration, significant gaps persist:

Economic indicators (contemporary): – Mizrahi households earn less than Ashkenazi households – Wealth gap remains substantial – Mizrahim underrepresented in top economic positions – Overrepresented in working-class occupations

Education: – Lower rates of higher education – Gaps in academic achievement persist – Underrepresentation in elite institutions

Representation: – Underrepresented in Supreme Court historically – Underrepresented in academia – Underrepresented in media leadership – Better represented in military and some political parties

Geographic: – Peripheral towns remain underfunded – “Development town” legacy continues – Concentration in southern Israel and urban peripheries

Political Evolution

Likud and the Mizrahi vote: – 1977: Mizrahi voters pivotal in Likud victory over Labor – Rejection of Ashkenazi Labor establishment – Likud cultivated Mizrahi support – Menachem Begin appealed to Mizrahi grievances

Shas Party: – Founded 1984 as Mizrahi ultra-Orthodox party – Led by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef – Combined religious identity with Mizrahi ethnic politics – Built extensive social service network – Significant political force

Contemporary politics: – Mizrahi identity remains politically salient – Some analysts note Mizrahim support for right-wing policies toward Palestinians – Complex relationship: discrimination by Ashkenazim, but also adoption of anti-Arab attitudes – Some Mizrahi voices advocate solidarity with Palestinians as fellow “Arab” victims of Zionism

Scholarly and Activist Perspectives

Academic recognition: – Growing field of Mizrahi studies – Historians documenting discrimination – Sociologists analyzing ongoing disparities – Archives being opened and examined

Key scholars: – Ella Shohat – pioneering Mizrahi feminist scholar – Sami Shalom Chetrit – poet and scholar – Yehouda Shenhav – sociologist – Tom Segev – historian documenting early state treatment

Activist movements: – Mizrahi Democratic Rainbow Coalition – Various cultural organizations – Campaigns for recognition and reparations – Efforts to document and preserve Mizrahi history

Terminology debates: – “Mizrahi” (Eastern) – geographic term – “Arab Jews” – emphasizes Arab cultural heritage, politically charged – “Sephardi” – technically refers to Spanish-origin Jews, often conflated – Terminology itself reflects contested identity and history

Connection to Palestinian Issue

Shared displacement narrative: – Mizrahi displacement from Arab countries sometimes used to justify Palestinian displacement – “Population exchange” argument – Mizrahi scholars critique this instrumentalization

Complex identities: – Mizrahim were part of Arab world for millennia – Arabic was their language; Arab culture their culture – Zionism required separation from Arab identity – Some Mizrahi voices advocate recognition of shared Arab heritage with Palestinians

Political tensions: – Some Mizrahim express strong anti-Arab views (adopted from Ashkenazi Zionism) – Others identify with Palestinians as fellow victims of European colonialism – Generational differences in attitudes – Ongoing debate within Mizrahi communities

Fugitives and the Law of Return

Israel's Law of Return grants automatic citizenship to any Jew worldwide. Critics have documented how this law has been used by individuals fleeing criminal charges—including for child sexual abuse—to escape justice in their home countries. Extradition from Israel has proven extremely difficult, leading to diplomatic tensions with multiple nations.

The Law of Return as Refuge

The law: – Enacted 1950; amended 1970 – Grants any Jew the right to immigrate to Israel and receive citizenship – Extends to children and grandchildren of Jews, and their spouses – No background check required for eligibility – Citizenship can be granted immediately upon arrival

Exploitation: – Accused criminals can flee to Israel before arrest – Once Israeli citizens, extradition becomes complex – Israel historically reluctant to extradite citizens – Even when extradited, process can take years or decades – Some cases never result in extradition

Malka Leifer Case (Australia)

The most prominent case of an alleged child sex offender fleeing to Israel, causing a major diplomatic crisis between Israel and Australia.

The accused: – Malka Leifer, ultra-Orthodox Jewish woman – Principal of Adass Israel School, Melbourne, Australia – Employed 2001-2008

The allegations: – 74 charges of child sexual abuse – Alleged abuse of students at the school – Victims were teenage girls – Abuse allegedly occurred over several years – Multiple victims came forward

The flight: – 2008: School board learned of allegations – Rather than reporting to police, board arranged Leifer's departure – Leifer fled Australia within hours of allegations surfacing – School purchased her plane tickets – Fled to Israel with her family

Israeli proceedings: – Australia requested extradition in 2014 – Israeli court proceedings began – Leifer claimed to be mentally unfit to stand trial – Israeli psychiatrists repeatedly found her unfit – Proceedings dragged on for years

Evidence of deception: – Israeli police surveillance showed Leifer living normal life – Filmed shopping, attending events, traveling – Contradicted claims of debilitating mental illness – Psychiatrist who declared her unfit was later arrested for fraud

Political interference: – Israeli Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman (United Torah Judaism party) – Investigated for pressuring psychiatrists to declare Leifer unfit – Litzman was from same ultra-Orthodox community – Eventually pleaded guilty to breach of trust (2022) – Sentenced to community service only

Diplomatic crisis: – Australian government repeatedly pressed Israel – Multiple Australian politicians visited Israel to advocate for extradition – Jewish community in Australia largely supported extradition – Case became major issue in Australia-Israel relations – Australian media extensively covered delays

Resolution: – 2021: Israeli Supreme Court ruled Leifer fit for extradition – January 2021: Leifer extradited to Australia after 13 years – 2023: Convicted of 18 counts of sexual abuse – Sentenced to 15 years in prison

Significance: – Demonstrated how Israeli system can shield alleged abusers – Exposed political protection of accused criminals – 13-year delay caused additional trauma to victims – School officials who facilitated flight faced no consequences in Israel

Other Documented Cases

Jimmy Julius Karow (United States)

Background: – Accused of molesting a child in Oregon, USA – Fled to Israel before trial

Case: – Indicted 2000 on sex abuse charges – Fled to Israel – Lived in Israel for years – Israel initially refused extradition – Eventually extradited 2003 after prolonged legal battle – Convicted in US

Avrohom Mondrowitz (United States)

Background: – Rabbi and self-styled psychologist in Brooklyn, New York – Accused of sexually abusing multiple boys in 1980s

The case: – Fled to Israel in 1984 after investigation began – US sought extradition – Israeli court denied extradition (1985) – sodomy not extraditable offense under treaty at time – Treaty later amended – Second extradition request filed 2007 – Israeli court approved extradition 2010 – Appeals continued – Mondrowitz died in Israel 2019 without ever facing trial – Spent 35 years in Israel avoiding US justice

Impact: – Case prompted amendment of US-Israel extradition treaty – Highlighted loopholes protecting accused abusers – Victims never received justice

George Finkelstein (Australia)

Background: – Former teacher at Yeshivah College, Melbourne – Accused of child sexual abuse

Case: – Allegations of abuse in 1990s – Fled to Israel – Australia sought extradition – Finkelstein died in Israel 2018 before extradition completed – Never faced trial

Ze'ev Rosenstein (United States/Israel)

Background: – Israeli organized crime figure – Wanted in US on drug trafficking charges – Not a sex crime case but illustrates extradition difficulties

Case: – US sought extradition on ecstasy trafficking charges – Lengthy legal battle in Israel – Eventually extradited 2006 – One of few Israeli citizens extradited to US

David Cyprys (Australia)

Background: – Security guard at Yeshivah College, Melbourne – Also worked as locksmith with access to homes

Case: – Accused of sexually abusing multiple boys – Did not flee but case connected to institutional cover-up – Convicted in Australia 2013 – Sentenced to 8 years

Connection: – Part of same Melbourne ultra-Orthodox community as Leifer – Demonstrated pattern of institutional protection of abusers – Community criticized for prioritizing reputation over victims

Meyer Seewald (United States)

Background: – Brooklyn teacher – Accused of sexually abusing students

Case: – Fled to Israel – Lived in Israel avoiding prosecution – Case highlighted by activists

Todros Grynhaus (United Kingdom)

Background: – UK citizen – Convicted in UK of sexual assault

Case: – Fled to Israel after conviction while on bail pending appeal – UK sought extradition – Eventually extradited back to UK – Case took years to resolve

Institutional Protection

Ultra-Orthodox community dynamics: – Concept of “mesirah” – prohibition on informing to secular authorities – Community pressure not to report to police – Internal handling of allegations – Reputation of community prioritized – Victims often pressured to remain silent

Institutional responses: – Schools and synagogues often failed to report allegations – Accused individuals helped to flee – References provided allowing abusers to work with children elsewhere – Pattern documented in multiple countries

Jewish Community Watch: – Organization founded to track accused abusers – Maintains database of alleged offenders – Advocates for victims – Documents cases of flight to Israel – Has identified dozens of cases

Pattern and Statistics

Scope: – Exact numbers difficult to determine – Jewish Community Watch has tracked dozens of cases – Many more suspected but undocumented – Cases span multiple decades and countries

Countries affected: – United States (largest number of cases) – Australia – United Kingdom – Canada – South Africa – Others

Common elements: – Accused flees upon learning of investigation – Community assists with departure – Israel grants citizenship under Law of Return – Extradition requests filed – Lengthy legal battles ensue – Many cases never result in extradition

Extradition law: – Israel can refuse to extradite citizens – Must weigh various factors – Process can take years – Appeals extend timeline further

Prosecution in Israel: – Alternative: Israel can prosecute citizens for crimes abroad – Rarely pursued in practice – Requires Israeli authorities to build case – Different standards and procedures – Often results in lesser charges or no prosecution

Treaty limitations: – Extradition treaties have specific requirements – Historical gaps in treaties (e.g., Mondrowitz case) – Treaties amended over time but gaps remain – Political considerations influence decisions

International Criticism

Australian government: – Repeatedly raised Leifer case at highest levels – Expressed frustration with delays – Case damaged bilateral relations

US officials: – Multiple cases have caused friction – Amendments to extradition treaty sought – FBI and Justice Department frustrated by Israeli non-cooperation

Victim advocates: – International campaigns for extradition – Criticism of Law of Return exploitation – Calls for reform of Israeli extradition procedures – Demands for accountability for those who facilitate flight

Reform proposals: – Background checks before granting citizenship – Expedited extradition procedures – Automatic prosecution in Israel if extradition refused – International pressure for compliance

Broader Context

Not unique to Israel: – Other countries also face extradition challenges – Religious communities in various countries have protected abusers – However, Law of Return creates unique mechanism for flight

Accountability gaps: – Those who facilitate flight rarely prosecuted – Institutions that cover up abuse face few consequences – Victims bear burden of seeking justice across borders – System favors accused over accusers

Ongoing issue: – New cases continue to emerge – Reform efforts have had limited success – Tension between Law of Return purpose and exploitation – Victims continue to advocate for change

Sources and Further Reading

Last updated: February 2026