The first of two interesting stories sent my way from regular reader Ben Plonie: According to the Jerusalem Post, rabbis’ wives today called on Jewish women not to date Arab men:
The rebbetzins’ letter states, “There are quite a few Arab workers who give themselves Hebrew names. Yusef turns into Yosef, Samir turns into Sami, and Awabad turns into Ami. They ask to be close to you, try to find favor with you, and give you all the attention in world, they are actually here knowing to act with courtesy, acting as if they really care for you, say a good word, but their behavior is only temporary. The moment you are in their hands, in their village, under their control, everything changes.”
“Your life will never go back to the way it was, and the attention you so desired will turn into curses, beatings, and humiliations,” the letter warns.
That’s a far cry from the anti-miscegenation laws in some Arab countries, even the more “liberal” ones like Egypt. And it really isn’t that surprising.
There is a good line from an Arab in Jeffrey Goldberg’s book “Prisoners” about how Israeli women mistake some Arabs for being Israelis:
“I’ve f—-ed more Jewish girls than you have,” he told me once, trying to stir my blood. “We’re circumcised, too. They can’t tell the difference.”
But I wonder how common it is for Israeli women to enter relationships with Arab men. Certainly some research center must have compiled data on this.
