Millionaires in the Pool: Mizrahim as a Fig Leaf | Opinion

An opinion column by Prof. Moshe Cohen Eliya about two events in Kiryat Shmona: a political meeting of Gadi Eisenkot and the program "The Patriots." The author claims that the old hegemony uses Mizrahim as a "fig leaf" to preserve the power structure, citing Eisenkot and Naama Lazimi as examples who, he says, did not challenge the hegemony. He distinguishes between descriptive and substantive representation, and accuses Lazimi of a delayed and reserved response to Ehud Barak's remarks.

Within two days, two events took place in Kiryat Shmona: Gadi Eisenkot arrived for a political meeting at Beit HaKhan, and the next day the program "The Patriots" came and was warmly received. Prof. Moshe Cohen Eliya, a regular panelist on the program, analyzes the sociology of the two events: who is perceived as a guest and who as a local voice. He argues that Kiryat Shmona exposes the historical Israeli power division: at the bottom, the development town; at the top, the kibbutz elite. He recalls Menachem Begin's saying about a "millionaire in the pool." The author claims that although Mizrahim have entered centers of power, the hegemony has not changed. He distinguishes between descriptive and substantive representation, and argues that the hegemony promotes Mizrahim who will not challenge the structure. He cites Eisenkot as an example of an ideal candidate for the hegemony, and Naama Lazimi, who, he says, did not immediately stand against Ehud Barak's remarks on selection, but attacked the "poison machine." He calls her a "useful idiot" and concludes that the pool still belongs to the old millionaires.

Millionaires in the Pool: Mizrahim as a Fig Leaf | Opinion