Israel's Black Panthers

Compelling . . . offers a richly detailed account of Israels Black Panthers in the 1970s.'Haaretz Forces us to confront the sometimes vast distance between constitutional aspiration and social and political practice.Jewish Book CouncilThe powerful story of an activist movement that challenged the racial inequities of Israel. Israels Black Panthers tells the story of the young and impoverished Moroccan Israeli Jews who challenged their countrys political status quo and rebelled against the ethnic hierarchy of Israeli life in the 1970s.Inspired by the American group of the same name, the Black Panthers mounted protests and a yearslong political campaign for the rights of Mizrahim, or Jews of Middle Eastern ancestry. They managed to rattle the countrys establishment and change the course of Israels history through the mass mobilization of a Jewish underclass. This book draws on archival documents and interviews with elderly activists to capture the movements history and reveal little-known stories from within the group. Asaf Elia-Shalev explores the parallels between the Israeli and American Black Panthers, offering a unique perspective on the global struggle against racism and oppression. In twenty short and captivating chapters,Israels Black Panthers provides a textured and novel account of the movement and reflects on the role that Mizrahim can play in the future of Israel.