Jewish Groups Research Articles

The Prevalence and Mutational Spectrum of Clonal Hematopoiesis in Diverse Populations in New York City

Introduction: Clonal hematopoiesis (CH) is a pre-malignant condition characterized by over-representation of blood cells derived from a single stem-cell clone. CH is strongly associated with aging with 10-20% of people over the age of 70 in various series reported to harbor a detectable clone. The most commonly mutated genes in aging-related CH are DNMT3A & TET2 followed by ASXL1 as a distant third and a smaller frequency of mutations in the splicing genes SF3B1, SRSF2, PRPF8 and U2AF1. CH portends a strong underlying risk for development of Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) and other hematologic neoplasms as well as future cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. While much is known about these pre-leukemic states that confer risk for developing AML, most of the published studies are based on predominantly white Europeans. There has also recently been an effort to provide genomic and clinical services to high-risk individuals (CH clinics) to predict their pre-leukemic risk, however almost all these services are unavailable to underserved, ethnic minority populations. We decided to query the rate and associations of CH in diverse populations of New York City (NYC). The few published studies investigating CH in diverse populations have used self-identified categorization of race and ethnicity. However, these groupings can be too general and inaccurate when investigating genetic variation, particularly in diverse and multi-ethnic populations. Here we present our CH analysis on the multi-ethnic All of Us (AoU) cohort (version 6) for NYC individuals. A population genetics approach was used to identify groups of individuals who share genetic segments identical by descent, which corresponded to several known communities. We estimated the frequency of CH among the populations identified through this approach. Methods & Results: Of a total of 8538 NYC individuals in the AoU cohort that had information on lifestyle (smoking), 393 (4.64%) had CH. We assigned these individuals to 11 genetic ancestry groups based on sharing of genomic segments identical by descent. Out of these 11 groups, 6 had >20 individuals with CH, so we focused on those groups for further analysis (Figure 1). We constructed a logistic regression model between CH status and ancestry taking into account age, age*age (to account for a non-linear effect), sex, smoking and mean BMI with individuals belonging to the ‘Non-Jewish European ancestry group’ as a reference. We found that Dominicans have a higher rate of CH in comparison to other ancestry groups (OR: 1.62; p-value: 0.018; Figure 2). Dominicans as an ancestry group independently showed statistically significant associations with cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure, cardiac arrythmia and cardiomegaly. Whether this association is related to elevated CH remains to be investigated. We also measured the enrichment of variants in individual CH genes in each ancestry group, keeping all other individuals as a reference. Our results showed that CH in individuals belonging to the African ancestry group, as well as the Ashkenazi Jewish group have significantly higher rates of somatic mutations in DNMT3A (OR: 1.82; p-value: 0.027) and TET2 (OR: 2.36; p-value 0.004), respectively, compared to the other populations. Conclusions: Leveraging population genetic-based inference of ancestry groups, we have demonstrated for the first time that different ancestries residing in NYC have a different risk and pattern of CH somatic mutations. In particular, we demonstrate that non-Jewish Europeans have lower risk of CH compared to all other groups, and Dominicans in particular have a significantly higher risk. Understanding the relative rates of CH across ancestries and their association with chronic diseases such as CVD and cancer will further refine recommendations directed towards lifestyle modifications and rational therapeutics that prevent the progression of CH & associated comorbidities.

Endowments as a Tool for the Shaping of Community Identity in the Jewish Society of Egypt, Palestine, and Syria

Abstract Talmudic sources recognize the dedication of assets for the benefit of the Temple alone (heqdesh). In Islamic countries, Jews encountered another form of asset endowment – the Islamic waqf – and fully embraced it. This article explores the utilization of waqf from a fresh perspective, focusing on urban communities in Egypt, Palestine, and Syria, to examine its role in constructing community members’ self-identity. The allocation of waqf beneficiaries allowed the endower to delineate the community’s boundaries in their mind, reflecting the desired social circles they sought to be part of. Analyzing documents spanning centuries reveals ongoing changes in this realm. Social and demographic shifts periodically led to reductions in the circles of waqf beneficiaries. The strained relations between Rabbanites and Karaites during the Mamluk Period, as well as waves of Jewish immigration from Europe and North Africa to the eastern Mediterranean in the late Mamluk and early Ottoman periods, influenced the norms governing the endowment of houses, land, and money among Jewish property owners. These norms evolved again during the late Ottoman period when the boundaries between different Jewish groups became more blurred.

Screening and Colonoscopy Quality Measures: Ethnic Disparities and Impact on Patients' Outcome.

Recent reports have confirmed the improving trends in colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and outcomes. Still, disparities in incidence and mortality in CRC continue to persist between major ethnic groups despite the provision of widespread screening and improved care. We aimed to outline, from an endoscopic point of view, ethnic disparities in major endoscopic measures concerned with CRC screening and detection and track their impact on patients' outcomes. We reviewed electronic reports of patients referred for colonoscopy procedures over 20 years. We compared demographic, clinical, and endoscopic findings between major ethnic population groups in Israel. In addition, trends of screening utilization, bowel preparation, and polyp detection rates were tracked, and the incidence of CRC diagnosis was followed. A total of 51307 patients had undergone colonoscopies, of whom 16% were Arabs, and 84% were Jewish. The procedures performed for CRC screening throughout the study period were significantly lower in Arabs (5% vs. 13.1%; P < 0.0001). In parallel, for most of the follow-up period, the Arab patients had higher rates of inadequate bowel preparation (overall: 19.9% vs. 12%; P < 0.001) and a lower polyp detection rate (16.7% vs. 22.5%; P < 0.0001). Expectedly, the incidence of CRC has steadily decreased in the Jewish group, while an adverse pattern of increasing incidence was documented in the Arab patient during the follow-up period. Characterized by lower screening utilization and poor bowel preparation, the incidence of CRC development in Arab patients is increasing, while improving trends of CRC were observed in their Jewish counterparts.

An anti-fascist struggle conditioned by ethnic concerns: Jewish self-defense groups in 1960s South America

ABSTRACT Following the kidnapping of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in Buenos Aires in May 1960 and the antisemitic wave it provoked in South America throughout the 1960s, Jewish-Argentines, Jewish-Uruguayans and Jewish-Chileans organized themselves into armed self-defense groups and trained in response to growing xenophobia and racism. This little-researched history highlights the efforts of Jewish youth to break away from communal political traditions. They defied the practice of their parents and grandparents who preferred peaceful compromise over direct confrontation with either state officials or extreme right-wing organizations. These Jewish youngsters defined organizations like the Argentine Tacuara or Juventud Uruguaya de Pie as neo-Nazi. They took as a role model the ghetto fighters and the partisans of World War II and were now prepared to resort to violence in their struggle against antisemitism. Based on an oral history project, the article describes how they not only guarded community institutions but also attacked nationalist bullies, printing houses of antisemitic literature and Arab diplomatic legations. However, as this article argues, they did not collaborate with leftist anti-fascist groups, since they were also concerned in promoting Zionism and immigration to Israel.

Traditionalist Jews and the Question of Whiteness

Abstract: This article has two main purposes. First, it aims to unpack the question "Are Jews white?" by insisting that the assignment of even ambiguous racial identities to "Jews" as an undifferentiated collective is a categorical mistake. It argues instead for a highly contextualized approach to the racialization of certain Jews or groups of Jews in certain times and places for certain purposes and from certain perspectives—which need not imply any lessening of the import of such racialization. Second, and more specifically, it aims to provoke a careful discussion of the racialization of traditionalist Jews in the particular context of growing and recently established residential enclaves in the suburbs of New York City, and suggests that legal or scholarly understanding of their difference as primarily "religious" is also mistaken.

Traditionalist Jews and the Question of Whiteness

Abstract: This article has two main purposes. First, it aims to unpack the question "Are Jews white?" by insisting that the assignment of even ambiguous racial identities to "Jews" as an undifferentiated collective is a categorical mistake. It argues instead for a highly contextualized approach to the racialization of certain Jews or groups of Jews in certain times and places for certain purposes and from certain perspectives—which need not imply any lessening of the import of such racialization. Second, and more specifically, it aims to provoke a careful discussion of the racialization of traditionalist Jews in the particular context of growing and recently established residential enclaves in the suburbs of New York City, and suggests that legal or scholarly understanding of their difference as primarily "religious" is also mistaken.

Breaking Down the Narrative Regarding "Jews": Judeans in Judea and Egypt in Hellenistic and Roman Times

Abstract: This article focuses on the Hellenistic period, when Jews had a homeland, that is, a territory in which they formed the majority population group and possessed their own state institutions. Consequently, it is claimed, their history cannot be apprehended through paradigms, such as "antisemitism," devised for later periods of time, when Jews formed a minority bereft of a homeland. Moreover, statehood also impacted the collective self-perception, and hence the agency, of Jewish population groups who lived as minorities outside Judea, in particular in Egypt. To illustrate this twofold claim, two case studies are discussed: the so-called religious persecution carried out by Seleucid King Antiochus IV in the mid to late 160s BCE, and commemorated in the Jewish festival of Hanukkah; and the distorted versions of the Exodus story composed by Egyptian authors, which are often seen as the first anti-Judaic texts ever written.

Breaking Down the Narrative Regarding "Jews": Judeans in Judea and Egypt in Hellenistic and Roman Times

Abstract: This article focuses on the Hellenistic period, when Jews had a homeland, that is, a territory in which they formed the majority population group and possessed their own state institutions. Consequently, it is claimed, their history cannot be apprehended through paradigms, such as "antisemitism," devised for later periods of time, when Jews formed a minority bereft of a homeland. Moreover, statehood also impacted the collective self-perception, and hence the agency, of Jewish population groups who lived as minorities outside Judea, in particular in Egypt. To illustrate this twofold claim, two case studies are discussed: the so-called religious persecution carried out by Seleucid King Antiochus IV in the mid to late 160s BCE, and commemorated in the Jewish festival of Hanukkah; and the distorted versions of the Exodus story composed by Egyptian authors, which are often seen as the first anti-Judaic texts ever written.

The Authority to Define a Jew

Abstract This article focuses on a rabbinic controversy between the Greek Jewish scholar Elijah Mizrah.i and his Iberian colleague Jacob Ibn Ḥabib in the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the sixteenth century. The case at hand concerned specific legal questions regarding levirate marriage. These had become particularly difficult with the involvement of converts, posing fundamental questions about Jewish group affiliation. Analysing the related but contrasting legal opinions of Mizrah.i and Ibn Ḥabib, I suggest distinguishing between an intellectual approach and a traditionalist approach to answering these questions. Whereas earlier scholarship has attributed the scholars’ diverging conclusions mainly to their different cultural backgrounds, I argue that Mizraḥi and Ibn Ḥabib chose different lines of reasoning for strategic reasons, grounded in their particular political situations.

Primary Intracranial Hemorrhage: Characteristics, Distribution, Risk Factors, and Outcomes-A Comparative Study between Jewish and Arab Ethnic Groups in Northern Israel.

Background and purpose: This study aimed to investigate the differences in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) between Jews and Arabs residing in northern Israel, focusing on risk factors, hemorrhage volume, and functional outcome. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted utilizing a population-based registry to investigate intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) characteristics, risk factors, and outcomes. The registry consisted of inpatients diagnosed with hemorrhagic stroke. Due to the wide variation in data on ICH characteristics and the limited availability of population-based data on predictors of ICH survival and functional outcomes, we collected retrospective data on all adult patients admitted to the Galilee Medical Center with a diagnosis of ICH. Data were obtained from the registry covering the period from 2013 to 2019. Ethnic differences and risk factors associated with intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) were examined within a diverse population of 241 patients, comprising 52.70% Jews (n = 127) and 47.30% Arabs (n = 114). Results: The results of this study revealed significant differences in age, obesity rates, and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) location between the two ethnic groups. Hypertension emerged as the most prevalent condition among ICH patients in both ethnic groups (76.70%), followed primarily by anticoagulant use (63.60%), dyslipidemia (60.70%), diabetes (44.60%), obesity (30.60%), smoking (24.60%), and a history of cardiovascular disease (21.80%). Furthermore, 20.90% of the patients had a history of previous cerebrovascular accidents (CVA). Arab patients with ICH were generally younger (62.90 ± 16.00 years) and exhibited higher rates of obesity (38.70%) compared to Jewish patients with ICH (70.17 ± 15.24 years, 23% obesity; p = 0.001, p = 0.013, respectively). Hemorrhage volume was identified as a crucial determinant of patient outcomes, with larger volumes associated with poorer Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores at discharge and higher mortality rates. Interestingly, patients without hypertension had higher hemorrhage volumes compared to those with hypertension. The extent of hemorrhage into the ventricles did not significantly correlate with mRS at discharge in our dataset. Conclusions: This study highlights significant differences in the characteristics and outcomes of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) between Jews and Arabs in northern Israel. The findings reveal variations in age, obesity rates, and ICH location between the two groups. While hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor for both populations, other risk factors differed. Notably, hemorrhage volume emerged as a crucial prognostic factor, aligning with previously published data. These findings underscore the necessity for tailored approaches that consider ethnic-specific factors in the risk assessment, prevention, and management of ICH. Further research is warranted to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and develop interventions aimed at improving outcomes and enhancing healthcare practices in ICH management.

Surnames of Jewish People in the Land of Israel from the Sixteenth Century to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century

This paper outlines a study of surnames used by various Jewish groups in the Land of Israel for Ashkenazic Jews, prior to the First Aliyah (1881), and for Sephardic and Oriental Jews up to the end of the 1930s. For the 16th–18th centuries, the surnames of Jews who lived in Jerusalem, Safed, Tiberias, and Hebron can be mainly extracted from the rabbinic literature. For the 19th century, by far the richest collection is provided by the materials of the censuses organized by Moses Montefiore (1839–1875). For the turn of the 20th century, data for several additional censuses are available, while for the 1930s, we have access to the voter registration lists of Sephardic and Oriental Jews of Jerusalem, Safed, and Haifa. All these major sources were used in this paper to address the following questions: the use or non-use of hereditary family names in various Jewish groups, the geographic roots of Jews that composed the Yishuv, as well as the existence of families continuously present in the Land of Israel for many generations.

Medication use and factors associated with opiate use among patients with diagnosed fibromyalgia from two ethnic sectors in southern Israel

BackgroundOur aims were to compare fibromyalgia (FM) rate, drug treatment and factors associated with the use of opiates in two ethnic sectors.MethodsA retrospective cross-sectional study in southern district of Israel was performed on diagnosed FM patients in 2019–2020 [7686 members (1.50%)]. Descriptive analyses were conducted and multivariable models for the use of opiates were developed.ResultsThere were significant differences between the two ethnic groups in FM prevalence at 1.63% and 0.91% in the Jewish and Arab groups, respectively. Only 32% of the patients used recommended medications and about 44% purchased opiates. Age, BMI, psychiatric co-morbidity, and treatment with a recommended drug were similarly associated with an increased risk for opiate use in both ethnic groups. However, male gender was associated with × 2 times reduced risk to use opiates only among the Bedouins (aOR = 0.552, 95%CI = 0.333–0.911). In addition, while in both of ethnic groups the existence of another localized pain syndrome was associated with an increased risk for opiates use, this risk was 4 times higher in the Bedouin group (aOR = 8.500, 95%CI = 2.023–59.293 and aOR = 2.079, 95%CI = 1.556–2.814).ConclusionsThe study showed underdiagnosis of FM in the minority Arab ethnicity. Female Arab FM patients in low or high, compared to middle socio-economic status, were a risk group for excess opiate use. Increased use of opiates and very low rate of purchase of recommended drugs point to a lack of effectiveness of these drugs. Future research should assess whether the treatment of treatable factors can reduce the dangerous use of opiates.

Shifts in French Jewish Citizenship, 1789-1840s

The citizenship of Jews became more discussed as a result of changes from the French Revolution of 1789. There were a variety of perspectives between non-Jews and Jews, and between different groups of Jews. The research methodology involves the analysis of qualitative primary sources including government texts and debates, groups of everyday Jews, and French Jewish literature and journal excerpts. The theoretical framework of nationalism will guide how citizenship is analyzed in the research, based on Dean Kostantaras’s book Nationalism and Revolution in Europe, 1763-1848. Results show that the way French Jews fit into or engaged with society is quite nuanced, and the Jewish community (Sephardic, Ashkenazi, etc.) or region (Alsace, Bordeaux, etc.), and Napoleon’s methods, had a large influence on the extent to which Jews wanted or did not want to further integrate with French institutions. While many French Jews’ views on their own citizenship were not found in government texts, their opinions were increasingly portrayed directly in journals, Judaic reform, or indirectly through fictional characters in written works. These findings suggest that researching particular groups or regions of French Jews leads to more varied perspectives, rather than a general review of the group as a whole.

Jewish resistance group in the Nowy Wiśnicz area: a new approach

ABSTRACT This study offers a comprehensive and detailed analysis of the activity of HeChalutz HaLochem’s members, Szimszon Dränger and his wife, Gusta Dawidsohn-Dränger, in the area of Nowy Wiśnicz in the second half of 1943. Using critical readings of primary sources, new documents, and geographical research, this paper offers a more accurate picture and visualizes the activities of these Jewish resisters. The study found sites that served Szimszon Dränger’s group, emphasizing its limited resources and poor infrastructure and operational readiness. This paper addresses the conflict between Szimszon Dränger and local Jews who rejected his effort to renew the armed resistance against the Germans.

The Possession of History and the Dispossession of Silwan’s Palestinians

Since 1967, the slogan “restoring Jerusalem to its Jewish glory” has served as a rallying cry for the further colonization of the occupied eastern part of the city by the Israeli government and settler organizations alike. Jewish settlement in Jerusalem’s Palestinian neighborhoods invokes moral claims to Jewish sovereignty based on biblical history and material claims to pre-1948 properties of Jews in these neighborhoods. This essay examines Jewish settler groups’ utilization of Israel’s political-legal infrastructure to advance their colonization projects at the very heart of Palestinian neighborhoods in Jerusalem. More specifically, it examines an area of Silwan where Ateret Cohanim, through its representatives, has initiated eviction lawsuits against dozens of Palestinian families in the Israeli magistrate court, alleging trespass of Jewish-endowed waqf land established in the 1880s. As elsewhere in East Jerusalem, some of the targeted families in Silwan were originally displaced either from areas that became Israel after 1948 or from the Old City in 1967.

Populism and Ethnicity: Peronism and the Jews of Argentina by Raanan Rein

Reviewed by: Populism and Ethnicity: Peronism and the Jews of Argentina by Raanan Rein Mollie Lewis Nouwen Raanan Rein. Populism and Ethnicity: Peronism and the Jews of Argentina. Translated by Isis Sadek. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2020. 296 pp. Raanan Rein’s excellent book combines his deep knowledge of Peronism along with his expertise in both the history of Jews in Argentina and Argentine foreign policy, particularly with Israel. The introduction sets up the premise of the book: whether or not Juan Domingo Perón (president of Argentina from [End Page 227] 1946–1955, 1973–1974) and his administration were antisemitic, and what his government meant for Jews in Argentina. Though the questions might sound simple, or even simplistic, Rein’s ten-point initial response to the questions demonstrates to readers that the answers were complex, nuanced, and led in a myriad of directions. From the beginning, Rein asserts definitively that Perón (contrary to some popular myth-making) was neither a Nazi nor a Fascist, and that he and his administration rejected antisemitism. Perón was a populist, and pulled from a variety of influences to create his pragmatic governing strategy. Trying to neatly fit Perón into an ideological framework obscures the realities and idiosyncrasies of the political movement he created. There were elements of Peronism that were authoritarian, yet others that were profoundly egalitarian. The mistake of many, which Rein points out carefully when analyzing news coverage from around the world, was to impose non-Argentine models to explain Perón’s political movement. The Israeli press, which Rein delves into at length, did a better job of apprehending what was actually occurring in Argentina, though each periodical with its own ideological flavor. Using a wide array of historical documentation, the author explores the heterogeneous nature of Perón’s political philosophy Justicialismo, the Peronist coalition, the response of different Jewish individuals and groups to the Peronist movement and government, and finally the relationship between Argentina and the new State of Israel. Each chapter approaches the book’s central questions from a different perspective. One myth that has persisted for decades is that “all Jews were opposed to Perón [and] that all prestigious or influential intellectuals kept a distance from Peronism” (154). This book clearly demonstrates the fallacy of the myth. Rein spends most of the book exploring the many Jews who were supporters of Perón, including the members of the Organización Israelita Argentina (Argentine Jewish Organization), the Jewish wing of the Peronist Party. The party had a corporatist structure, which sought to formally bring in different groups within society, from labor unions to ethnic groups. Rein argues that in this manner, Perón was opening the door to a multicultural Argentina, with many voices and viewpoints, a model that had not existed in the country before. Rein also explores Jewish intellectuals, media figures, union leaders, and businessmen who were supporters of Peronism, often to the detriment of their relationships with other Jews. What the book makes clear is that each of these men had specific and clear ideological and personal reasons for their support of Peronism. For some, it was the attention to social justice or an independent foreign policy, while others believed in the totality of the Peronist vision for Argentina. Peronism, particularly the first Peronist administration of 1946–1955, promised a new and exciting path forward for Argentina that appealed to many, and it followed through on many of its promises. In addition to the rich material on the Jewish supporters of Peronism, Rein offers an excellent perspective on the relationship between Argentina and Israel at its founding, and the ways that Jews in both countries perceived Peronism. One of the sections of the book that will be of most interest to those less familiar with the story of Argentina in the 1940s and 1950s is the section on Nazis in Argentina, and the role that the Peronist government may or may not have played. Rein ably dissects the many myths and claims about the presence of Nazis, [End Page 228] while demonstrating the complicated nature of the dispersal of former Nazis following World War II. He points out...

Exploring the other side of cultural boundary-crossing teaching in the polarized Israeli society: Jewish teachers from the majority group who teach at the Arab minority's schools

One of the methods of multicultural societies for advancing a shared society is cross-cultural teaching. Commonly, teachers from the majority group apply to teaching at the majority's schools through the acculturation process. The current study, however, illuminates the understudied situation, in which teachers of the Jewish majority group in Israel teach at the Arab minority's schools. Our findings indicate that these Jewish teachers are mostly motivated by their ideology and moral values, mainly a yearning to bridge between two hostile societies. These teachers' integration into the minority's schools is challenging due to cultural differences, lack of familiarity with Arabic, and difficulties introducing informal pedagogy, that is not common in Arab schools, discipline problems among students, and a challenging national-political discourse.

"It Was our Home and Sadly We Will Never Return": Nostalgia and the Circulation of Images in Lebanese Jewish Virtual Communities

Abstract: By focusing on photographs pertaining to Beirut's historic Jewish neighborhood and central synagogue, I address in this article the mobilization of collective nostalgia on three Lebanese Jewish Facebook groups that provide a realm for debating, challenging, and reconstructing concepts of belonging while remembering a shared homeland from the diaspora. Furthermore, I explore how the nostalgic circulation and sharing of family photographs and anonymous snapshots of the community's pre-Civil War life privileges a particular perspective on how life once was, and by excluding other realities from both the photographic frame and historical narrative, creates a community history through which to imagine the future.

Abstract P575: Self-Rated Health and Mortality in the Elderly: A Comparison Between Jewish and Arab Populations in Israel

Introduction: Self-rated health (SRH) has been shown to predict morbidity and mortality across the lifespan. However, its predictive value might differ between populations, affected by socioeconomic and cultural factors. We investigated the association between SRH and mortality among the elderly population in Israel, comparing the Jewish and Arab ethnic groups. Methods: A prospective cohort study based on the first National Health and Nutrition Survey of Older Adults (“Mabat Zahav” 2005-2006, n=1761), consisting of Jewish (n=1463) and Arab (n=298) participants. SRH was measured on a 4-point scale. Mortality data were retrieved from the National Death Registry (through 2019). Survival analysis was performed using Cox regression models, adjusted for sociodemographic factors and comorbidity burden. Results: Mean age (SD) was 75 (±6) and 72 (±5) years in the Jewish (54% women) and Arab (50% women) groups, respectively. Jewish participants were more likely to rate their health as not good or poor than Arab participants (35% vs. 29% and 11% vs. 8%, respectively, P=0.01). During a median follow-up of 13 (IQR: 8-13) years, 896 deaths occurred, 152 in the Arab group. The age- and sex-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for mortality in the Arab vs. Jewish participants was 1.33 (95% CI: 1.12-1.60). Mortality HRs associated with SRH by ethnicity are shown in the Table. A stepwise increase in the adjusted risk was observed with increasing SRH in both ethnic groups, with no interaction detected. Conclusions: Although Jewish participants had poorer SRH, their survival rate was higher than the Arab participants. Poor SRH was equally associated with higher mortality in both groups. Further research is warranted to understand better the factors influencing SRH gradings in Jewish vs. Arab older adults.

Deepening apartheid: The political geography of colonizing Israel/Palestine

The paper analyzes the regime in Israel/Palestine using a political geographical perspective. It demonstrates how a combination of colonial, national, capitalist and liberal forces have put in train a process of “deepening apartheid” in the entire territory controlled by Israel—between River and Sea. This undeclared regime has been established to guard the 'achievements' of settler colonial Judaization of the land and the domination of the Jewish minority. As described by the Rome Statute, it has become an institutionalized regime of systematic oppression and domination by one group over others, with the intention of maintaining that regime. Hence the political geographical analysis shows clearly that the wide description in academic and international circles of Israel as “Jewish and democratic,” is based on a denial of the clear racialized hierarchy of civil statuses. This setting enhances Jewish supremacy (using different methods) it in all regions, while Palestinians are fragmented into lower rungs on the ethnic hierarchy—de facto and de jure—thereby contradicting the tenets of democratic civil equality. Theoretically, the paper draws on the links between settler colonial expansion, the rise of ethnocracy, partial liberalization under global capitalism, and the making of apartheid. It shows that historically Jewish colonization of Palestine—the underlying logic of the regime—has advanced in six main historical-geographical stages, encountering persistent, and at times violent, Palestinian resistance. The paper then analyzes in more detail the emergence of one regime between River and Sea, in which the state uses military, spatial, economic, and legal powers, as well as geopolitical maneuvering (particularly US support) to oppress Palestinians, while promoting democratic rights and economic development among Jews. This has enabled Israel to integrate and “whiten” Mizrahi and other Jewish groups into mainstream Zionism. Rivaling Palestinian political projects have been fragmented, ghettoized, attacked violently, and severely weakened. The paper shows how Jewish colonization, on both sides of the Green Line (which has also included some tactical withdrawals), has led to the establishment of four hierarchical types of citizenship, governed as “separate and unequal”. The relations between the groups resemble the racialized categories used in Apartheid South Africa and include (a) “White”—Jewish Israelis—with full citizenship rights; (b) “Colored”—Palestinian Arabs with Israeli citizenship with partial rights; (c) “Black”—Palestinians under occupation lacking citizenship or political rights; (d) “Gray”—an emerging group, consisting of non-citizen migrants and asylum seekers.