Israel to measure inequality between Mizrahi and Ashkenazi Jews

Israel has avoided measuring socioeconomic differences between Jews of different backgrounds since the 1980s, but that’s about to change.

Imagine if little was known about the extent of racial inequality in the United States because the government followed a policy of lumping together Blacks, whites, Hispanics, and Asians in official statistics.

In Israel, such a policy has been in place for decades, making it difficult to understand inequality among Jews of different ethnicities — but that is about to change.

After decades of withholding statistics on socioeconomic differences between Jews of Ashkenazi or European origins, and those of Mizrahi or North Africa and Middle Eastern origin, Israel’s national statistical bureau decided last month to begin publishing data that is expected to shed light on one of the most politically charged divisions in Israeli society.

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Israel to measure inequality between Mizrahi and Ashkenazi Jews with new statistics (JTA)

Photo: Israeli protesters march through central Jerusalem demonstrating against the rising cost of living and the high prices of housing (EPA/ABIR SULTAN/AAP)