Subscribe to Print Edition | Fri., May 02, 2008 Nisan 27, 5768 | | Israel Time: 16:16 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Last update - 17:11 22/04/2008 The New 12 Tribes of Israel By Bradley Burston Tags: Burston, Israel  My life partner and I once found ourselves on a remote part of the Hawaiian island of Kauai. We got to talking with a calm, perceptive and unusually grounded woman who told us she lived there. When she then asked us where we called home, and when we told her Israel, she responded with what seemed to her to be the logical, natural next question: "Oh - what tribe are you?" While we, taken aback, groped for an answer, she told us in a manner as matter-of-fact as an observation about the weather, that she was of the tribe of Ephraim. Everyone at her church, she continued, knew which tribe they belonged to. This being the week of the anniversary of the leaving of Egypt and the real beginning of the organization of the People of Israel into tribes, or, if you prefer, camps, it might be the time to look anew at the question of how the same people are organized today, and how that affects our lives. Herewith, Part One of a first stab at answering that question in Kauai. THE TRIBE OF BEITAR One of Israel's strongest groupings in terms of tribal identification, regional distribution, and passion in ritual and belief. This can be attributed to its role as a nexus between politics and soccer; between the Polish Jewish culture of nursing grievances as a way of life, and multi-generational Mizrachi Israeli antipathy toward vestiges of Mapai [see below]. Political orientation: Hawkish on issues of defense and diplomacy. Split on economic issues [Tribal Chief Netanyahu holds to free market philosophy, rank and file traditionally favor social welfare-oriented government programs, although this is less true of Russian-born relative newcomers]. Tribal organization: Led mainly by leaders of Eastern European-born leaders of pre-state rightwing militias [Etzel, or Irgun, and Lehi] and their children - many of whom, including Ehud Olmert and Tzipi Livni, have since decamped. Descent of Tribal Chief: Ze'ev Jabotinsky begat Menachem Begin, who begat Yitzhak Shamir, who begat Benjamin Netanyahu, who begat Ariel Sharon, who begat Benjamin Netanyahu. Religious Orientation: Beitar-odox. Fundamentalist belief in Beitar Jerusalem and the redemptive power of soccer. Sabbath observance may include participation in Orthodox minyan, followed by chain-smoking drive - yellow and black Beitar scarf flying from car window - to match of the week. THE TRIBE OF MAPAI Once the proudly dominant clan, in charge of everything from the IDF to health care to steel production. Now splintered, rudderless, vestigial ? in its current incarnation, anemic Labor/privatized kibbutz/suburbanized moshav/toothless Histadrut, barely an extended dysfunctional family. Political orientation: Once strongly social-democratic. Once strongly dovish. Tribal organization: Unclear. Descent of Tribal Chief: David Ben-Gurion begat Levi Eshkol, who begat Golda Meir, who begat Yitzhak Rabin, who fought for nearly 20 years with Shimon Peres, who begat Ehud Barak, who begat Amir Peretz, who begat Ehud Barak. Identifying characteristics: Equivocation. Nostalgia. THE TRIBE OF MARAN So called for its origin among the followers of Shas spiritual leader Maran [Revered Rabbi] Ovadia Yosef. Meant to restore pride to Jews of Mizrachi origin - largely, those who trace descent from Mediterranean and Mideastern lands - and who often faced discrimination and humiliation at the hands of Mapai and its many arms. Political orientation: Tough on religious issues, hardline though occasionally flexible on defense and diplomatic questions. Tribal organization: While Rabbi Yosef is the acknowledged Elder among Elders, who comprise the Council of Torah Sages, present chief is Eli Yishai, deputy PM and minister of trade. Descent of Tribal Chief: Grand Rabbi Yosef, who, aided by Lithuanian-born Grand Rabbi Eliezer Shach, begat Aryeh Deri, who, convicted of graft, begat Eli Yishai. Identifying characteristics: By far the best dressed among the ultra-Orthodox. THE TRIBE OF TECH One of the newer clans. Believes in the redemptive power of long hours, innovative ideas, NASDAQ, and eventual sale of the company to a global corporation for mega-millions. Political orientation: Vaguely centrist. Believes in stability, and furtherance of peace talks as good for investment and the economy. Identifying characteristics: Bluetooth implant, polo shirt, car with company logo on back fender and bumper sticker reading "How's my driving?" but with phone number too small to read as vehicle is traveling at warp speed. THE TRIBE OF YESHA Includes many of the some quarter-million Jewish residents of the West Bank, plus a huge number of settler would-have-beens in Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Modi'in, Brooklyn and elsewhere. Political orientation: Vanguard of the right. Religious orientation: The Tribe of Yesha has transformed Orthodoxy, and to an extent, even ultra-Orthodoxy, as no other modern movement, with its dedication to its central commandment of settling Judea and Samaria. At the same time, its adaptation of a version of old-time Labor Zionism has helped foster a changed spirit for Modern Orthodoxy, in the process, potentiating efforts to expand the roles of women in traditional Judaism. Identifying marks: Flannel plaid shirts, generally kibbutz-casual clothing. Tribal organization: In flux since disengagement from Gaza. Descent of tribal chief: Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, founder of Mercaz Harav Yeshiva, begat Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook, who begat Gush Emunim as well as former chief rabbi Avraham Shapira, Moshe Levenger, Beni Katzover, Moshe Felix, Hanan Porat, Haim Druckman, Daneilla Weiss, Dov Lior, Shlomo Aviner and many others, along with the Yesha Council of Jewish Settlements, currently headed by the [non-Orthodox] Dani Dayan. THE TRIBE OF BIL'IN A small, poorly organized but vocal clan, with offshoots in south Tel Aviv's Florentine neighborhood and in many other areas. Tribal activities are many and varied, though members of the tribe may be involved in only one, or none. Signature ritual is protest against West Bank fence near village of Bi'lin. Religious orientation: Personal Anarchism. Antipathy to Israeli governmental institutions and policies. Antipathy may extend to Zionism as a philosophy, and/or, bourgeois parents. THE TRIBE OF KACH The rightist version of the Bil'inist, composed of followers of slain rabbi Meir Kahane and his Kach movement. Geographic epicenter of movement is Jewish sectors of Hebron. Political orientation: Far-right. Fervent belief in expelling Arabs from Greater Israel. Often characterized by excessive interest in and wearing of large handguns. Tribe has many fellow travelers, notably Women in Green. Tribal organization: Split. Jabotinsky begat Beitar, which begat Rabbi Meir Kahane, who begat Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane, who, after Meir Kahane's death, founded the breakaway Kahane Chai movement, a rival to Kach, now technically headed by Baruch Marzel of Hebron, who begat (in 2000, with Michael Kleiner) the Herut party, which split (in 2006) into the Jewish National Front, headed by Marzel. Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane and his wife were killed in a terrorist attack in 2000 by Fatah Force 17 gunmen. Identifying characteristics: Oversized kippot. Oversized sidearms. THE TRIBE OF TIBI Israel's Arab minority is perhaps the most difficult grouping to typify, as it is made up of numerous minorities and clans of diverse religions, cultures, and political and social attitudes, among them Christians, Muslims and Druze, Negev and Galilee Bedouin, IDF officers and firebrand Islamists. Their position also makes them vulnerable to the concurrent suspicions of fellow Israelis and neighboring Palestinians. THE TRIBES OF SHEINKIN AND BOMBAMELA Two sides of a similar coin, this group, largely native-born Ashkenazi in origin, may tend toward artistic/New Age/yuppie commercial ventures on the one hand, and patchouli-flavored hippie dropout status on the other. THE TRIBE OF VESTY More than a million strong, the wave of immigration from the former Soviet Union which began in earnest 20 years ago has created a subculture of its own. In som,e disciplines, notably music, the Russians,m as they are collectively known, have brought a level of formality and seriousness which may put them at odds with the more offhand approach of the native-born. THE TRIBE OF BIN NUN Career military, police and intelligence service personnel. A life of long absences from home and family, of frequent and sometimes abrupt changes of residence, schools, and friends. A life of uncertainty and too much - and never enough - news. [Readers are invited to suggest additional or alternative tribes] _______________ Previous blogs: A place at the table I want the Palestinians to win The jihad against the Jews Ten ways Israel keeps Hamas afloat Macho U.S. Jews, pantywaist Israel Ten Commandments for Arab and Jew at war Bookmark to del.icio.us   Hamas on the Holocaust Al-Aqsa TV claims Jews concocted the Holocaust. Grasping genocide How a non-Jew in Israel came to understand the Holocaust.   1.   what about... 14:30  |  dizzy 21/04/08   2.   Terrible article 17:35  |  Greg 21/04/08   3.   How about the tribe of Amelek and its offshoots including Haaretz 18:21  |  Right On 21/04/08   4.   Brad, if you want real discussion 12 Tribes, write a real article 02:30  |  JI aka Yussef Gideon 22/04/08   5.   loved it 12:06  |  tribe of tech 22/04/08   6.   Goa Tribe 17:39  |  Jeff 22/04/08   7.   Looking for The Real Tribes 20:44  |  Bandar Michaels 22/04/08   8.   It´s a superb article 06:47  |  Leandro 23/04/08   9.   Important tribe left out 07:35  |  Sarah 23/04/08   10.   Admittedly, I enjoyed this article 12:58  |  christoph 23/04/08   11.   THE TRIBE OF BIL`IN needs more info 15:25  |  Simcha 23/04/08   12.   The tribes I see 23:18  |  Wanderer 23/04/08   13.   Left out the Tribe of intelligent Anti-Olmert Anti-defeatism Jews 03:29  |  Rachel 24/04/08   14.   Tribes are going to be insignificant 15:55  |  Dror 24/04/08   15.   The tribe of Nouveaux riches 19:11  |  observer 24/04/08   16.   worthless culture, religious and secular alike 21:12  |  Dror 24/04/08   17.   Worthless tribes cont. 21:29  |  Dror 24/04/08   18.   Koestler 23:08  |  William 24/04/08   19.   and..... The Tribe of Cheque Writers 02:31  |  The Diaspora 25/04/08   20.   brilliant 17:28  |  idc herzliya 25/04/08   21.   Bandar Michaels 02:00  |  David Green 26/04/08   22.   The media spin tribe 09:09  |  Elie Friedman 26/04/08   23.   David Green 21:17  |  Bandar Michaels 26/04/08   24.   Speaking of tribe.. 00:19  |  Aryan 27/04/08   25.   19#, Diaspora 09:11  |  Judah 27/04/08   26.   #25 So what you are saying is.... 12:27  |  The Diaspora 28/04/08   27.   Comments on Bandar 00:29  |  Gabriel 29/04/08   28.   #17 dror "A son has been born to us.." 15:32  |  marilyn 02/05/08

Read & React PM faces calls to take leave after questioned under caution Responses: 52 Rice: Israel, PA must agree on final borders 'once and for all' Responses: 112 Gaza sewage pumped into the sea over past three months Responses: 44 Yad Vashem chair: Superficially equating genocides dishonors their victims Responses: 10 Akiva Eldar: Using the Syria channel as cover for Israel-PA setbacks Responses: 7 Rosner's Domain Asali: on nationalist fantasies, religious zealotry, of Israelis/Palestinians Should Israel remain Jewish? (WTR) The super headache of the superdelegates Talking about war with Iran is not necessarily bad Is Israel finished? five questions More Headlines 15:44 Five Israelis killed in road accident in Bolivia 13:41 PM faces calls to take leave after questioned under caution 15:18 Quartet backs Egypt mediation in Gaza Strip, easing of blockade 13:30 World powers urge Arabs to honor pledges to Palestinians 15:48 Rightists in Hebron clash with U.S. envoy's bodyguards 05:53 Gaza sewage pumped into the sea over past three months 12:02 Price of fresh produce rises by 6.7 percent in first 3 months of 2008 22:56 Yellow patch, Blue victory: U.K. media praise Grant after Chelsea win 05:29 Report shows workers lost NIS 8,000 each to employers' benefit 07:44 A veteran of the partisans, but he could not free Mt. Scopus Previous Editions Select Day 01 may 30 apr 29 apr 28 apr 27 apr 25 apr 24 apr 23 apr 22 apr 21 apr 20 apr 18 apr

Special Offers Advertisement Pardes Institute Summer Sessions http://www.pardes.org.il/ FAREWELL ISRAEL New Film The Coming War for Islamic Revival - View Movie Trailer The interest rates haven't changed But your profits will! Learn Hebrew online with Israel's best teachers Sign up for a trial lesson today Free the Palestinians from: Corrupt Kleptocracy, Tyrannical Theocracy, Abysmal Anarchy Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. ISRAEL BONDS Build Israel Israel bonds - a multi-purpose way to celebrate Israel's 60th Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |

Real Estate in Israel

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved