Right-wing group mapping Jerusalem businesses that employ Arabs
Meir Ettinger, 19, a resident of the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar and grandson of late Rabbi Kahane, says goal of Hebrew Labor project is 'to warn the public' against buying from businesses that employ Arabs.
By Oz Rosenberg Tags: Jews and Arabs JerusalemAbout 10 days ago, a fish merchant in Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda outdoor market noticed a young man with sidelocks and a skullcap trying to determine which of the stalls employ Arabs. The merchant, Saleh, called the police, who detained the man for questioning on suspicion that he was planning a terror attack.
But the interrogation revealed that Meir Ettinger, 19, had a completely different goal in mind. Ettinger, a resident of the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar and a grandson of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane, said he was investigating on behalf of a project called Hebrew Labor, whose goal is "to warn the public" against buying from businesses that employ Arabs.
 |
Saleh at work in a fish stall in Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehuda market. |
| Photo by: Emil Salman |
Ettinger was released and ordered to keep away from Mahane Yehuda for two weeks. But last Thursday night, police detained four other young men from Yitzhar who were on the same mission.
Conversations with right-wing activists this week revealed that Ettinger and his comrades have been working on this project for several weeks now. Their goal is to map all of the businesses in Jerusalem that use Arab labor. They began in the northern neighborhoods of Pisgat Ze'ev and Neveh Yaakov, then moved to the western neighborhoods of Kiryat Moshe and Givat Shaul, and are now working on the downtown area, which includes Mahane Yehuda.
"They came to my boss and asked him if he has Arabs working for him," related Yaakov Azaria, an electrician from Pisgat Ze'ev. "He said no, but I know they also went to others and asked them."
About 20 people are working on the mapping project. Most are Yitzhar residents who were recently served with administrative orders requiring them to stay out of the West Bank, for fear that they might carry out attacks on Palestinians or soldiers, and are therefore living temporarily in Jerusalem. Their goal is to prevent people from patronizing businesses that employ Arabs.
"A booklet with a list of places that employ Arabs will be published soon," said Moshe Ben Zikri, an extreme right-wing activist from Jerusalem. "That will be followed by hanging up posters and signs with these lists in the streets - just so that the public will know and be cautious."
The modus operandi is simple: If it isn't clear that a store does or doesn't employ Arabs, the activists simply walk in and ask the owner. Police found a list of several dozen businesses in Ettinger's pocket, each marked with an X if it employed Arab workers or a checkmark if it did not.
The Hebrew Labor project is not one of a kind: In January, for instance, a right-wing group called Lehava - For the Prevention of Assimilation in the Holy Land launched a campaign to give "kashrut certificates" to businesses that don't employ Arabs. Benzion Gopstein, one of the leaders of Lehava, said this new campaign was unrelated, but motivated by the same goal.
"I don't understand what the problem is here," he said. "All in all, this is just a service to the public that isn't interested in buying from businesses with Arabs."
Why Facebook Connect?
Comment on Haaretz.com articles with your Facebook login, and share your thoughts on your own wall.
- Latest
- Most Viewed
- Most Rated
- Open all
There sure are good people there!
Condemning people for employing Jews! What alot of squawking there would be about that!
So it's a question of economics, not of morals & ethics. Hihi.
The state of Israel needs to get the ultra orthodox and settler movement under control. This behavior goes against all that is good and Jewish.
Not worth a comment.........
Kosher plus
I am fell that day by day this country is becoming a very undemocratic place where I myself felt like a really outsider. How can it be that now people are maping places where people from the same country are employed? What is a matter if someone is jew, arab if they form part of Israel. It is know that when you immigrate to Israel you felt that mot the judaism you are living Israelism and arab people make a lot about it!. So, stop damage israel, be democratic!
Israel has problems that must be dealt with, but ask any South African with intimate knowledge of both situations and they will tell you that the comparison is an insult to those who suffered under apartheid.
I won't do business there. The Arabs, as well as the Jews, are here to stay. Get used to it!
These jerks have obviously not learned from history and now they act like grade-A racists. If they make their list public I will make a special effort to buy at those shops. Jewish shop-owners employing Arabs is a good thing. Israel needs more assimilation, not less.
A big, fat Zero. This is long overdue.
I, and many of my friends will join you! Great idea
Will they then paint white crescents on the windows of such businesses and stand in front with their arms crossed while they laugh? This sounds all too familiar.
As long as they are backed and financed by the government and no law applies to them, why should they work?
Israelis are not just Jews, and this kind of thing only kills and bring enmity
Discriminating against non-Muslims is second nature. I fully support this. Besides, Arab employees have turned on their Israeli employers and commited terror attacks.
I buy products regardless of who makes them. And many operations in the west bank employ arabs. What will they do now? go out of business because of the lunatic lunatic's garndson?
these young men have immunity, whatever they do they get away with it. why? because they share the same goals as the israeli government, only they speak them out, and dont like about them.
there is a big difference between this and the boycott of settlement goods campaign. The boycott of settlement goods is because Israeli settlements are illegal under international law and because of Israel's occupation of the Palestinians. This mapping project is based on racism pure and simple and nothing else.
Your argument is wrought with holes, Kenny. A business that promotes peace and cooperation by employing people regardless of their ethnicity or religion is not comparable to a business built on stolen land that does nothing but promote apartheid policies and hatred.
If you can't see the difference then there is really no point arguing with you.
These weren't Haredim. Stop hating.
Disgusting
this doesn't reflect ALL Israeli society! I am Israeli society and am against it, as are so many others, please see that these are the 'extremists' not the generality!
Mimi Unfortunately, these settlers represent the government that is supporting them, and the people who voted in this government.
Mimi unfortunately, these settlers represent the government that is supporting them, and the people who voted in this government. That means even thought it isn't "general" it is substancial.
perhaps these people should stop going to health clinics and hospitals...where would they get treatment then.we are supposed to be a democratic country.
Quite the beacon of light...headed for disaster. Good luck - soon your worst enemies won;t be arabs but each other.
We have to thank the right wing rascist group for providing a list of estblishements that employ arabs, so i can take my custom there and tell everyone i know. This is my answer to your ugly rascism. These are the same people that promote anti democratic laws.
I boycott all goods made in Israel and even my gardener a polish guy boycotts all goods made in israel even if ther are cheaper and better quality. This will harden my resolve and I even say publicly to the shop staff that israel is a terrorist nation and steals other lands that is why I dont buy Israel made goods
Did you know that by boycotting Israel you are also boycotting the Arab workers? They don't have a lot of other income. So who do you mean to harm?
Crescents?
if somebody would have told me i would not believe it.
It seems that every day I read another article about how certain Israelis are committing acts of racism. They are tarnishing the name of the Jewish State and the Jewish People. Do the Torah's teachings, our history, and the human conscience that we all possess mean nothing? We are supposed to be a light unto the nations but here are these people discriminating on the basis of ethnicity. Despicable. If we were created in the image of God then we must act like it, with integrity and love for all mankind. I am so sickened by this.
All nations have racism from American, Russia, Iran, South Africa, Serbia and the UK. At times this grows to dangerous levels, more so if the ruling government smiles on such acts.
They are the blueprint for this behavior.
It seems that many of the religious are above the law. It's time the secular majority stand up to these bigots.
Israel under Netanyahu, Leiberman and Yishai is a fascist state setting up it's own Nurenberg Laws — and then Israelis wonder why the world turns away.
And why did the world turn away before BiBi?
and know even a potential Supreme Court justice. What goes around, comes around.
The settlements are illegal enterprises operating in violation of international law. Being Arab or employing Arabs is not illegal under international law,and not in under IL law either, thus far.
Maybe they could paint symbols on the front of the shops so we can identify them. Big ones. White paint. Worked in 1930's Germany.
"I don't understand what the problem is here" he said. HaHaHaHa
Israel is not a democracy although they do use some of the trappings of a democracy as a facade. The constant targetting of Arabs, leftists, and critics is embraced not only by right wing Israelis, but also by the Israeli government. This sort of behavior would get a lot of negative attention from America if it was any nation other than Israel. I wonder why.
Do these people know nothing of their very own history of being minorities in other countries? And now they seek to damage businesses for hiring daring to hire Arabs?
where I could find a list of product from the settlements........so I can buy them!!!
I'm right wing, but don't think that these actions represent most right wingers. These are stupid, racist people who need to get a life and accept 20% of the population, most of who will not blow you up.
I'm deeply ashamed that fellow Jews would behave in such a racist manner - has our history taught us nothing at all??!! This is an aveira. Shame.