Journalist Blames 'Hegemonic Persecution' for Shas' Election Collapse
Translated & summarized from Now 14 by baba
Journalist Avishai Ben-Chaim claims Shas's election failure stems from a systematic, long-term "hegemonic persecution" targeting the Mizrahi movement. He argues this campaign, characterized by legal and media attacks, aimed to dismantle Shas, its founder Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, and chairman Aryeh Deri. Ben-Chaim contends that Deri's imprisonment and the party's negative portrayal were part of this effort to weaken Mizrahi political influence.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Journalist Avishai Ben-Chaim blames "hegemonic persecution" for Shas's election collapse.
- He alleges a systematic, long-term strategy targeted Shas, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, and Aryeh Deri.
- Ben-Chaim describes the alleged persecution as "violent-legal" and "anti-Mizrahi."
- He links Deri's imprisonment to his success in mobilizing Mizrahi voters.
- The journalist argues Shas's decline is tied to the social and political history of Mizrahim in Israel.
Journalist Dr. Avishai Ben-Chaim attributes the severe election results for the Shas party in the 26th Knesset elections to a prolonged, systematic "hegemonic persecution" aimed at dismantling the Mizrahi movement. He argues that the party's decline is not solely due to its own actions but is the product of a long-term strategy to undermine Shas, its founder Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, and its chairman Aryeh Deri.
Ben-Chaim described this alleged persecution as "violent-legal, unfairly journalistic, rife with prejudice and anti-Mizrahi stereotypes." He characterized Shas as a movement that spearheaded a Sephardic-Jewish revival and credited Rabbi Ovadia Yosef with restoring the honor of Sephardic Jewry. He also praised Deri as the most talented Mizrahi political leader in Israel's history, suggesting his imprisonment and subsequent weakening were consequences of his success in mobilizing Mizrahi voters.
Furthermore, Ben-Chaim asserted that Shas's current state cannot be separated from the broader social and political history of the Mizrahi public in Israel. He criticized the "hegemony" for discussing how Mizrahim are allegedly to blame for their own situation while ignoring the role of systemic oppression in shaping reality. He concluded that Shas was systematically weakened over the years by being presented in a degrading and criminal manner, transforming its cultural and social revival into a "criminal event" and gradually draining it of its vitality.
