
Translator: Zahra Zamanloo
Source: rasekhoon.net
Source: rasekhoon.net
While immigrants were struggling to survive, respectively, the leaders of the Zionist movement lived in luxury in Europe and they were ignorant about the victims who were sent to Palestine. The first and second groups of immigrant women quickly realized that they would not enjoy the freedom, but the fact is that they do not have any place among the leaders of Zionism. Joseph Baratzder brings this issue: (we all both men and women believed in Palestine our old wish that is changing the past will come true and we thought that women will be free and she will work equally with men in agricultural labors.
We should admit that the immigrated men could not tolerate the liberation of women emotionally and mentally. And these emotional states will make women's work more difficult to get their violated rights).
At the beginning of the migration, the Eastern European Jewish shouted and promised the gender equality, but these promises did not come true. Zybura Bardomamy writes (in Palestine, the way was changed and some breaks were created. There in the exile of Russia, women and men (Comrade) were equal. Both groups were trying together and they tolerated the difficult and hardship of imprisonment and exile however when the command of leaders ordered the emigration to Palestine, we were divided into two groups, fellows of men and fellows of women and as far as we reached there, the first group was assigned to (prospering the land) and the second group, namely women supported the first group. We always heard this: We need more men in this work (prospering the Palestine) more than women. Natalie Rain, the author of this book narrates from the language of Jewish leaders and writes that they did not pay attention to the key issues of Palestine but they tried to find a suitable position in the West and achieve their personal desires. Meanwhile, the women did not have much desires and it seemed that they cannot meet their demands. Women had to procreate more and hence they were always busy with the education of children and housework and soon they realized that their role will not be promoted from the old and traditional framework. (Working in the kitchen, laundry and … were so essential activities of women.)
The only difference between the past and present time was that housewives in addition to cooking the food for their families had to cook for dozens or even hundreds of other families). However, the women of the third group were slightly aware but unemployment, hunger and difficulty in 1926 and 1927 involved the Jews and it diminished the role of women, and if some jobs were created for them, they had meager wages like the tailor, textile and limited home services.
And although they frequently they perform these things. But these difficulties, were more than to be tolerable.
Let me say that women of kibbutzim in those days disliked the housework, it will not be due to they were difficult because many of these tasks were easier than other tasks, but women feel humiliation and contempt. They wanted to be assigned to other tasks like men rather than to be deported to kitchen.
By the end of the second decade of immigration, the frustration was evident in the actions and behavior of women because no one did pay attention to them. Ada Mayan in 1929 and 1930 wrote two books about the failure of Jewish women. Although the slogan of Jewish was democracy, but the leaders of the Zionist like Ben-Gurion and Pearl Katter Nilsson, always imposed their views to others and by creating the parties as Hastert, women found that they have no place in the Occupied Palestine and even women who served in the military and came to key positions, did not reach the self-motivating; neither their names were at newspaper nor their statues were installed in town squares. Also, women could not achieve the general degree.
Just 30 years after women's hard military training, Tom Baden wrote contemptuously: (we seek to increase our troops and we did not plan to send women to war. Most of these women were happy they could work as typist, secretarial and administrative staff in military bases and over all Jewish parts of Palestine. The beautiful girls were anthologized and were employed in the office of officers or public relations. Although the military members took the place of Jewish men and academy but the little role of women in the system, was showing the lack of participation of women in obtaining the power and domination.
4. After 1948, only some of the ancient Jewish values remained. The perspective and policy of Zionism leaders and men was very tight and they only tried to think of immigration and defense policy that were the only means of advancing the objectives honorably. Jews in those years were retrogressive and they were oriented more or less than before to grab their own rituals and religious practices. In addition to immigration to Europe and the US, migration to Palestine increased especially from regions such as Africa, Kurdistan, Turkey, Syria and Lebanon. These groups were of great religious zeal. Undoubtedly, a small collection of women who shouted the slogan of equality did not benefit from the assistance of others. Groups of women, especially those who came from Spain and Portugal, did not have even the slightest equal aspect with other Jews. After the appointment of people like Ben-Gurion, the voice of women was not heard as far as one of the female members of Parliament was reprimanded for wasting much of her time on women's issues. In terms of the Declaration of Independence was written: this country (with an omission of religion, race, gender, social and political status will deal with everyone equally). But the implementation of such laws did not performed accurately. Also in the Work Law of 1954 up to the present they are performed only when (books) are printed, look at the following: (Minister of Labor is responsible to stop women from all works that harm them) Thus, with the legal matters (prohibition of night work for women) time is from 12 pm to 6 am and so the working area for women were tightened because under this law, manufacturers refused of women's employment. Since 1948, the little influence of women was decreased and the dignity and respect of Jewish men was increased.
5. Women who came to Palestine from Eastern countries compared to women who lived in Shtetl were more backward and less enlightened. These women did not know anything about freedom and new ways of life and they were more obedient, more silent and more uncivilized than those who had come earlier. According to the statistics of 1954, more Eastern women were illiterate; 2.53% of women who had migrated earlier and 8.57 percent who migrated later to Palestine had not gone to school and only 13 percent of the second group had finished the first stage. No doubt, this new generation could not essentially help the old generation. Immigrants lost plenty of time to become familiar with their new environment but nevertheless, and in the agricultural production and in the villages that were built for this aim (moshavim) were better than before (in Europe): (Among the 171 villages that were constructed between 1948 to 1951, only 14 percent (24 villages) were released of destruction). Since most of the Jews were illiterate, the moral Future-oriented governing was settled (the public turned to the traditional life. The clear symptoms of this life is devotion, glamorous family, affected by these values and grabbing to this soulless life. The main face of the conservative Jewish groups who had a backward nature, now observed themselves in the framework of past. The political and economic values were destroyed in front of religious values and family life; and so the perfect example of a class society with family, racial and religious values have prevailed; a society was based upon the relationships).
6. As the Jews advanced in the occupied territories and the way of progress was opened in the field of agriculture and technology, women still found their lives inconsistent with the development of other sectors, since they were still assigned to the humblest tasks. Statistics of 1951, which 113 was conducted to assess the situation of women, shows that only 12 to 14 percent of women are still used in service sectors (washing the houses, keeping the Children, Education, cleaning, cooking). Under the pretext of the war against the Arabs and the defense strategy of Zionism, men had higher status. Corruption of Israel's soldiers toward social status and disrespect to the dominant rule was increased and so the null pride of military forces became romantic. Moshe Dayan, with his astonishing behavior became a hero. In 1953, and after the conflict of Jordan with Israel, the Zionist regime attacked Jordan and slaughtered 96 people that half of the victims were women and children. Although Ben-Gurion showed his discomfort with the event, but he did not accept the responsibility for the terrible assault. In the same year the horrible event of Kofr Qasim occurred, but the enterprising Israeli soldiers had a high position so that in spite of trial of the authorities of this massacre, all beast usurpers were later pardoned.
Mapay Party, who was considered a popular party for people, attracted personnel and paid his attention to selection criteria and then the idea of the equality of all human society was replaced by racist ideology. And the woman was confined to giving birth to babies (if the birth rate of Jewish race does not increase, the survival of Israel will be hard. Israeli woman must deliver four healthy babies and if they refrain from this obligation, they have not performed their duties towards the society. It is like that a soldier has fled from the military service. Society must prepare the environment for the birth and development of these children. All Israeli mothers must fulfill this sacred duty to spread the nation of Israel).
In the meantime, although women were serving in the armed forces but little by little with the above mentioned command, their social role gradually declined. The 6-days war between the Arabs and Israel and the defeat of Arab world in the desert of Sinha promoted the position of Zionism.
Attack to Sina dessert in 1956 led to the failure of women and the slogan of equality was off under the support of the army. With the promotion of men, mother wore a new and important concept. Key and lucrative posts were given to generals and commanders who had no expert in that field and they received these benefits only because they had done important work in the military field. Israel's economic recession (1965 to 1967) increased the crisis and as history shows women were apparently more than ever slaved for Jewish men so gradually subjugating women showed their happiness of the situation.
7. But after a while, the golden summer of Israelis came and six-day war, put new perspectives for the Jewish entity. The funding of US and American Jews to Israel
Reached to 180 million dollars. Women of soldiers who had been killed in Arab-Israeli wars, for fund and food inevitably came to serve in the army and assigned to service work. Economic growth rate was increased from one percent in 1967 to 13 percent in 1968 and 9 percent in 1970 and the project of migration to the occupied territory was increasingly grown. Based on the conversation among Natalie Rain and some Jewish women and the executives of migration plan in London, the way of all Jews were paved but this way remained closed to single and divorced women.