Since When Do You Have a Mizrahi Accent? Choosing Mizrahiness and the Processes of Becoming Mizrahi

This article examines the processes of acting and becoming Mizrahi. Research on ethnicity in Israeli society has focused on the Mizrahi and on Mizrahiness: scholars have tended to challenge the hierarchical dichotomy between Ashkenazi and Mizrahi; reveal how the Ashkenazim produced and represented the Mizrahim; and examine the process of construction of Mizrahiness. Several other studies examine the process of becoming Ashkenazi (“hishtaknezut”) – but very few studies explore the process of becoming Mizrahi. Contrary to the conventional wisdom that, given the option, individuals will abandon the unprivileged Mizrahi identity and become Ashkenazim, this paper’s findings indicate that passing as Mizrahi also exists. The research is based on a study of two infantry brigades in the IDF: the Golani Brigade, generally perceived as Mizrahi, and the Paratroopers Brigade, generally perceived as Ashkenazi. The study focuses on the Golani Brigade, examining the performance of cultural practices of acting and becoming Mizrahi. I argue that by learning and adopting the ethnic organizational culture of the brigade, the soldiers construct an alternative to the hegemonic identity and challenge the stigmatization of the Mizrahi identity.