Jews from Islamic Countries – Images and Perceptions in the Yishuv Society: The Case of Hannah Helena Thon

Abstract

Hannah Helena Thon was born in Germany and immigrated to Palestine in the early 1920s. A pioneer in social work, she was also an activist and leader in women’s organizations, a journalist and an essayist who published widely on various issues in Yishuv life. She came into close contact with Jews from the Islamic countries who at that time constituted 20%-25% of the Yishuv. She became preoccupied with their economic, social, and cultural situation and was considered to be an expert on this sector. Thon left behind a personal archive which alongside her essays as a publicist makes it possible to examine the perceptions and images of Jews from Islamic countries in her writings, as a case study of the views of the Yishuv mainstream. While Thon’s activity in social work is worthy of praise, her writing reflects perceptions (prevalent in her time) of European supremacy over the ‘Orient’, as well as generalizations and superficial stereotypes. These culminated in a discriminatory dichotomy between poor people of European origin and poor people from Islamic countries. This rift, which already existed under the Mandate, cast its shadow over Thon’s writing and other activities. Nonetheless, her attitude not only reflected the Zeitgeist, but also played a role in its emergence.