This Mizrahi Heritage Month I want to remind everyone that Mizrahi Jews are not Arab. There are always a lot of angry responses when I say this. I'm not trying to stir everyone up, I'm just stating a fact. Jews in Middle Eastern countries maintained a separate culture and identity from Arabs. It isn't shameful to be Arab. But I will not call myself an Arab Jew because that's not what I am and that's not what my ancestors were. They faced discrimination and pogroms for being non-Arab, but they maintained their culture because it was important to them. You could spend the time you waste arguing with me about my identity celebrating all the diverse groups that originate from the Middle East.
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