Accepting the 'Other': Immigrants in Israeli children's literature

Israel is known as a typical immigration country, to which millions of people have immigrated throughout the last 130 years. The various problems encountered by immigrants in a new country, regardless of its geographical location, have been documented in detail by sociologists and anthropologists as well as by writers of novels and children's books. Inevitably, there are considerable social, economic, cultural, and sometimes religious differences between the immigrants and veteran residents. Much of the new-comer's resources are devoted to overcoming these difficulties. Admittedly, a negative attitude towards new-comers has probably been a natural human reaction, especially if the latter differ in color, culture, customs and life habits. The incoming stranger is perceived as a threat to the existing society, its cohesion, values and hierarchy. When these differences couple with fears of competition over jobs, housing etc., the negative attitude, intensifies, and may lead to alienation, derision, rejection, and sometimes even to aggression and violence (Regev, 1990). However, in the special case of Israel certain unique factors were supposed to counter these natural human emotions. Many Israelis view the last century's immigration to the Holy Land not merely as a migration of people, but as the fulfillment of an ancient biblical prophecy, a crucial step towards the ultimate redemption. Thus, the successful absorption of immigrants in the Holy Land is also considered a religious duty, besides serving to strengthen the young country. An existing population of 600,000 in 1948 had to absorb millions of immigrants, whose absorption often involved economical, sociological and psychological problems, resulting of mentality and culture gaps.The huge immigrants waves following statehood exposed a discrepancy between the official government policy which considered immigration the most important national task, and the indifference of many people. In the course of the mass immigration those responsible for their absorption developed negative stereotypes and a patronizing attitude, considering the new-comers inferior in culture, needing to discard their former tradition and customs, and adapt the surrounding culture. Ignoring immigrants different sociological and cultural background, the absorbers decided to determine their new value system and to reeducate them. The worst psychological problem for immigrants from developing countries was the disintegration of the traditional patriarchal-family framework, and the confrontation with modern competitive reality (Naor M & Giladi D, 1990).