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This lecture explores the rich and multifaceted culture of Mizrahi Jews in Israel, who hail from Middle Eastern and North African countries. It delves into the historical migration of Mizrahi communities, their integration into Israeli society, and the unique cultural synthesis that emerged from their dual heritage. We will examine the linguistic interplay between Arabic and Hebrew in the formation of Mizrahi literature and the significant and often underappreciated contributions of Mizrahi Jews to Israeli music, cinema, and art. The lecture also addresses the social and political challenges Mizrahi Jews face, including identity, representation, and inequality issues. Through this exploration, we aim to highlight the dynamic and evolving nature of Mizrahi culture within the broader context of Israeli culture.

Yuval Evri is Assistant Professor of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and Marash and Ocuin Chair in Ottoman, Mizrahi and Sephardic Jewish Studies at Brandeis University. He is a cultural historian specializing in Sephardi/Arab-Jewish modern history and culture, with a particular interest in Palestine during the first half of the 20th century. His current book project traces the invention of the Mizrahim/Sephardim as go-betweens and mediators on the borderline that emerged between the Jew and the Arab and between Hebrew and Arabic and explores how the fluidity inherent in this position became a source of resistance to the dominant national and monolingual forces. His last book, titled: The Return to Al-Andalus: Disputes Over Sephardic Culture and Identity Between Arabic and Hebrew, was published by Magnes Press in 2020.