Who is a Jew? Who wants to know and why?

Here's a handy and mercifully short lesson in the kind of racism which lies at the heart of the zionist project and Israeli society.  It's a video by the Israeli political party, Shas, suggesting that "native" Israeli Jews might be in danger from Russian gentiles because Yisrael Beteinu is too lax with conversions.

Have a look at this video:

Jerry Haber of the Magnes Zionist blog picked up the story from Ha'aretz and pointed out that the original writer, Yair Ettinger, missed the point of the importance of an issue like who had the right to authenticate a person's Jewish identity:

The problem is with the liberals, like Haaretz writer, Yair Ettinger, who concludes his article saying:

One good thing could come out of the controversy: perhaps the conversion crisis, which continues to deepen in the Netanyahu-Shas era, will finally make its way to the national agenda.

The conversion issue is only on the national agenda because the state interferes with religion. If some folks don't think that some rabbis' conversions are kosher, what business is that of the state? Let the religious communities decide who they accept and who they don't, and leave the state out of it.

Ah, but this is Israel, where religious affiliation makes you automatically into a returning citizen

The only country in the world, by the way. And that includes the Muslim world.

Apparently there have been complaints about the video by people who want it banned from public broadcasting but so far no ban has been imposed.  This stand in stark contrast to the treatment of the
Balad video showing various fascist Israeli politicans singing the zionist anthem, HaTikvah, only to an Arab sounding tune and rythm:



It didn't take long to get that one banned.  Ah but that one involved the "national" anthem.  Well, as 972 Mag points out, so did this one:



That didn't get banned.

Funny old business that Jewish democracy...

UPDATE: According to this Yahoo news report, Shas has now pulled the video.  N/B it still didn't get banned.