Sabra (person)
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Sabra (Hebrew: צבר) is a term used to describe a person born in Israel.[1] In contrast, an oleh (masculine) or olah (feminine) is a person who immigrates to Israel[2] under Aliyah.
The word sabra derived from the Hebrew name for the Indian Fig Opuntia cactus, "tzabar," and related to the Arabic word for aloe/cactus, "sabr," which means patience.[3] The allusion is to a tenacious, thorny desert plant with a thick hide that conceals a sweet, softer interior, i.e., rough and masculine on the outside, but delicate and sensitive on the inside. The first use of the word to describe native-born Israelis is claimed by the journalist Uri Kesari, who published an essay, "We Are the Leaves of the Sabra!", in Doar HaYom on 18 April 1931.[4]
The sociological characteristics of the sabra were examined by Oz Almog in his book "The Sabra - The Creation of the New Jew."[5]
In the 1980's, when television in Israel was still black and white and aired several hours a day, the Israeli children's show, Ma Pit'om ("What on earth?" or "You don't say!," מה פתאום) featured as its star the talking cactus Kishkashta; Kishkashta was a Sesame Street-style felt puppet who introduced himself with a solitary song.
The "sabr" is also a national symbol for Bedouins. In their folklore it is also known as a symbol of patience and perseverance.[6]
[edit] References
- ^ An Israel-America diary The Economist, 16 November 2006
- ^ Katz, Lisa. "Oleh, Olah, Olim". http://judaism.about.com/library/1_culture/bl_olim_terror.htm. Retrieved on 2009-02-08.
- ^ Balashon, Hebrew Language Detective
- ^ Tzabar Balashon - Hebrew Language Detective
- ^ Almog, Oz. 2000. The Sabra the creation of the new Jew. The S. Mark Taper Foundation imprint in Jewish studies. Berkeley: University of California Press
- ^ Israel and the Bedouins, a Social and Political History by Samih Farsoun and Naseer Aruri
