''Maroco sakin'' ( he, סכין מרוקאית ') is a racist Hebrew language term used in Israel that means "Moroccan knife". The term refers to a stereotype that
Moroccan Jews
Moroccan Jews ( ar, اليهود المغاربة, al-Yahūd al-Maghāriba he, יהודים מרוקאים, Yehudim Maroka'im) are Jews who live in or are from Morocco. Moroccan Jews constitute an ancient community dating to Roman times. Jews b ...
carried knives on their persons and were prone to violent criminality and nervousness. The stereotype of ''Maroka’i sakina’i'' (Moroccans with knives) was most commonly leveled against young working-class Moroccan male immigrants. The term was most often used by Israeli Jews of European descent, particularly Ashkenazi Jews, against Moroccan Jews specifically and sometimes North African Mizrahi Jews more broadly. The term is dated, largely being used during the height of Moroccan-Jewish immigration between the 1950s and the 1970s.
The leftist Ashkenazi Israeli writer
Gideon Levy
Gideon Levy ( he, גדעון לוי; born 2 June 1953) is an Israeli journalist and author. Levy writes opinion pieces and a weekly column for the newspaper ''Haaretz'' that often focus on the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. ...
has referred to "Moroccans with knives" as a term of dehumanization, claiming that historical prejudice against Moroccan Jews is connected to current anti-Arab racism in Israel.
See also
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Ars (slang)
''Ars'' ( he, ערס '), or ''Arsim'' (the plural in Hebrew) is a derogatory Hebrew slang term derived from the Arabic word for pimp. It is usually used to denote a certain ethnic stereotype: low-class men of Mizrahi origin who associate with a ce ...
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Racism in Jewish communities
Racism in Jewish communities is a source of concern for people of color, particularly for Jews of color. Black Jews, Indigenous Jews, and other Jews of color report that they experience racism from white Jews in many countries, including the Unit ...
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Racism in Israel
Racism in Israel encompasses all forms and manifestations of racism experienced in Israel, irrespective of the colour or creed of the perpetrator and victim, or their citizenship, residency, or visitor status.
More specifically in the Israeli co ...
References
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Anti-Arabism in Israel
Class-related slurs
Crime in Israel
Ethnic and racial stereotypes
Hebrew slang
Mizrahi Jewish culture in Israel
Moroccan-Jewish culture in Israel
Ethnic and religious slurs
Racism in Israel
Slang terms for men
Stereotypes of Arab people
Stereotypes of Jewish people
Stereotypes of working-class men
Violent crime
Working class in Asia