Why does everyone think that Israelis are all of European Decent?

Question

Like Israel's nearly 3 Million Oriental Jews I find myself wondering why the world thinks Israel is full of European Jews.

So, why does everyone think that Israelis are European Ashkenazim when Ashkenazim are only 48% of our Jewish population.

Answer 1

Because they think the white-looking people in the Arab world are European. My parents were from Syria (from a very long line of Syrian Jews) and I've heard so many times how I can't be Jewish because my skin isn't "dark enough."

Answer 2

Because they believe the Islamic extremists?  There's so much propaganda out there I need a weed whacker to get to my mailbox.

My lineage is Sephardic.  My family made it from Spain to Mexico (then US and next stop Israel) and we survived the Inquisition. My mother's maiden name is Leyva. My favorite Israeli musician is Yasmine Levy, also a Sephardic female who sings in Ladino (Judeo-Espanol) and Spanish.  

Yasmine Levy clip of her singing Noches, Noches.  She also sings Naci en Alamo and Intentalo Encontrar beautifully.

Answer 3

People do not think most Israelis are of European descent.

This is a lie spread by the Arab world in order to discredit the Jewish people's clain to the land of Israel.

They think if they can prove most Jews are Europeans, they can also prove that our claim to our homeland is false, and that they (Arabs, Pals, etc) were there first.

Answer 4

Population: 7,112,359

Ethnic Orgins: Jewish- 76.4%, non-Jewish (mostly Arab)- 23.6%

Subdivisions within Jewish ethnic orgin: Israeli Born- 67.1%, European/American born- 22.6%, African Born- 5.9%, Asian Born- 4.2%

Religions: Judaism- 76.4%, Islam- 16%, Christianity- 2.1%, Druze- 1.6%, unspecified- 3.9%

Edit: Comment to Maya- according to halaka, one is a Jew if they are born to a Jewish mother (in Reform Judaism, mother/father if raised as Jews) or converts to Judaism. That doesn't leave room to debate levels of observance to their Jewish identity.

Answer 5

Israel is the darkest country in the Al Sham region.  Lebanese, Syrian, most "Palestinians" look White.  h**l even Turkey is mostly White looking people in the West.

Where are all these Russians I keep hearing about? What's funny is it is the "Palestinian" Christians who keep importing Russians to work as priests in there churches.

Answer 6

Because they are,with rare exceptions. Russian,most of them,and atheists too,which means they aren't even really "jews".

Answer 7

I never thought of Israelis  being exclusively of European descent. I think about Sephardic Jews as well as Jews coming from Ethiopia, India and China.

Answer 8

There are Jews all over the world. Cheers!