The Mizrahi-Civic Collective (MCC) is a civil movement that was established in February 2023 by a group of Mizrahi citizens and activists, who had submitted the Mizrahi petition against the Basic Law: Israel – the Nation-State of the Jewish People (the Nation-State Law) in 2019, against the backdrop of the attempted judicial coup in Israel, initiated by the Israeli government in January 2023 under the slogan – No Judicial Coup or “Old World Order.”

The Mizrahi petition against the Nation-State Law was submitted on January 1, 2019, by 57 Mizrahi petitioners promoting a critical, civil and solidary-based Jewish-Arab discourse. The petition tells of the dark side of Israeli-Jewish nationalism being renewed throughout the country and demands the repeal of the Nation-State Law, which entrenches enmity between nations, separation between Jews and Arabs, and thwarts the possibility for shared equitable lives

The petition is supported by eight expert opinions pertaining to realms of knowledge that constitute an indispensable basis for understanding the Basic Law’s impact on enshrining inequality and racism among Israeli society. These opinions were developed in the fields of history; sociology; geography; political science; Hebrew and Arabic language; linguistics and society; and cultural studies.

Upon its establishment, the collective’s members formed a democratic Mizrahi vision, publishing position papers relating to law; education; housing and public space; social justice; the environment; gender and LGBTQIA+ rights. Their central aim was to present a Mizrahi-civic perspective that calls for a shift in constitutional regimes between the river and the sea, promoting genuine democracy, social justice and peace.

The integrated Mizrahi-civic perspective is based on two central elements—one Mizrahi, which uplifts the history of the generational Mizrahi struggle and offers a new sustainable agenda for the State of Israel. The other civic, which strengthens the formation of a genuine democracy and active citizenship on behalf of populations that never enjoyed the fruits of Israeli democracy.

The Mizrahi-civic perspective criticizes the layers of power relations under Israeli rule, focusing on issues of government partnership, and adequate representation with regard to nationality, ethnicity, and gender, on the basis of the three branches of government. This is pursued alongside the promotion of distributive, recognitive, and corrective justice, which aims to eliminate gaps and social inequality. Such a stance perceives Mizrahi identity not solely as a biological reality, but rather primarily as a political position.

The MCC’s democratic vision presents a practical alternative, borne out of hope for the future and a desire to see this space in which people of both nations live together, as a fertile and equitable realm for asylum seekers, refugees, and all people of Jewish, Arab, Mizrahi, Ashkenazi, Russian, Ethiopian descent, and beyond. This vision perceives the land as a meeting point for Jews, Muslims, Christians, Arabs, Hebrews, and more, whether they identify as LGBTQIA+ or straight, male or female, secular or conservative, religious or ultra-Orthodox. The Mizrahi-Civic collective calls for positive action motivated by faith in the potential of this place—despite social hurdles and security challenges—for dignified life, equality, social justice, democracy, peace, and basic conditions which enable the full enjoyment of democracy.

Since its establishment, the collective has worked to establish local groups throughout the country, including the south and Pardes-Hannah-Karkur.

Our activity focuses on promoting the realization of independent Mizrahi citizenship. To date, the MCC’s activity has included drafting and distributing a pamphlet on “Dignified Quality of Life Amid Diversity” for regional election candidates to sign off on ahead of the local elections that were slated to take place in October 2023 and postponed to January 2024. Moreover, with respect to citizenship in times of war, following the murderous Hamas attack in the south of the country in October 2023, the collective began a “Hostage Exchange” campaign to advocate for prioritization of an agreement at the top of the government’s agenda, and to raise donations to support residents of Ofakim, who fell through the cracks with regard to government aid following the attack.