ABSTRACT
This contribution explores how Jews shifted from marginalized diaspora communities to a national majority in Israel, using the concept of minoritization to illuminate the social and political dynamics involved. It shows how gaining collective power reshaped inclusion and exclusion, not only within Jewish society – particularly between Ashkenazi and Mizrahi groups – but also in relation to Palestinian Arabs, who became increasingly marginalized. By tracing this historical trajectory, the contribution highlights the tensions that emerge when a formerly minority group becomes dominant, revealing patterns of empowerment, displacement, and inequality. The Israeli case thus challenges simple understandings of majority and minority, demonstrating how historical, cultural, and political forces intersect to shape identity, belonging, and power in complex and sometimes contradictory ways.
