German, Non-Jewish Spousal and Partner Migrants in Israel: The Normalisation of Germanness and the Dominance of Jewishness

Abstract

ABSTRACT Are German non-Jewish partner/spousal migrants a discrete group in Israel, given the unique history of Israel and Germany, or do they form part of Israel’s wider, if stratified, non-Jewish migrant population, a group that is subject to restrictive policies? Do German partner/spousal migrants share similar experiences with other non-Jewish partner/spousal migrants from countries of the global north? The article considers the overarching issue regarding whether, and to what degree, the German/Jewish/Israeli dynamics of the past and present affect the sense of belonging or de-belonging within the Israeli setting, how these issues impact the family constellation, the specific factors that influence the construction of belonging/de-belonging within the Israeli Jewish majority, and whether non-Jewishness overshadows being German.