The Ashkenazi Revolution

238Only in this state will they cease being passively subservient to theAshkenazi time-group, and will they become active proponents.7Over and over we hear opinions that it is we, the Ashkenazim, who areabliged to elevate the Sephardo-Mizrahim no matter what, otherwise theState of Israel will never experience recovery, nor shall we. Not long agoBen-Gurion expressed this opinion in his speech at the conference of thecouncil of Mapai, which took place in October 1963, when he said:If we do not uproot, from among us, this gap between European Jewry andthe Jews from Asia and Africa, and bring all of the House of Israel to thesame cultural and social level, not only will the vision of a new society,which we look forward to in our heart, fail to be fulfilled, but – in myopinion – this people will not arise and will not survive (“HaDavar”, folio17 in October, 1963).This opinion must be rejected forcefully. The full partnership betweenAshkenaz and the backward Sephardo-Mizrahi population is only in thefield of defence. In this regard, we share the same fate. But in the internallife of the nation, we have two fates. We shall flourish even if thebackward people continue in their retardedness. All those who createprosperity will flourish together with us: The Ladino Jews and thesuccessful elements among the Afro-Asiatic Jews, for there is no single rulefor the successful and for the failure. In the State of Israel there will be aunited front of all the people of the twentieth century who are willing andable to repel any unjustified attack from those of the 13 th century, the 14 thcentury and onward to those of the 19 th century. This will be a front of allthe Jewish peoples in the nation, but at its center will be Ashkenaz.8There are four classic representatives of Sepharad in the State of Israel:Minister Shitrit, Minister Sasson, Professor Chouraqui and David Ben