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Of the newcomers who arrived in Israel between 1948 and 1962 more than half came from what used to be known as the backward countries of Asia Africa and are now more euphemistically reffered to as the less – developed countries. The former  French territories of North Africa which provided a large proportion of the immigrants were not in fact all that backward, but the more prosperous Jews opted for France and those who settled in Israel were generally without possessions or skills.

The Jews from Asian and African countries are loosely reffered to as Sephardim, descendants of the Jews expelled from Spain, which most of them certainly are not. The Jews from European countries are referred to, with similar inaccuracy, as Ashkenazim, that is Germans.

Excerpted  from Israel by Chaim Bermant