Scapegoat

by Eli Amir

Hebrew Language Book

Genres: Israel, Historical Fiction, Jewish, Fiction, 20th Century

218 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Disambiguation:
Eli^Amir = this profile
Eli^^Amir = Eli Amir

Amir was born in Baghdad, Iraq. He immigrated to Israel with his family in 1950.

He won the Yigal Alon prize for outstanding pioneering service to the Israeli society. Amir is well-known in Israel for his lectures, articles, radio and television programs and especially for his book, Scapegoat, a semi-autobiographical novel that depicts the integration of an Iraqi-Jewish youth in an Israeli transit camp soon after the establishment of the state. This and other novels by Amir are included in the secondary school sylabus.From 1964 to 1968 he served as adviser on Arab affairs to the Prime Minister of Israel, and as envoy for the Minister of Immigration Absorption of Israel to the United States. In 1984, he was appointed Director General of the Youth Aliyah department of the Jewish Agency.

Reviews

[Marica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Occhi miei
Questo si chiede la famiglia di Nuri dopo aver lasciato una elegante casa di Bagdad per finire in una baraccopoli in Israele. Sono i primi anni '50 e dopo la guerra del '48 nei Paesi Arabi non tira una buona aria per i cittadini ebrei, anche se vivono là da sempre, senza dar fastidio, senza essere diversi dagli altri, a parte la religione. Israele organizzò un trasferimento di massa dai paesi arabi, con intenti umanitari e difensivi, caricandosi di un'enorme responsabilità nei confronti di questa gente, che aveva dovuto lasciare ogni bene per mettersi in salvo e si trovava scaraventata senza arte né parte in una baraccopoli, patendo la fame, non conoscendo la lingua, inorridita dalla promiscuità della gente locale. I ragazzi per togliersi da tale desolazione tentano la via del kibbutz.
Il cuore del libro racconta la dolorosa frizione culturale provata dal gruppo dei ragazzi iracheni a contatto con la gente locale. Il kibbutz fu un'istituzione del socialismo reale molto moderna per i tempi in cui emigrati europei si costruirono un nuovo modello di vita paritaria e laica, vivendo di agricoltura e allevamento, senza trascurare musica e cultura. I ragazzi iracheni e soprattutto le ragazze, privi del concetto di democrazia, rimasero allibiti di questo modo di vivere, rifiutandosi di spalare letame, di lavorare nei campi sotto il sole cocente, di fare vita comune fra uomini e donne, senza religione e senza un guadagno personale.
La gente del kibbutz non capiva perchè mai non volessero lavorare, guardassero le gambe nude delle ragazze locali e volessero sempre tornare in famiglia. Nuri fa faticosamente da mediatore, rimuginando intanto il suo non essere più iracheno senza per questo essere israeliano. Si innamora delle ragazze bionde. Consola le amiche irachene che si sentono trascurate dai ragazzi iracheni, dei quali però non accettano la compagnia, prima del matrimonio. Occhi miei è un galante appellativo iracheno col quale i ragazzi si rivolgono alle ragazze delle quali sono innamorati, ma che non concedono loro nulla, mentre le biondine europee insegnano loro i salmi (là si dice così).
Una bellissima lettura che attraverso una storia di ragazzi racconta le difficoltà dell'integrazione. Introduzione di Shimon Perez, testo molto letto nelle scuole e sempre purtroppo di grande attualità.

[Ram · Rating 3 out of 5]

During the years 1948 to 1951, the new state of Israel, doubled it’s population with the immigration of close to 700,000 Jews. Many of the new immigrants arrived without any financial support and many were accommodated in immigrant tent camps which later developed into immigrant slum camps (maabarot in Hebrew). The new state was struggling economically after a long war and the residents of the maabarot suffered most from lack of work and poor living conditions.
In addition to this, the maabarot consisted mainly of Sephardic Jews who immigrated from Arab countries after the declaration of the state of Israel. The hardships of these maabarot are still haunting the Israeli society and have an influence on the Israeli politics and relationship between the different factors of society.

Eli Amir was born in Baghdad, Iraq, as Fuad Elias Nasah Halschi. He immigrated to Israel before he turned 13, was absorbed with his family in one of the maabarot and from there joined a youth group and went to Kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek. In an interview he gave at a storytelling festival as well as in this book, he claimed that during his stay in the kibbutz he was treated with contempt and racism by most of the European originated members. In 1954 (age 17) he moved to Jerusalem alone and began attending an evening school for working boys and working as a messenger boy in the Prime Minister's Office.

In this semi autobiographic book, the narrator, Nuri, is a young immigrant from Baghdad who, together with a group of other immigrants mainly from Iraq, lives and works in a kibbutz as part of a youth group while his family live in a maabara and work in manual labor workfare.

While the kibbutz youth leaders claim that all are treated equally in the kibbutz, Nuri and his fellow immigrants are looked at as primitive and were constantly pressured to change their culture and become more western, secular and socialists. The immigrants who came from mostly religious, conservative, middle and upper class families were not easily converted and found this new culture strange. The local youth, and the immigrants from European countries, treated them with contempt and seldom saw them as equal.

I found the historical first hand narrative of this book interesting and authentic. The conflict between the immigrants and locals was convincing and was presented in a balanced way. I did not enjoy the prose and especially did not enjoy the efforts of the author to describe the sexual frustrations of young boys.

This is the second book I read from this author and I was a bit dissapointed. I would recommend Eli Amir's book The Dove Flyer which I found better.

[yoav · Rating 5 out of 5]

קלאסיקה ישראלית, על קליטתם של נערים עולים, רובם יוצאי עיראק, בקיבוץ בשנות ה- 50, מסופר מעיניו של בן דמותו של הסופר - נורי.
עמיר, מצליח להעביר בתיאורים רזים וארציים מאוד, את רגשותיו הסותרים של נורי ואת היחס האמביוולנטי ששל הקיבוץ לעולים.

בפתח הספר, כאשר נורי עדיין במחנה המעבר, נער בן גילו (14 לערך) בעל עיניים ירוקות ספק תוקף אותו מינית, ספק מנסה לשדל אותו לקיום יחסים תמורת כסף והם רואים בו אדם חולה. נורי ועוד חבר מתכננים כיצד לנקום בו ולבסוף הנער בורח מהמחנה ולא מגיע לקיבוץ.
הסיפור הזה, חסר ההקשר בספר נועד לתאר את התלאות שנורי חווה במעבר בין המעברה למחנה המעבר. אין לי ספק שאי שם בשנות ה- 80 כאשר יצא הספר, זו בוודאי היתה המחשה מצויינת לכך, אבל בקריאה היום לא יכולתי להשתחרר מהעצב עבור הנער ההומו-מזרחי, שניסה למצוא ביטוי לרגשותיו שבסוף מצא את עצמו בתחתית סולם המעמדות. בסוף תמיד יש מישהו נמוך ממך.

[Amira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barəsində heç bir məlumatım olmayan, tamamiylə yeni cəmiyyət və insanlar barədə romanlar oxumağın, yeni perspektivlər kəşf etməyin oxuma prosesinin ən maraqlı cəhətlərindən biri olduğunu fikirləşmişəm həmişə. Ona görə də sosialist İsrailində bir kibutzda keçən və İraq yəhudisi olan bir yeniyetmənin dilindən nəql edilən yarı-avtobioqrafik bu əsərə böyük gözləntilərlə və həvəslə başladım. Hadisələr, içində cərəyan etdiyi icmanı və spesifik zaman dilimini bütün rəngləri ilə təsvir etmək işinə müəyyən mənada nail olsa da, kitabda əksik olan şey müəllifin baş qəhrəmanın və onun kimi immiqrant olan digər yəhudi dostlarının keçirdiyi adaptasiya prosesi boyunca yaşadığı hisslərin, fikirlərin, bir sözlə daxili aləmlərinin təsviri üzərində lazimi qədər dayanmaması idi. Məncə bir avtobioqrafiyanı güclü edən onun hadisələri filtrsız, elə olduğu kimi xronolojik ardıcıllığa düzməsi yox, oxuduğumuz zaman bir insan ömrünün spesifik bir hissəsini o insanla birgə yaşamağımız olardı. Bu baxımdan, Günah Keçisini bir xronologiya və ya gündəlik olaraq uğurlu, bir bədii ədəbiyyat nümunəsi olaraq uğursuz kimi qiymətləndirərdim.

[Itamar · Rating 5 out of 5]

ספר שלקח לי זמן שמשון מה קטע רצף מזהיר של קריאה מהירה שהייתי בו. ככל הנראה הספר לא הצליח לרתק אותי במהלך רוב הזמן, אלא לקראת סופו. תקופות ״המדינה שבדרך״ וקום המדינה היו באמת כאוטיות, עם התמודדויות אישיות וקולקטיביות חסרות תקדים: מאבקים אלימים ולא-אלימים, גלי עלייה חסרי תקדים, צנע, ערבוב של תרבויות, שפות ואידיאולוגיות. הספר מצליח למשוך אותך לשם ועבורי גרם למעט קנאה על שלא זכיתי לחיות בה.
הסיפור שעמיר מגולל ב״תרנגול כפרות״ הוא אכן יצירה מדהימה, כי הוא מצליח ללכוד המון ״אבי-טיפוס״ שהיו באותה התקופה, ולהמחיש בצורה (שמרגישה) מהימנה את הפרספקטיבות של העולים החדשים, של העולים הוותיקים ושל ה״אזוריים״, רובם צברים.
קריאה על השסע העדתי ועל התרבות העיראקית, כפי שבאים לידי ביטוי בספר, אינה משמשת חידוש גדול, היות שהשיח המזרחי והשסע נוכחים מאוד בחברה הישראלית כיום.
עם זאת, הקריאה מומלצת למי שמתעניין בהיסטוריה או בעלייה של קום המדינה. טוב שהספר נמצא בתוכנית הלימודים!

[Ran · Rating 5 out of 5]

"תרנגול כפרות" הוא אחד הרומנים העבריים הטובים ביותר שקראתי אי פעם. לא רק מפני שתיאורי הקיבוץ והמעברה של שנות ה-50 מרגישים מדוייקים. סיפור ההתבגרות וגיבוש הזהות של נורי כל כך אותנטי.

צריך אישיות מאוד מיוחדת כדי לכתוב ספר כזה. כשרון לסיפור, עיניים חדות, לב גדול, והנכונות לומר את האמת. הספר נגע בי כפי שלא נגע ספר הרבה זמן.

[Nariman Niftaliyev · Rating 4 out of 5]

İsrail dövlətinin bərqərar olmasından, yəhudilərin oraya köçürülməsindən sonra ölkə quruculuğu; gənc nəslin davranış, bilik, din və dünyagörüşünün dəyişdirilməsi prosesinə bağdadlı yeniyetmənin gözüylə maraqlı baxış.

[Ibrahim Niftiyev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Möhtəşəm təəssüratlar və müəzzəm qiraət.

Kibbutzlar mənim üçün həmişə maraqlı olub. "Günah keçisi" də məhz onların haqqındadır. Yazıçı gündəlik ailə-məişətin axıcılığından istifadə edərək bizlərə ideyalar uğrunda yola çıxan gəncləri və Yaxın Şərqi izah edir. İsrailin yaradılışı və cəmiyyətin sıfırdan qurulması üçün edilən cəhdlər və təcrübələr, bunun müxtəlif kültürlərin kəsişmə nöqtəsinə çevrilmiş regiondakı təzahürü və s. əsəri çox oxunaqlı və maraqlı edir. Etiraf edim ki, bunu heç gözləmirdim, amma indi düşünürəm ki, 2021-ci ilin kitabı mənim üçün məhz "Günah keçisi" olacaq. Ümumiyyətlə, mənim üçün ən yaddaqalan kitablar, haqqında az məlumatlı olduğum və çox gözləntilərimin olmadığı kitablar olur.

Roman yarı bioqrafik sayılır, çünki yazıçının özü də Kibbutz tərbiyəsi alan bağdadlıdır. Maabaralarla (İsrail yaranandan sonra köç edənlər üçün yaradılan çadır şəhərcikləri) Kibbutzlar arasındakı yol həmin dövrdə baş verən iqtisadi və sosial böhranları çox effektiv və ətraflı təsvir edir. Ələlxüsus da, sosial-ictimai ayrı-seçkilik və irqi diskriminasiya kimi məqamlar çox mülayim formada və hansısa qəzəbli emosiyalardan uzaq bir şəkildə təqdim olunur. Elə ona görə də oxucu hadisələrə əsl müşahidəçi perspektivini tətbiq etməyə müvəffəq olur. Ən əsası isə, "Günah keçisi" bir baxışdır. Bağdadlı, şərqli və yəhudi birisinin kibbutzizmə, ölkə quruculuğuna və yenilənməyə baxışı, yanaşması. Məhz bu məqama görə biz hər şeyin nəyə görə belə çətin və mürəkkəb olduğunu görürük. Uzun illərin özüylə gətirdiyi həyat və düşüncə tərzinin bir-iki ilə dəyişməyin necə çətin olduğunu. ümumiyyətlə isə ideoloji işlərin necə cəncəl olduğunu, insanın həmişə elə insan olduğunu və instinktlərini heç vaxt dindirmədiyini açıq və aşkar formada müşahidə edirik.

Düzdür, tərcümə daha yaxşı ola bilərdi, amma yenə də dilimizdə bu kitabı tapıb oxumaq imkanı mənə xoş hisslər bəxş edir.

[Yehudit Levinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

First published in 1983 (English translation in 1987), Eli Amir is an award-winning Israeli writer. This novel was highly acclaimed when it was first published and was dramatized for the stage and filmed for Israeli television. I have read other of Eli Amir's novels (The Dove Flyer and Jasmine) which I enjoyed so I was interested in reading this one as well. It was on my to read list for over a year because I couldn't find a copy of it here in Israel. Although almost everything is available on Amazon, with shipping costing as much as the book (if shipping is even a possibility) Amazon has become a less attractive option. Besides which, it is an Israeli author, shouldn't I find it here in Israel? Even if it is in English.
Certainly none of the new bookstores carried it, might be classified as out of print. A constant perusal of the used book shops was also for naught. Finally, when browsing through a city library (not the one in my neighborhood) I was thrilled to stumble across a copy of the book and eagerly checked it out.
The novel describes a very specific period of time in Israeli history in the early 1950s after the establishment of the State and the influx of Jewish immigration from the neighboring Arab states. Eli Amir came from Baghdad at the age of the 13 and this is a semi-autobiographical novel of his youth where he was separated from his family and went to live on a kibbutz. He captures the cultural conflict between the youth born on the kibbutz and the immigrants. He does justice to the situation portraying the founders of the kibbutz explaining their idealism as well as the new immigrants longing for the culture they have left behind.
We are now more than 70 years past this period and Israeli society has exploded in many different directions. But this remains a classic for the portrayal of a period that was.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

אחרי שנים רבות שגרתי בארץ, זה הרומן השלם הראשון שקראתי בעברית. קראתי אותו בשביל להבין ולחוש מה עבר על עולים בדורות קודמים. את האמת, למרות הפער הגדול בין החוויה של פליטים מעירק ועולה מרצון מארה"ב כמוני, בהחלט יש צד שווה . התחושה של ניכור, של בילבול על זהות יהודית דווקא מאוד דומה. ואפילו שלעולה חדש במאה ה21 בדרך כלל יש אופציה לחזור למדינה שהוא גדל בה, אחרי מספיק זמן ההוא כבר הפסיק להיות בית, וגם ישראל לא נהיה בית. נשאר רק כור היתוך של רגשות מעורבים...

לגבי הספר עצמו, בגדול הוא מסופר היטב. הדמות המרכזית מאוד סימפטית והתרחישים מתוארים בעושר מגרה. הבעיה המרכזית בספר היא שמהרגע שנורי פוגש את ורה, כל הלוגיקה של הסיפור נעלם. יש לו חוויה מינית אבל אין שום המשך וורה לא מופיעה שוב בסיפור בכלל, סוניה פתאום מצפה שהם יהפכו למייסדי קיבוץ בלי אזהרה מראש, מה קרה עם החניכים במעברה? עם ניצה? מה קרה אחרי הנאום המרגיז של נורי? לא יודעים. הסוף עם התרנגול מאוד חזק אבל זה פשוט לא מרגיש כמו הסוף של אותו סיפור שקראנו, אלא כאפיסודה חזקה בשרשרת של אפיסודות.

בכל מקרה, שמח שקראתי את הספר ואני מצפה לקרוא עוד רומנים בעברית, עכשיו שגיליתי שאני מסוגל. יש המלצות?

[Ti11a · Rating 4 out of 5]

We had to read that book in hebrew class.
And i liked it very much.
The time of history is full of events and we all can learn so much if we listen to what happend.
The overall consumption of Israel is, that it contains only jews from Ashkenazi haritage, there for white east european jews from germany, russia, poland, hungary, etc. but that is not true at all!
We only read the second part Tarnegol Caparot. not the first.
To show what integration in Israel looked like.
The Mizrachi jews (Jews origend of the arabic states, the middeleast and north africa) where a manority that had to flie their homelands, leave everthing behind and try to start over in israel, because they had nowhere else to go. they where put in refugee camps and had to live under poor conditions and a way out of this was, to get your children into a kibuz. In the Kibuz the cultural and religious differnces are bound to clash, and only thouth how can leave their relegious belives behind can stay in the kibuzim.

A lovely story of youth, change, growig up, finding the right path for oneself.

[Karli Sherwinter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in “easy” Hebrew with vowels and a vocabulary list on each page. The narrative was particularly interesting for me as a new immigrant to Israel. Israelis read this book as part of their Hebrew literature requirement in high school and I have yet to find someone who claims to have enjoyed it. It is surprising to me, but I imagine that for the native Israelis, it is difficult to understand being the outsider who feels separate from Israeli society. The entire Iraqi Jewish community made aliyah together in the early 1950’s and were placed in tent camps. They didn’t have access to the high level jobs many of them held in Baghdad. The children were taken to kibbutzim to be integrated into Israeli society, but they were not religious kibbutzim and little respect was shown for their Iraqi customs and culture.

[Eithan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was in the curriculum of my literature class back when i was in high school but because back then i didn't imagined that there are any good books written in Hebrew i didn't read it (though i was reading 3 books a week of other stuff). After reading the book i have to admit that reading it back when i was a teenager would've been way better. This book is more suited for the teenage reader & also me as an immigrant (though i'm an immigrant again but that's another story) who still had problems to integrate into the society would found many points that would touch a nerve.
Overall the book is ok but i'd recommend it to all teenage immigrants especially in Israel

[Moshe · Rating 5 out of 5]

תחילת שנות ה-50 של המאה ה-20 בקיבוץ, קבוצת נערים ממוצא מזרחי
מנסים למצוא את זהותם בין הצברים והעולים האשכנזיים על אף ההבדלים
המהותיים שבינם לבין המקומיים.

זהות, גזענות, אפליה, קומונה, סוציאליזם, שיתופיות, ציונות, ניכור, מרד,
דמוקרטיה, מוסיקה, כיבוד הורים, חלוציות, סולידריות, הקמת המדינה, עובדי
אדמה, פמיניסטיות, אהבה, השפה העברית והרצון העז להידמות ולהתחבב ואף
לרצות את/ב-"אזוריים". "אשכולות" ו-"הדגל" הם רק קצה קצהו של
המתרחש בסיפור יפה ומעניין זה.

סיפור יפה הכתוב היטב, מדברים על נושאים חשובים ורציניים, אך גם מלא
בהומור וציניות.

[Leah Gann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for class, and it was very clear that we were missing some important context that was left out of the original book. It was a good story, but it was unhelpful to hear in class "in the original book...."

I appreciate what the editors did to make it easier for non-native speakers to understand, but again, there was a lot of missing information that would have been helpful in understanding the characters and their motivations.

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful prose and great historical insight. The sexism and objectification definitely hindered my enjoyment even though it’s historically accurate and thematically relevant. I’m assuming more fault on the translator’s end than Amir’s (“Mister World Chest” and “Nilly-Knickers” are prominent characters). Bit unfocused but the slow pacing worked at times.

[jtpheb · Rating 3 out of 5]

The language in this book feels somewhat dated and the story was not especially exciting to me, but it is worth reading and deals with some common elements in Israeli culture. The story is family-friendly from what I remember.

[Manuela Danieli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Le difficoltà di assimilazione degli ebrei mediorientali appena arrivati in Israele, al contatto con i kibbutznik di origine europea, vista con gli occhi di un ragazzo che lascia la famiglia nel campo profughi e tenta di farsi accettare dai “locali”. Molto interessante

[Ben Aviv · Rating 3 out of 5]

The version I read was an abridged version read for a Hebrew learning class environment the story in this form is compelling just enough to read it through in one night

[Meryll Levine Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is also available in English with the title Scapegoat. This short book will pierce your heart.

[Natan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read as high school literature assignment

[Hermien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative book over a young Syrian boy who finds his way in Israel in the 1950s and 1960s.

[Liat · Rating 3 out of 5]

אוקיי לא סבלתי אבל איך כותבים על זה 8 עמודים לעזאזל יאכ ספרות

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first full-length novel I read in Hebrew, as part of my Hebrew book club. It wasn't bad. I valued it less as a novel and more as primary source material -- an autobiographical novel which offered insight into the experience of an Iraqi boy who came to Israel in the '50s and was separated from his family and sent to a kibbutz. It also wasn't too hard to read (I think they assign it to Israeli high school students).

[Aylin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a terific insight to the early days of the State of Israel and the paradox of individuals and the idealist community of kibbutz as well as the clashes of different cultures. Nice and easy read, but hard to classify it as a novel, and even as an autobiography as there is no plot to follow and it the story captures bits and pieces of events and themes. When the book is finished, you don't get the feeling of completeness and contentedness I expect from good literature.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

teenage refugee Arab jews from Baghdad find themselves at a kibbutz in Isreal. Autobiographical in nature. Interesting but a bit strange. The kibbutz system is made more real(and harsh) and not idealized as is often the case. A gift from Amanda's Jeff on his trip to Isreal in January. Interesting

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely interesting semi-autobiographical account of a teenaged Iraqi Jew who moved to Israel with his family in the 50's, and his experiences on a kibbutz and attempts to integrate with the Ashkenazis already there. You feel close to the protagonist, but I wish the book were longer in order to do justice to many of the other characters.

[K C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Middle one in the Jewish Iraqi aliyah trilogy and by far the most literary and the least stilted, most thought provoking and with a deeper understanding of the mizrachi experience in Israel, or any one experiencing a new culture as an outsider.

[Aynur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Şərqşünaslıq üzrə təhsil alan həmçinin İsrailşünaslar üçün əla dərs vəsaitidir. Ali Amirin bu trilogiyasında digər 2 kitabında tezliklə tərcümə edilməsi arzuolunandır