Ars (slang)

Ars (Hebrew: ערס‎ `ars), or Arsim (the plural in Hebrew) is a derogatory Hebrew slang term for men of Mizrahi ethnicity. The characteristics attributed to the objects of the term include vulgarity, criminality, inarticulateness, and a raffish external appearance, including clothing and jewelry styles.

Some cultural observers have claimed that Ars can refer to other groups as well, yet scholars have pointed out that this extension includes three main stipulations: The first, that it still refers in a derogatory way to members of marginalized groups in Israeli society, such as Russian-speaking immigrants or young men of Ethiopian ethnicity; and that even in those cases, the ethnicity of these targets is explicit, unlike the default, which remains Mizrahi (for example, someone might be called "a Russian ars"). The third, is that whites or Ashkenzim are by default not arsim.

In 2013, an Israeli labor court found that a prospective employer discriminated against a Mizrahi applicant, calling him an ars in the process. This case set the precedent that recognized Mizrahim as a discriminated class, and explicitly recognized the term ars as a racial epithet used against Mizrahim.

In 2014, a documentary anthology series called Arsim uFrekhot (frekha is a feminine equivalent epithet aimed at Mizrahi women) was broadcast on Israeli television. The series examines the history of discrimination against Mizrahim and the social norms of white privilege versus Mizrahi marginalization as they appear in Israeli society.

Etymology and related terms

The origin of the term is from Arabic word Arts (Arabic: عرص‎, ʿarṣ) – which means shepherd, and is used colloquially to refer to pimps (who shepherd prostitutes).

The mannerisms that were associated with pimps in the early days of the State of Israel formed the basis of the stereotypes applied to Mizrahi men: That they have a criminal backgrounds and associations, that they live in crime-ridden neighborhoods, that their external appearance is "loud", or the opposite of respectable, including the fashion of wearing "gurmets" – thick gold chain necklaces or bracelets; that their speech is inarticulate, that they are prone to violence, and that they are uneducated. At this time, and more widely in the 1950s, when mass immigration of MENA Jews to Israel took place, the Ashkenazi majority used derogatory Yiddish terms such as "pushtak" (vacuous) to refer to Mizrahi men, and later "tchakh-chakh" (riffraff).

Though sometimes the word ars is "feminized" by adding a feminine suffix (arsit), it is not usually used to describe women. The word frekha is the closest feminine epithet that is applied to Mizrahi women. A "frekha" is the implied partner, neighbor, or relative of the ars, but the characteristics ascribed to her are different – the frekha is low-class, dresses gaudily, wears too much makeup, has long and brightly colored nails; she is flighty, shallow, a slave to fashion, and uneducated.

See also

• Chav
• Gopnik
• Guido (slang)
• Greaser