Mizrahi Jews as Viewed in the Yishuv: The Case of Hannah Helena Thon

Hannah Helena Thon (1886–1954) was born in Germany and settled in Palestine in the early 1920s. She was a pioneer social worker, an activist in women’s organizations, a journalist, commentator, and lecturer. Thon’s widely disseminated lectures and writings in the Hebrew press won her esteem and influence as an authority on the economic, social, and cultural characteristics of Mizrahi Jews. My analysis of her views is based on her archived articles and private papers, and sheds light on the perception of Mizrahi Jews among Ashkenazi Jews in the Yishuv and its effect the social-ethnic gap.