Bar-Ilan University Press, 2024, ISBN: 978-965-226-661-3, (in Hebrew)

A City without Memory: Between Dominance and Cultural Hegemony in Sderot – Shaar Hanegev Relations

To properly understand the deep currents of the intra-Jewish conflict in Israel, which over the years have been called by different names , the first and second Israel, center-periphery relations, Mizrahim-Ashkenazim relations, and in recent years a return to the first and the second Israel in the public discourse, you need to deeply understand the nature of the relationship between the development towns to their neighboring kibbutzim. This book delves into the relationship between Sderot and the council’s kibbutzim Shaar Negev region, starting in the 1950s, relations that saw ups and downs during the course of the years. These relations began with the establishment of the Shaar HaNegev Regional Council in 1950 and the establishment of the Gavim-Dorot crossing in 1951, the great immigration of Jews from other Islamic countries in the early fifties and the policy of dispersing the population, mainly to development towns. This study investigates the relationship between development towns and kibbutzim over seven decades through the case study of Sderot-Sha’ar-Negev, exploring social perceptions and the very different politics of the two sides alongside the mutual hostility. This study’s attempt to understand the Israeli reality becomes even more focal in the wake of the October 7 massacre in Sderot and the Shaar HaNegev regional council, which are part of “otef Israel” (Gaza).