That’s because the Sabras who wished it came from German speaking areas (Austria and Germany, mainly from the fifth Aaliyah in the 1930s) were they called it that. The other Sabras, such as Mizrahim didn’t.
I believe Israelis were told about Sylvester in the 90s to say that the Russian Jews are antisemitic because they "celebrate the Pope who convinced Constantine to prohibit Jews from living in Jerusalem". It was a campaign against the Aliya from the former USSR who were "not Jewish enough". Many were half bloods (or even less) and many full bloods didn't know any Yiddish, didn't know any Judaism, have never read the holy books, didn't even know how to keep Kosher (not just didn't observe Kashrut, but honestly didn't know how to do it), etc., basically completely assimilated.
This was because Soviet forced assimilation worked pretty well in the industrial cities, people were punished for showing any Judaism, people were afraid of teaching their children because the children might talk in school and then the parents would be punished.
I come from such a family: my father's father studied in a Yiddish school as a child, he knew prayers by heart at age 80, he taught his children nothing. My mother's grandfather had a paid place in a synagogue, his granddaughter knows no Yiddish or kosher recipes.
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u/Gettin_Bi Israel 2d ago
My entire childhood consisted of well-meaning sabras wishing me a happy Silverster and me being like "isn't that the cat from Looney Toones?"
I GENUINELY had no idea what they were talking about. Snovim godom everyone