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The Gemara (Shevuos 39a) says

כל ישראל ערבים

All of Israel are Arabs.

Is this true? I always thought that my family came from Eastern Europe. If it is true that all Jews are actually Arabs, what is the best way to leverage this fact to help promote peace on earth?

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The answer is the end of the statement, ערבים זה לזה, or Arabs to one another. Just as all the Arab nations are united in opposing Israel, Israel too is united as one people. World peace will ensue when the Arabs view the Jews as Arabs in relation to themselves as well. In fact, every evening we say ברוך אתה ה' המעריב ערבים, which expresses our desire for God to westernize the Arabs, so that we can achieve the blessing of אהבת עולם, worldwide love and harmony.

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    Are you sure it's not "who Arabizes the Arabs"? That seems like a more reasonable translation. This also doesn't give a practical solution for utilizing the fact to promote world peace.
    – Daniel
    Mar 9, 2016 at 21:15
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    I was gonna answer this post but I don't think I can do better than this. +1
    – Y     e     z
    Mar 10, 2016 at 4:37
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ערב means "mixture". Therefore we have to mix around the statement. Instead of "All of Israel are Arabs" we have "All of Israel [the Jewish nation] are Sabra [native Israelis]." So we see all Jews are not Arabs -- in fact just the opposite. Your second point is now moot.

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  • I thought that Sabra specifically referred to the chiloni melting pot in Israel.
    – Noach MiFrankfurt
    Mar 9, 2016 at 22:03
  • @NoachmiFrankfurt Wikipedia says: Sabra (Hebrew: צבר‎, tzabar) is an informal slang term that refers to any Israeli Jew born on Israeli territory. [But it also says that it originally referred to the "New Jew".]
    – Scimonster
    Mar 9, 2016 at 22:12
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Yisrael is refering to the land: All of Israel belongs to the Arabs

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  • Why would the g'mara make such a claim?
    – Monica Cellio
    Mar 9, 2016 at 22:17
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    It's purim torah, caused by drinking too much wine (or champagne-- Talmud Bubbly).
    – user9907
    Mar 9, 2016 at 23:50
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    Maybe you mean "All of Israel has Arabs", y'know living, working, in every town.
    – Mike
    Mar 10, 2016 at 0:11

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