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How 'Spiritually Israeli' became a slur that isn't really about Israel

JL;DR SUMMARY The term "spiritually Israeli" has emerged as a pejorative in online discourse, encapsulating a wider shift in cultural perception where Israel is equated with corporatism and unsympathetic dominance, rather than its past image as an underdog. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Social MediaCultural PerceptionsInternet CultureLos Angeles DodgersSpiritually IsraeliAnti Israel SlangCorporatismUnderdog NarrativeHipsterdom

Places mentioned

Israel
"Later, Israeli PR successfully marketed Tel Aviv as a gay mecca"
Los Angeles, California, United States
"Which means that the Dodgers win was not exactly widely celebrated outside of Los Angeles."
New York City, New York, United States
"Long before the Hot Girls for Cuomo and Hot Girls for Zohran battle arose in the New York City mayoral battle, there were influencers posting thirst traps captioned: #freepalestine."
Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv District, Israel
"Yet another post referred to the team as the Tel Aviv Dodgers."

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Cairo Item ID 65949
Cairo Source ID 35
Retrieved 2025-11-05 05:30:56 UTC
Curated 2025-11-05 08:32:57 UTC