Slaves of Israel

Jews are not supposed to be racists, because their formative narrative teaches them that they are the descendants of fugitive slaves who included among them “a mixed multitude” of people. Despite the accepted truism that Judaism was not a missionary religion, the institution of slavery provided a humble and overlooked backdoor instrument of continuous conversions. Over hundreds and thousands of years – from the Atlas Mountains of Morocco to the Steppes of Eastern Europe – vast numbers of converted slaves of diverse ethnic origins, acquired from the local populations by Jewish owners, became legitimate members of the People of Israel.