What Shall We Call Citizens Of State Of Israel?

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 87, 16 May 1949, Page 5

What Shall We Call Citizens Of State Of Israel?

That the citizen of Israel should be called an Israeli is a suggestion made to those who recognise the new Jewish State in Palestine. Their preference follows an Arabfavoured style which makes Iraqis of citizens of Iraq and Baghdadis of Baghdad’s inhabitants. It relegates the form Israelite to Biblical use.

The Israeli or Israelite could as well be called an Israelian, in the manner of' the Brazilian, Egyptian, or Babylonian. He could be an Israelese, following the form for the man from China, Japan, Siam or Portugal. Taking a leaf from the book of “The New Yorker,” the Asiatic, the Frenchman, or the Nazarene, he could be respectively an Israeler, an Israelic, Israelman or Israelene.

The student of Oxford is an Oxonian, his Cambridge rival is a Cantabrigian. Liverpool is full of Liverpudlians, Manchester holds Mancunions. Glasgow folk gaze off toward Norway and call themselves Glaswegians. Toronto folk prefer the term Torontonians.

Use Brummagem advisedly fof the man from Birmingham, Haligonions live in Halifax. Aberdonians and Dundonians are at home in Aberdeen and Dundee. The Scilly Isles holds Seillonions. The Manx-, man and his tail-less cat belong to the Isle of Man.

Lisbon breaks up and becomes Lisboan. Plymouth strangely drops its “u” and becomes Plymothian. Guam adds a rather useless extra syllable to become Guamanian. Then there is the Latin American influence. Angelenos speed around Los Angeles; Barbarenos- live in Santa Barbara. In South America, Sao Paulo has its Paulistas.