A very popular word in everyday Israeli discourse. It expresses a negative attitude towards people who are excessively naive.
Frayer-ism is an unacceptable naivety.
A Frayer is a naive person who is considered a loser, or in more familiar terms, a 'sucker'.
Every Israeli internalizes from a young age a travel warning for life: not to be too naive, or as it's called in spoken Hebrew: "Lo latzet frayer" (don't come off as a Frayer). There is no mention of this in the country's law books, and no teacher will educate based on it. It remains between us, the Israelis, a kind of life wisdom and social insight.
At many points in their life, someone will remind them that it's possible to get by with a wink, with special connections ("protekzia"), by skipping steps, by pretense, and with empty promises. And if they go the straight path, according to the rules accepted in any well-ordered society, they will find that there are those who think they are a Frayer, and they are not...
...He stands in line – they cut in front of him with various excuses.
He paid the full price for the product – they haggled with the vendor and got a discount.
He received a standard kitchen from the contractor in his new apartment – they got a luxury kitchen without paying more.
He works hard to earn a few shekels – they find a way to earn money easily. He disposes of the barbecue coals in the trash after a picnic in the nature reserve – they leave the coals and food scraps on the ground, so one of the employees will collect and discard them. Because they are not Frayers.
He filled out the forms for a public tender as requested – they checked which official could be bribed.
He searched for a parking spot for his car for an hour – they arranged a disabled parking permit for their vehicle and have a marked, ready spot.
Not all Israelis are lawbreakers and rule-bypassers.
In fact, most are not. It only takes a few Frayers to pay a painful price for their unnecessary naivete to keep the title in the public discourse.
He is'nt Frayer
The Frayer has no social, religious, class, or political affiliation.
Frayer-ism is a stain on the foreheads of Israelis from all communities and sectors, and for this, they deserve, in the eyes of many, a shake of the head:
Those who voted for a party that made promises but did not promise to keep them;
The one who believed his best friend and lent him money, only to find out that the friend had fled abroad;
The one who signed a standing order for a smooth-talking salesperson who disappeared with her money;
The one who bought a stock on the stock market, on the recommendation of mysterious "insiders" online, and after he bought it – the stock crashed;
The one who bought a used car, and the sellers didn't tell him the car had been in two accidents;
The interviewee who believed a journalist would quote him accurately... and the journalist chose to quote only what was convenient for him...
...And anyone who discovered too late that they made the mistake of their life, or as is commonly said, "Yatza Frayer" (came out a Frayer). They bear a part of the blame for being naive and a loser.
A Few More Knowledge Bites
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Israeli life wisdom: Frayers don't die, they just get replaced.
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Preventive measure: Developing the skill of "Respect him and suspect him."
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Confession of a Frayer: "Everyone knew he had a mistress except for me."
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Legal Frayer: Signed the contract in good faith.
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Israeli pride: "I'm not a Frayer for anyone."
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Words of a suspicious non-Frayer: "...Leave me alone, go find someone else who will agree to your offer."
YouTube video: "Ha'ashem Tamid" by T-Slam.
This iconic 80s hit by the Israeli band T-Slam satirically explores the figure of "Ha'ashem Tamid." The name, a common generic one in Arabic (Hashem), also literally means "The Always Guilty" in Hebrew. The song humorously depicts this character as someone who masterfully avoids being a "fraier" (sucker), reflecting a sharp and often cynical aspect of Israeli social dynamics.
Israel is a young country. Just 75 years old, and still in its adolescent stages.
The Hebrew language is constantly looking for words that will express the complex reality of life in the State of Israel – a country of immigrants and descendants of immigrants who came from other nations and peoples. A country where the rules were written on the fly, the laws were based on the laws of other countries, and the social values draw their sources from a variety of cultures around the world.
Out of this social mix, phenomena also emerged that did not align with the hope that resided in the hearts of the immigrants. They were idealists who hoped to establish an exemplary society in Israel, until they encountered those who bypassed the rules and looked for shortcuts and crooked paths, not necessarily criminal ones.
In the daily dilemma of whether to remain loyal to naivete and think positively, or to be constantly vigilant on a paranoid level – most Israelis chose the middle way, which trusts people but takes every possibility into account.
The figure of the Frayer continues to surface in the turbulent waters of Israeli society. It needs the next Frayer to serve as a cautionary example and a witty punchline, and to teach others that life isn't run strictly "by the book."
This is part of "The Israeli Story 1948-2025" project.
What is "The Israeli Story"?
A curated selection of Israeli snapshots, those that were and still are with us. Each one deserves an updated definition with a few words of explanation along with a tiny bit of history. Just a little – and all of them together go into the virtual Israeli Story that will remain online for future generations. You can see what's included in it by clicking on the icon below.
