The word Cushi, also spelled Kushi (Hebrew: כושי) is a Hebrew term generally used to refer to a dark skinned person usually of African descent and was recently interpreted as being similar in meaning to the English word Negro. Initially, the word was used by Hebrew-speaking Jews to simply refer to individuals of African origin, or as a term of endearment for people with dark skin as in the case of Cushi Rimon.
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"Cush" is the name of an ancient ethnic group who come from the land of Cush (Today's Sudan, and practically the entire southern Egypt, though some scholars point to the Beta Israel Ethiopian Jewry as remnants of the 'Cushite' tribe). In Biblical literature, Cush was the eldest son of Ham, the son of Noah. Canaan, the other son of Ham, was cursed by Noah: "Cursed be Canaan; he shall be a slave among slaves to his brethren." (Book of Genesis 9:25).
The book of Numbers (12:1), tells the story of Miriam and Aaron, the brother of Moses, who are gossiping about him, "And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married; for he had married a Cushite woman", something that was not acceptable among the Israelites. Most likely, Miriam and Aaron did not object to Moses marriage because of her supposed dark skin color. The idea that Miriam and Aaron objected to Moses marriage from a Kushite woman because of her skin color is not based on a reasonable explanation. The most famous of the Jewish commentators on the Bible, the Talmudic scholar, Rashi, has offered a different commentary from the pshat, saying: "Scripture teaches that everyone acknowledged her beauty just as everyone acknowledges a Cushite’s blackness".[1] and strengthens his word by saying: "Cushite, Its numerical (Gematria) value is equal to beautiful in appearance".[1] However, this passage does not contradict that it was considered unacceptable to marry a Cushite but simply contains an oblique implication that Cushites were very 'Black' or dark.
The Book of Amos makes reference to them: "Are you not like the children of the Cushites to Me, O children of Israel? says the Lord" (Book of Amos 9:7). Israel is being compared with the Cushites, which can be seen as either as positive for the Cushites, or negative for Israel. The underlying issue is that Israel is now on par with the Cushites as a result of Israel's disobedience. According to the Hebrew bible, the word appeared as כשיים,pronounced 'hushihim', and was related to the loanword hushi כשי.
One famous coined phrase makes use of the "Cushi" word in Modern Israeli Hebrew, quoting from the bible, "Will a Cushi change his skin or a leopard change his spots?" (Book of Jeremiah 13:23), in order to describe a reality that can not change.
Initially in Modern Israeli Hebrew, the term "Cushi" was not used as a pejorative term. At times, it was even used to refer fondly to a person of dark skin or a red haired person, as King David was red headed: was of ruddy complexion and his face which was on his head was ruddy not his hair as is written in Book of Samuel; and as per wisdom of Tree of Life the sephiroth Keter is connected to head which does not discriminate between hair and face; so if somebody writes his head was red means his face was ruddy(his face like other faces was included in his head and it was his face which was ruddy or red like). Other words were used to describe dark skin as a pejorative term, for example, the word "Schwartz" (Yiddish: שוואַרצע), taken from its similar meaning in the Yiddish language –- black. In the last decades of the 20th century, the word "Cushi" became a racist slur, some claim as a result of the identification of its terms in English, "Nigger" and "Negro". However, this scenario has never been proven.
The negative changes in the meaning of the term "Cushi" was seen in many companies retagging themselves in the Israeli Market. The well known made-in-Israel cheese "Cushi" was renamed "Ushi" as well as the Israeli "Krembo" (Chocolate-coated marshmallow treats) that in the initial distribution was named "Cushi".
In an Israeli Court verdict that dealt with a bus driver calling a security guard in a university "Cushi", Judge Yitzhak Milnov wrote the following words:
"The term "Cushi" is considered, by the Israeli society as a whole, to be a Pejorative term and an insult, usually meant to defame a person for his dark-skinned color, and to mark him as an "exceptional", and as an inferior person to a lighter-skinned individual. It is a racist slur, meant to humiliate and degrade the receiver, solely because he belongs to the Falasha ethnic group. This accordingly falls into the fourth alternative category of the definition of "Defamation" in provision 1 of the law (an expression meant to "defame a person for his race, descent, religion, residence or sexual orientation").[2]
Other terms include Cushim (plural), Cushites (biblical plural). In English: "Kush" or "Cush" (in its various declensions) is derived from the same biblical origin.