Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
As the examples may suggest, Israeli society is characterized by a nonconformist, rebel-
lious streak. The society was born in revolt against the Jewish Diaspora past. The Zionist
movement — and most of Israel's founders — opposed religious authorities and community
leadership by defi ning Jewish identity largely in national and modern, rather than religious,
traditional, or assimilationist, terms. Jewish religious tradition also values critical questioning
up to a point.
Each sector of Israel has expressed the rebellious impulses differently, but the overall ten-
dency has been to intensify individualism and pluralism. Socialist Zionism was especially icon-
oclastic in rejecting religion and class distinction; liberal Zionism stressed modernism; conser-
vative Zionism emphasized nationalism. In addition, Israeli society is undergirded by a strong
tradition of voluntarism, its military system offering a prime example. All these nonconform-
ist, individualistic forces make a powerful mix that rejects any sort of social authoritarianism.
COMMUNITY AND IDENTITY
Israeli attitudes toward community and identity, which are central to its unique society, in-
clude tensions between rebellion and tradition, often within the same individual or group;
high levels of solidarity and communal identity coexisting with strong individualism and
contentiousness; solidarity derived from war and trauma as well as a great deal of diversity;
a relative lack of class identity but also real— perhaps growing — differences in that regard;
contemporary skepticism toward national symbols combined with a higher respect for them
than in Western democratic states in this era; the strong infl uence of the military coupled with
anti-militaristic attitudes; high personal satisfaction levels alongside high complaint levels; low
crime and high terrorist threats; and acceptance of the importance of the Hebrew language
and local culture in shaping society juxtaposed with a high degree of acceptance of foreign
ideas and cultural products.
Rebellion against the real and perceived Jewish Diaspora society is a dominant feature of
Israeli society. The two millennia of the Diaspora, when Jews were in exile from the Land
of Israel, is viewed as a time when tradition was frozen and life was slow, limited by tradi-
tion, and unchanging except for periods of persecution. The Jews of those times and places
are thought of as conformist within their own communities and fearfully subservient to
the surrounding, non-Jewish world. In contrast, most Israelis today operate at a rapid pace
and take pride in innovation and improvisation. They see themselves as confi dent, empow-
ered, and able to control their environment and achieve their goals even when opposed by
powerful foes.
The stereotypes of historic Diaspora society have declined somewhat among Israelis with
increased knowledge, especially of the Holocaust era, but are still potent and have some infl u-
ence on Israel's relations with modern-day Diaspora Jewish communities. To some extent, the
Haredim continue to embody the Diaspora characteristics and, as a result, are viewed nega-
tively among some secular and sometimes Datim (Modern Orthodox) segments of society.
In a real sense, too, despite this self-conscious rejection of the Diaspora past, Israel does
represent a continuation of traditional Jewish society in its various European, Middle Eastern,
and North African versions. Jewish communities still in Diaspora are heavily infl uenced by the
