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Israeli Culture - A Guide to Zion

For thousands of years now, the Jews have looked at Israel as their homeland,
given to them by God. Throughout history, the Jewish people have had to endure one
diasporas after another, and yet are one of todays most advanced countries in the
world. Since the State of Israel was established in 1948, Jewish people from all over the
world migrate to their homeland of Zion, which in turn ushers in many different kinds of
people from various backgrounds. These distinctive traditions are exhibited in the
countries art and music, politics, military prowess, and religion. With the nation being
repopulated by citizens from all over the world, it is a wonder how they have managed
to still keep their traditions and beliefs without assimilation.

In the Beginning.
The Jews first made Israel their home over 3000 years ago, after their exodus
from Egypt. The Jewish people were forced from their land multiple times throughout
the years, first by the Babylonians and later on by the Romans. It was not until the early
20th century that that Jewish people started making their way back to the motherland.
While the official establishment of Israel as a nation-state occurred in 1948, its national
character began to be forged in the 1880s as Jews began arriving from Europe in
growing numbers; by 1920 the Jewish population in Palestine had reached
approximately 80,000 (Haris 27). During World War II, Jewish society was once again
put through tribulation by Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party in a time that is now considered
the Holocaust. Some people still deny the events that took place in the concentration
camps like Auschwitz, but the proof and evidence is undeniable.

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Nation-State of Israel
The state of Israel was formed in 1948 by the British government, and
immigrants coming back to their Jewish homeland was surprised to find out that it was
not the land of milk and honey of their dreams, and this created many conflicts within
the diverse populace. David Ben-Gurion became the nations first Prime Minister. He
sought to create a universal identity for the Jewish people based on the biblical legacy
of Jewish history in Palestine. Jewish law (Halakhah) became a fundamental
component of the Israeli legal system, Jewish holidays became national holidays, and
archaeological sites deemed to be those mentioned in the Bible became national sites
(Haris 27-28). This lead all further immigrants into the new nation to set aside their old
cultures and adopt the official national Israeli culture. In addition to these changes,
Hebrew become the states official language. In the book, The Middle East: A Guide to
Politics, Economics, Society, and Culture, sociologists Eliezar Ben-Rafael suggests that
Hebrew, which is used by society as a whole, possesses a unifying power capable of
holding a fissured society together: Hebrew today is a thriving language that serves as
a common base for all of society, a medium that makes this society both singular and
multicultural at one and the same time (116).

Art and Music

Israels art is unique in the fact that most of it is a representation of their Jewish
history, religion, and traditions. Israeli art is common to find here in the United States,
and most synagogues contain gift shops where you can purchase artwork made in
Israel. The culture of a country is often reflected in its artwork. Visitors to Jerusalem are
enthralled with its sense of history, its centuries-old historical sites such as the Western

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Wall, cobblestone streets and unique shops in the Jewish Quarter. Many Jews seek out
Israeli art to remind them of their heritage while others purchase it to remind them of
their recent travels to the Jewish homeland (Steinberg S8-S9).
The music scene however has evolved over time, and nowadays is influenced by
the Mediterranean pop-music, but this was not always so. When the state of Israel was
first established, all radio and later on television become government controlled and
only played what the government deemed legit. Up until 1990, the Israeli media was
exclusively by the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, and did not allow for Middle Eastern
and Arab music. By the late 1980s and early 90s, musika mizrahit, a Mediterraneanstyled pop music that grew out of the Mizrahi working-class cassette culture in the
1970s, had just begun to pervade the Israeli public sphere after years of exclusion from
a Eurocentric Israeli establishment (Haris 28). With this introduction to different styles
and cultures, many cultural and national frames of thinking were shifting to a cultural
integration with the Arab people.

Military Might
Israel is known for having one of the most powerful militaries in the world. Every
citizen has a duty to their country to join the Israeli Defence Force for a certain amount
of time. After a soldiers duty is complete they act as reservist until they reach their 50s.
The system of reserves frees up the vast majority of its soldiers to take an active part in
society and the economy. At the same time, the army is able to mobilize hundreds of
thousands of reserves within hours and the full strength of the army within 48 hours
(Mahal). Israel is the only country where it is obligatory for women to join the military. In

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1948, women provided a vital role in holding positions of command during the War of
Independence. Israel is also the worlds leading producer of cutting-edge military
technology in the world. This has lead to incredible breakthroughs in ballistic missile
technology in which the Iron Dome missile defense system was created, being able to
knock enemy rockets and missiles out of the sky with laser point accuracy. One
journalist reported, Rather than descending en masse into shelters as missile sirens
blared in Tel Aviv, Israelis tell me, they stood watching on rooftops and during wedding
receptions as the interceptors' contrails streaked upwards, cheering as one brilliant
explosion after another lit up the sky (Loyola 22).

In the future
Military prowess is not the ultimate objective for Israels future. With the current
threat of ISIS (Sunni) growing more tenacious every day, Israel is on higher alert than
ever, and opening the door to peace talks with some of the surrounding nations that in
past were dire enemies with each other. With few other options, the Arabs have
returned to an old idea, which was mostly bluster in the pastthat they must unite to
protect themselves. And any serious conversation about security and economic
development has to include the one nation in the region that has succeeded at both:
Israel (Klein 48). This has opened the door for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu begin having private talks behind closed doors with emissaries from Saudi
Arabia and Prince Turki al-Faisal. It has been dubbed mushroom diplomacy because It
can only grow in the dark. Prince Turki even made the unofficial statement, The Arabs
had crossed the Rubicon and dont want to fight Israel anymore(Klein 46). It will be
interesting to see how Netanyahu will implement these negotiations when it is very

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dangerous for his political career. One thing is for certain, Israels security is currently
standing at a crucial point at this time, and it will be interesting to see which way it tips.

Works Cited

Klein, Joe. "The Path to Peace." World. N.p., 29 Jan. 2015. Web. 1 May 2015.
Loyola, Mario. Can Israel Survive? National Review. 67.4 (2015): 22-24. Military &
Government Collection. Web. 3 May 2015.
Israeli Culture. The Middle East: A Guide to Politics, Economics, Society, and Culture.
Ed. Barry Rubin. Vol. 2. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 2012. 434. Gale Virtual
Reference Library. Web. 1 May 2015
Steinberg, Phyllis. "Framing Israeli Culture." Jewish Exponent: S8. Feb 21 2013.
ProQuest. Web. 3 May 2015.
Harris, Rachel S., Ranen Omer-Sherman, and Muse Project. Narratives Of Dissent :
War In Contemporary Israeli Arts And Culture. Detroit: Wayne State University
Press, 2012. eBook Academic Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 3 May 2015.
"Mahal IDF Volunteers Guide & Assistant." Volunteer, Enlist, Serve & Join the IDF

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(Israel Defense Forces). N.p., n.d. Web. 03 May 2015.