Israeli Culture 2017: Trying to Fit In – The More, the Better

In her recent column in 'Yedioth Ahronoth,' journalist Sivan Rahav-Meir shared an extraordinary incident she experienced abroad. During her visit to the Israeli community in Rockville, near Washington, a distressed woman approached her. "I strive to expose my children to Israeli culture; I am married to an American and do not want them to turn out entirely American," she explained. However, that morning, as part of the exposure to Israeli culture, her Israeli-American children watched a video of an Israeli singer duo, a clip that nearly brought the mother to tears. Is this Israeli culture?

"There is a catchy, contagious clip that gained a million views on YouTube within a day," she told Rahav-Meir. "It’s clear to me that my eight-year-old son will sing it all summer, maybe even thinking it pleases me. Look, mom, I'm Israeli. But my son should not be singing these words, nor should his sister. What message does this convey to them? They don't even understand exactly what they are singing, but it seeps in. This is the approach. Later, we'll hear in news reports about attacks and harassment."

Rahav-Meir checked out the clip herself and concluded that the mother was correct. A bit more of this sort of Israeli culture, and we are lost. "This is the Israeli-ness we're exporting this summer, even to Washington. Why, exactly? And why is Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai part of this clip? And why are the parents, who know how to protest and organize online petitions on every topic, silent? Why do we talk so much about fake news and so little about fake culture?"

In our world, 'good culture' is measured by its success. Thus, a singer duo that garners a million views on YouTube in a day is a symbol and example for the younger generation, a paragon of cultural achievement, even if the musical hits they produce are vacuous songs with lyrics bordering on the criminal. Similarly, a formulaic, mushy American superhero film becomes the new symbol of Jewish spirit triumph, simply because the lead actress—who would believe it—is Israeli. It’s not the first time, of course, that Israelis act in Hollywood films. But an Israeli starring in a blockbuster? Israeli culture writers wipe emotional tears and gush in a language that hasn't been heard in this land since about the liberation of the Western Wall.

Value-driven individuals might feel disgruntled with this direction of Israeli culture, but they will have to keep this bitterness to themselves for fear of offending the sacred freedom of expression. Two weeks ago, when Minister of Culture Miri Regev sent a letter to Il Shiri, CEO of the Israel Festival, expressing opposition to government funding for performances conducted without modesty bordering on debasement, she was attacked from all directions. Regev claimed such performances "contradict and harm the basic values of the Israeli public and the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state and the feelings of broad populations." In other words, if we’re concerned with Israeli culture (the Israel Festival, remember), might it not be worth producing this culture within the parameters acceptable to most of society in Israel?

(Photo: shutterstock)

If this seems like a logical argument to you, it just shows how uncultured you are. Regev was almost taken to the gallows. The legal advisor criticized her severely, stating that she had no right to withhold funding from any 'artistic' performance, no matter how despicable. All forms of art, he declared, are protected by freedom of expression. And when Regev appeared on the festival stage and was met with boos, 'Haaretz' described the scene with a delight not seen in its pages for quite some time.

Thus, Israeli culture never had any Jewish character or one that aligns with the values of most Jews in this land. Israeli culture is defined today as culture simply produced by Israelis. Does a mother in Washington find the content of this culture so shallow? Who cares? Her sighs probably won’t ever garner a million views on YouTube.

"Imitating Apes Without Any National Characteristics"

Shortly after publishing his groundbreaking book, 'The Jewish State,' the father of the state, Benjamin Ze’ev Herzl, released a utopian novel that described the ideal life in that Jewish state. The novel, 'Altneuland' (translated into Hebrew as 'Tel Aviv'), depicted a Jewish state with a strong Viennese aroma: German-speaking people, impeccable manners, classical music. Herzl's envisioned 'Altneuland' was so European that 'Ahad Ha’am,' another Zionist leader, launched a scathing critique against him. That utopian state, he argued, shows an "imitation of apes without any national attributes, and the smell of ‘slavery with freedom,’ the daughter of Western exile, exudes from all around."

But the father of the state probably knew precisely what he was envisioning and what kind of state would be built here. German language and classical music might not be very popular products in Israel, but an 'imitation of apes without any national characteristics' is indeed an excellent description of the local cultural scene. Herzl merely imitated the prevalent Western culture of his time, while today's creators of 'Israeli culture' mimic Western culture of today. If cheap and debauched content are prominent features of the spirit of the time, official Israeli culture will also proudly sport these feathers.

However, many Israelis (and former Israelis) who are not religious feel uneasy with this 'cultural' direction. Is everything that goes well in Las Vegas or Rio de Janeiro destined to go well in the streets of Jerusalem? Why can't we produce Israeli culture that preserves unique Jewish values, ones that used to remind us we are supposed to be a light unto the nations?

The answer, presumably, lies in the complaint of that Israeli-American mother. She might not want her children to turn out 'entirely American,' but a significant portion of the creators of this Israeli culture unfortunately yearn precisely for that: to be like all the nations, and the more, the better.