11. Judaism
In this survey of Israeli culture, the section on Judaism
will be brief. This may seem surprising as the influence
of the Jewish religion on the life of the State should
be considerable. However, few subjects are more problematic
in the story of the State of Israel – and in Zionism
generally – than the relationship between religion
and the State. One result is that, upon examining the
various genres that constitute mainstream creative culture
in Israel, it is difficult to pinpoint any significant
impact that Judaism has made upon it. This is not due
to any inherent hostility on the part of the Jewish religion
to cultural media as such, but rather the constant awkwardness
between Judaism and mainstream Israeli society.
This awkwardness existed from the beginning of Zionism.
Many Orthodox Jews considered Zionists to be usurping
the place of God in deciding the fate of the Jewish people.
Consequently, the new movement underwent a deep struggle
to be accepted as legitimate by this sector of the Jewish
population. Although the great Rabbi Kook and others perceived
Zionism as constituting a stage in the Messianic process
and, therefore, an essential step in Jewish history, this
theological position was not accepted by many. Those Orthodox
Jews who accepted this stance and became Zionists, always
faced difficulties. On the one hand, they had to defend
their position against the majority of Orthodox Jews;
on the other, they had to hold their own against the predominant
secularity of the majority of Zionists who were hostile
to Judaism because of its allegedly passive attitude toward
the active forging of the Jewish fate.
Thus religious Zionism was always a weaker partner in the
Zionist movement. It tended to limit itself to attempting
to safeguard the religious interests of Orthodox Jews
rather than trying to influence the entire Zionist movement
world and participate in all areas of activity. This trend
continued even after the declaration of statehood. Until
1967, the representatives of Religious Zionism were active
in all the governments, but tried only to attend to issues
of interest to the Orthodox sector.
The 1967 war changed this situation with the capture of
Judea and Samaria, the very heartland of Biblical Israel.
The latent religious Messianism that was unleashed was
of unprecedented proportions in the history of Zionism.
Religious Zionism became increasingly assertive and active.
Despite its more open approach, however, it still took
stands that were accepted by only a minority of non-Orthodox
Jews. Thus it essentially reinforced its alienation from
mainstream, non-Orthodox society in Israel. Despite the
increasing prominence of religious Jews in many spheres
of Israeli life (including the army, academic life and
commercial life), most non-Orthodox Jews in Israel still
do not regard Orthodoxy as part of their world.
Furthermore, because of the growing power, visibility and
assertiveness of Ultra Orthodox – Haredi –
Jewry in Israel, antagonism towards Judaism and its official
representatives – and downright hostility toward
religion in general – has increased to unprecedented
proportions among large sectors of the Israeli public.
This accounts, in large measure, for the small part that
Judaism has generally played in Israeli creative culture.
The vast majority of those involved in the arts consider
themselves non-Orthodox or secular. The few who deal with
Jewish themes have tended to toward approaches that are
either folkloristic, cynical and mocking, or deeply iconoclastic.
The number of Orthodox Jews who are actively engaged in
creative expression – whatever the medium –
is very small. It is interesting to note, however, that
this group is growing and has caused increased exposure
on the part of the Israeli public to Judaism in the arts.
This is evident, for example, in literature. Thirty years
ago, few Israeli writers identified themselves as Orthodox
Jews. Many came from observant families and were familiar
with the vocabulary of the Beit Midrash, often harboring
a strong nostalgia for that world. Bialik is perhaps the
most prominent case in point. However, with rare exceptions
such as Agnon and the poet Zelda, the literary world was
secular.
In recent years, however, a number of serious Orthodox
writers have emerged, creating interesting work that provides
insights into different aspects of their world. Haim Sabbato,
Yehudit Rotem, Yochi Brandes and Hanna Bat Shahar, for
example, write about Orthodoxy from the inside, while
others have left that milieu. The knowledge of Orthodox
life that they all possess, however, has produced a fascinating
new trend in Israeli literature.
Several musical trends are also noteworthy. An increasing
amount of Haredi music has been influenced by modern popular
music. Traditional Judaism has always been musical, but
in this case the novelty is the willingness of Haredim
to use the musical language of the outside world. Haredi
rock concerts sound unlikely but they have become increasingly
popular in recent years. Singers such as Mordehai Ben
David and Aharon Fried draw tens of thousands to their
concerts. This development can mainly be attributed to
the influence of the newly-religious ‘Hozrim Betshuva’,
many of whom listened to popular music previously and
have woven it into their new life.
A related, but not necessarily identical, development comes
with the increasing popularity of Klezmer music in large
parts of general society. The annual Klezmer festival
in Safed draws thousands, many of whom are not religious
at all. One especially interesting aspect of this phenomenon
is the range of new influences that can be heard in contemporary
Israeli Klezmer music. In addition to jazz, which affects
American Klezmer music as well, the impact of different
ethnic musical traditions is also evident. Chief among
these is Oriental (i.e. North African and Middle Eastern)
music, whose addition to Klezmer makes for innovative,
fascinating results.
Another trend stems from a different impulse: the new spiritual
search that many young Israelis are undertaking. This
is producing a very eclectic cultural outlook in which
one of the ingredients – but not necessarily the
main one – is traditional Judaism. As a result,
a number of ‘New Age’ Jewish communities have
emerged in Israel – some of them now permanent –
that have created different frameworks for creative expression.
It is as yet unclear whether this phenomenon can be called
a movement. A number of festivals/happenings take place
at different times of the year in various locations, with
music, inevitably, predominating. Several musical ensembles
have resulted, the most noteworthy being Gaya and Sheva.
The influence of traditional Judaism on their music can
also be heard.
An additional phenomenon is the increasing prevalence of
local radio stations, many of which are religious and
even Haredi. Many appear to have a sizeable following,
their invariable mix of music and religious discussion
being very popular in certain sectors.
These various elements add up to the increasing exposure
of the Israeli public to religious music of one kind or
another, including sectors of the secular population who
previously would have had little or no contact with it.
Other media such as cinema and theater, traditionally viewed
with considerable suspicion by the Orthodox, are also
beginning to develop. Until very recently, little drama
or cinema dealt with the Orthodox world. Most of the films
produced on the subject in the past few year were made
by secular film-makers apparently to satisfy the curiosity
of the non-Orthodox public. The situation may change,
however, as schools of cinema and drama have now opened
exclusively for Orthodox students. While the results are,
as yet, marginal, within a few years serious films and
drama may well be produced within these circles.