“We use to say "shalom" when we come. We don't say that anymore, we say "hi"

"You say goodbye and I say hello"

In 1935, Chaim Weizmann, a prominent Zionist leader and future President of Israel provided an explanation of the cultural aspect of the Zionist revolution. He stated that “We did not come here to copy the life of Warsaw, Pinsk, London, etc. The content of Zionism is changing all values according to which Jews lived under the pressure of foreign cultures. But where are the new values created here? We live here a life of translation, translation of galut. Even Hebrew is translated. We have to change the translation and create the original. We are only the pioneers and have to pave the road for those who will follow us” (6).

During this period, “pioneering was celebrated, whereas Western popular culture was dismissed as irrelevant and even decadent and therefore corruptive” (6). This was proven to be so in 1965 when the Beatles planned to tour Israel. The show was cancelled “because the state refused to provide the necessary foreign currency” (6). Why, you may wonder. The answer is simple: “the concert was of no cultural value” (6).

On September 25, 2008, Paul McCartney entertained 40,000 fans in Tel Aviv. The Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent apologetic letters to Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, “asking for forgiveness for the ‘missed opportunity’ to have the band that ‘shaped the mind of a generation, to come to Israel and perform before the young generation in Israel who admired [them] and continues to admire [them]” (7). The International Herald Tribune reported that the letter “was an invitation praying the Paul McCartney would help celebrate Israel’s 60th anniversary” (7).

Summary:

Though there are many beneficial factors brought about by Americanization, there are just as many negative factors. With the Americanization of Israel came new technological advances, Capitalism and Democracy, free trade agreements through the Israeli Trade Act. Subsequently, with these beneficial factors, we find that America is not only the land of the free, but a consumer paradise. Americans love of freedom results in “individualism and hedonism, self-fulfillment, and the pursuit of happiness as the quest for unrestrained pleasure” (6) which in turn is seen as materialistic. Due to this, we have seen that Israel is losing a sense of who they as a nation are. Younger generations are greatly influenced by the images that America portrays—in essence: freedom. The freedom of choice from what we eat to what we wear and this freedom, rightfully so is highly desired. Azaryahu states that “a feature of Americanization is the significance assigned to the image in the cultural production of social reality”, he continues, “Social reality is an interplay between images, and this has far-reaching cultural consequences: images replace ideals, celebrities supersede heroes. Rating measures value, and values supplant virtues” (6).

The implications of such freedom have certainly taken a toll on the national identity of Israel. As Chaim Weizmann stated “We live here a life of translation, translation of galut. Even Hebrew is translated. We have to change the translation and create the original” (6). The adoption of English words is increasingly smothers the native language of Hebrew. Furthermore, the Free Market economy has caused the growing gap between the rich and the poor, reducing the middle class, just as in America.

The greatest debate is whether or not Americanization is bad for the Israeli people. Some feel that it is a direct threat to Zionism, an international political movement based primarily on religious traditions. Much to the contrary, others feel that Americanization is Globalization and that it is beneficial to the nation. The ideals of Americanization provide a foundation for nations to grow into to the ever evolving world, a way to stay afloat. Israel needs to find a way to maintain national identity while securing strong economic and politic beliefs in capitalism and democracy.

Currently the players that hold the most power are large American corporations, like McDonalds, Calvin Klein and Coca-Cola, who take business away from smaller “mom and pop” stores in cities like Tel Aviv and Haifa(2). In response to these major players, the Israeli government could perhaps restrict the amount of American imported products.

Analysis and Action:

Critical issues that will need to be addressed in the future are how to reap the benefits of Americanization and American Aid while maintaining a national and cultural identity. Another problem that needs to be addressed is the growing gap between the rich and the poor due to the free market economy (3). One way the Israeli government is responding to the Americanization of Israeli radio stations is by requiring radio stations to devote half of their airtime to Hebrew Songs (4). However, to what degree does this change the process of Americanization? Perhaps it doesn't though it offers renewal of cultural identity which is an area that Israelis feel they are losing.

There are several ways the Israeli people can take action against the Americanization of their culture. Some of these actions include boycotting any American made products, but not without a tangible implications. Intangibly speaking, Israelis can continue to instill strong Jewish/Israeli beliefs and traditions in their children. Americanization is a double-ended sword. For the benefits it brings, the negatives follow. It is up to the nation itself to determine if the costs outweigh the benefits.

Tom Segav says "One can appreciate all the positives brought about by the Americanization without ignoring the negative". Although Israel has adopted many aspects of the American way of life, fluent English on a daily basis over the national Hebrew language is not at the fault of America. America did not force language upon them. And yes, it is a critical language to know, but must it mask the true language of their land? Certain things such as "economic capitalism, basic constitutional laws of democracy, and more" are necessary to keep up with the globalizing world; however, there is no English speaking enforcers that run around Israel implementing fluency. The ultimate problem is that English is so fluently spoken around the world it is hard to escape the contagion. We found it shameful to read that Israelis use to say "shalom" when they come and now they say "hi" (5).

A harsh yet realistic perspective on globalization is offered by Thomas Friedman: "either win or be road kill". If Israelis were to boycott all Americanized entities, would they fall out of the race of the globalizing world? Who wants to lose.. even if it is at the risk of losing some of the core values that the nation possesses. Developing nations look to America as a set-standard of life, but why? If they fail to wear the "golden straight jacket" they will freeze. With the world moving at such as fast pace, it is essentially Israels choice to not allow this process effect them but it will. This process of globalization does not wait for nations to jump on the bandwagon-- the wagon keeps moving and it will continue to do so. When it is night time in America, it is day time in China. Regardless of the solutions presented, these wheels are rotating and they aren't stopping.


1 Segev, Tom. “Israel and the United States.”
http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/people4/Segev/segev-con6.html

2 Puder, Joseph. “Israel at 60.” www.FrontPageMagazine.com

3 Segev, Tom, www.haaretz.com

4 Zachary, G. Pascal. "The World Gets in Touch With Its Inner American."
http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/1999/01/americanization.html

5 Segev, Tom. “What’s Happening To You America?”
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=624549

6 Maoz Azaryahu. McIsrael on the Americanization of Israel

7 Ethan Bronner International Herald Tribune. Published: August 28, 2008. http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/28/mideast/israel.php