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Abstract:
From the first half of the 20th century, the social and political movement of European Jews to Palestine or Eretz Israel, or Zionism, espoused the idea of the "New Jew." In the shadow of the Holocaust, Zionists worked to create the "New Jew" as a powerful, community oriented, making the desert bloom, broad-shouldered type of man. Throughout most of the State of Israel's history, this Zionist ideal has shaped Israeli society and in particular has dictated the way Israeli men perform their gender.
But now that the State of Israel is well established, and many Israelis feel that the Zionist movement is essentially finished, what changes have there been? It seems that with the rise of post-Zionism, a "newer Jew" masculinity may be rising to challenge the old Zionist masculinity. Given that men dominate Israeli political and social life generally, this remarkable change could have a definite impact on the future of affairs in Israel, and in the broader Middle East. What is the "newer Jew" like?
I explored this question while in Israel on an off-campus study experience. By collecting ethnographic data and through a survey sent to Israeli university students, I have some intriguing insights into the changing performance of masculinity in Israel.
