On Thursday we had Ariella’s mother come in and teach us and provide certain insights within Israeli films around the 60-70’s up until modern time. We were shown three clips and one full movie.
The first clip we used was the one where it depicted Israel through an Egyptian eye, Avanti Popolo. The actors portraying Israelis were terribly mean and seemed drunk on power. Furthermore they hadn’t even the slightest bit of human compassion when they saw the two Egyptian soldiers passing by. The Egyptians were desperate for water and they first of all started shooting at their feet and after that they just treated them like less than human. This clip was representing the state of Israeli euphoria after the 67’ war and how they acted on that power trip.
Next we looked at Time of Favor, directed by Joseph Cedar was a movie about a certain love triangle amidst the turmoil of the West Bank. Menachem, the soldier in the IDF who was offered his own unit made up of his fellow Yeshiva students on the West Bank from Rabbi Meltzer in attempt to have a bigger and more successful religious unit. Additionally, the Rabbi is trying to give his daughter Michal to his star pupil Pini without her consent. Michal is very against because she finds no attraction in him and finds it an embarrassment to just be given away as a prize to someone she doesn’t even like just because she’s the Rabbi’s daughter. The part where it becomes a triangle is because she actually likes Menachem and vice versa. Michal resents the settlement they’re on because of what happened to her mother and holds the quote “This land of Israel is bought with pain” quite highly. Cedar gave the role and voice of reason to a woman in this film about the settlements and some not so pleasant realities that happened in these situations.
Another clip we saw was a short film called “Bus Stop”. This clip depicted an Arab and Charedi woman meeting at a bus stop and despite their cultural differences, they also find similarities and develop a friendship. At one point after the Arab woman made space for the Charedi woman, the tomatoes fall from each bag. There was a little argument on who should take the tomatoes because they both wanted each other to take them and upon seeing this, a Jewish man came up and immediately started suspecting and accusing the Arab woman of trying to steal. Despite just meeting, the Charedi woman lied for the sake of the Arab woman. In the end of the film both of the women leave with their husbands each leaving the bag of tomatoes behind. There are many ways to look at and interpret what the director was trying to portray. The one that clicked the most with me was how the bag represented the moment of hope the women had after meeting but had to leave behind among leaving with their (rather similar looking) husbands.
The last and only full movie we saw was entitled “Late Summer Blues”. That was the movie about the situation of the Israeli youth during the draft in the 60’s. It follows a group of friends with an array of different thoughts and opinions regarding the draft/war and how they handle it. It starts at the end of the school year with their first friend to be drafted and after that goes on different chapters for different people. I learned from this film the varying opinions people had about the draft whether it be what unit to join or to even join at all. It gave me a whole new aspect on how everything back then was really taken by those it affected most in terms of the draft and the war. I think the movie itself was well made and I enjoyed watching it. I also enjoyed the story it told and how even as you watched it, you both learned about the time period in Israel and also what was happening on a personal scale in regards to the situation.
In comparison to American Jewish youth, I think the Israeli youth has a lot more on their mind and deal with it a lot earlier. Instead of just going to college or working, Israelis have to join the military for 2 or 3 years (depending on gender) and serve their country on anything from education to warfare. I feel like having that responsibility starting to form your junior year and going until you’re 20-21 is much more stress than getting accepted into any school. Both Israeli and American Jewish youths are going somewhere after high school at least. Another thing is that they’re all teenagers, let’s not forget that. They at least have some similar priorities just because of the age range. In can be from going with your friends to the same unit/school or just anything really, I think there’d be a lot of similarities between the two groups.
What do you guys think are the main differences and similarities between Israeli and American Jewish youth?
What did you learn about Israel and its culture based on these clips and films?
Something that creates a large culture gap is that even in middle school, I had to know "what I wanted to be when I grew up". I think it creates a very narrow path in an American students future, and also limits a future to students with money who can afford to go to school after their time of free education runs out. Also the poverty cycle in the US is harder to break, because sadly many kids cannot learn or get a job with out education. In Israel, poverty is a very prevalent issue, but training and education comes from the army. I also have noticed a sense of control and respect in the population after the army, and skills such as timeliness and order. In the US our population in their 20s are not as well poised as the Isaeli culture. I feel as having the army to go to at 18/19 is great for the country and helps the teen really grow into a mature person, and leaves many paths.
ReplyDeleteSomething that creates a large culture gap is that even in middle school, I had to know "what I wanted to be when I grew up". I think it creates a very narrow path in an American students future, and also limits a future to students with money who can afford to go to school after their time of free education runs out. Also the poverty cycle in the US is harder to break, because sadly many kids cannot learn or get a job with out education. In Israel, poverty is a very prevalent issue, but training and education comes from the army. I also have noticed a sense of control and respect in the population after the army, and skills such as timeliness and order. In the US our population in their 20s are not as well poised as the Isaeli culture. I feel as having the army to go to at 18/19 is great for the country and helps the teen really grow into a mature person, and leaves many paths.
ReplyDeleteI think something very similar between the Israeli and American youth is that both adolescent groups are trying to find themselves. Regardless of the fact that Israeli teens are preparing for the IDF and American teens are prepping for college, they both have the opportunity to be themselves and to decide what it is that they enjoy in life. Something very interesting that Ariellas mother told us was that in the past ten years Israeli cinema has become much more Known globally which is so cool to see how advance Israel is becoming.
ReplyDeleteI think the main difference between Israeli and American Jewish youth is that Israeli youth grow up knowing they will be going into the military at 18, whereas American youth don’t always know. American youth aren’t required to serve, and so they have a lot more choice in what they choose to do after high school. Otherwise, I think that everything else is pretty similar if not the same. From the clips, I learned that Israeli society is very open and honest. Filmmakers have no issue creating films that show the honest truth about various facts of life. It was very nice to see.
ReplyDelete-Rachael Coleman
Israeli youth compared to American are very different. Israelis have to deal with real life decision making a lot earlier than Americans do in my opinion. Thinking about going to the army at 18 is something I can never imagine having to do. I have so many friends that are excited, yet it's such a big event in their life and with it brings possible danger and the idea of independence in general. Americans have college, yet it's not even close to going to the army. Israeli kids know their fate early on for the most part, while generally, American kids have no idea. I didn't learn a lot of new culture from watching the movies regarding teens in Israel, although I do like how the movie we watched was set in the 70s and what changes in culture that brought.
ReplyDeleteIsraeli youth vs american youth is very different. Americans grow up with the idea that we should be trying to figure out what we want to be from the moment we step into a school building. WHile Israelis might have ideas of what they want to be, they grow up with the knowledge that they will be going to the army and may fall in love with a particular profession (@ARIELLA!!!)
ReplyDeleteThese films emphasize the idea that the arab-jewish conflict may affect everyone, but is not the fault of everyone. Those women in the film were having a perfectly normal interaction once they got past their prejudice and until their husband came to pick them up when they pretended like nothing happened.
American and Israeli youths grow up with very different mindsets. American teens expect almost everyone to go to college after high school and sometimes find it surprising if someone decides to do something different. Israeli teens know that they will be going into the army right after high school which, in my opinion, gives them more time to figure out their true passion before choosing to do something that they might not like.
ReplyDeleteAmerican and Israeli youths are extremely different. They, not only, grow up in differently cultured countries, they also have different futures set up for them. When an American finishes high school, their futures re wide open for them to go to college, travel the world, take a gap year, take a hundred gap years, and many other possibilities. On the other hand, Israelis know that when they finish high school, they are going to go into the army, they are going to fight for their country, and they are not traveling the world, and not going to college at that time. For American thinking about joining the army, it is a tough decision for most. For Israelis, the decision is already made.
ReplyDeleteAbout Israeli culture I feel that I learned about the conflict that the youth faces dealing with the IDF. It was really interesting to have an inside look on what Israeli teens go through at this point in their lives.
The culture for American and Israeli young adults is extremely different. American high schoolers always have the thought of college hanging over them and have to decide their future. In Israel, every child is thinking about another commitment after high school, the army, but in reality, they have a lot more time to decide their future than American children. In many ways, I believe the Israeli model of education is better than the American model, because it ensures that if their students go to college, they will have had ample time to pick a field of study and learn in a committed and passionate way. The clips that we watched served to show this type of environment. While the students in the feature film had to decide what they wanted to do the army, it was clear that their futures were bright and open.
ReplyDeleteIn general I think that the primary difference between Israeli and American youth lies in the level of personal obligation each person has. It seems almost as if Israelis are much more spoiled than Americans before being shocked into a completely different mindset during military service. This may be a result of the fact that Americans generally have some sort of path predestined in the early years of school, while people can go from the IDF pretty much anywhere. The IDF provides a type of opportunity for professional development to which most Americans do not have access to. In short, many Americans have to grow up earlier, but Israelis have better conditions to do so later on.
ReplyDeleteWhat I thought was most interesting about the clips was the use of sex. In American cinema, sex is most often used as a code or a symbol for plot or artistic development, while in these films, sex just happens to happen, like eating or going to work. It shows that while American culture is certainly not puritanical, it tries much harder to seem as such and is restricted, especially by the Production Code of the 30s to the 60s, and then the MPAA much later on. Israeli commercial culture on a whole, however, sees sex and sexuality as a much more natural part of every day.
-Noah Arnold
I believe it is as difficult to judge "youth" as a whole as it is to judge any group of people. I strongly believe that there are responsible and irresponsible young American individuals, and that both types of young Israeli individuals also exist. However, compulsory army service shapes the goals of Israeli youth, whereas college or career steps shape the goals of American youth. The youth of both nations are asked to grow up quickly, but in vastly different ways.
ReplyDeleteI believe a general theme from the Israeli cinema clips we watched was social interaction in Israeli culture. The clips dealt with how Israelis treat people from other countries, people of other ethnicities in Israel, and people who are going through difficult times. I think that these clips showed a general toughness about Israeli society, which can be manifested in brusqueness or misunderstanding. However, I strongly believe that this strength is the backbone of Israel, a country which has breed toughness out of necessity.
The main difference I see between Israeli and American youth is their expected life path. Israelis prepare for the army in high school while Americans prepare for college. I also see that Israeli youth are more mature and generally less obnoxious. I liked the clips we watch and I really liked the movie. The movie really helped to show that even though Israelis grow up knowing that they will have to join the IDF it doesn't make the draft any easier.
ReplyDeleteI think there are too many differences to list out between American and Israeli youth, so I will just list a few. As babies Israeli kids are taught that they will fight, and that they might die, they willingly go into this fate, accepting that they are just a small cog in the grand scheme of the country. We Americans just aren't trained to think that way. We are told as kids that we are "special little snowflakes" and other shit that makes us believe we are individuals. These clips help show that even though we have differences, we all share the same fears, of death, of not being loved, and of being misunderstood.
ReplyDeleteThe main difference between American and Israeli Youth is the set life paths. In America after high school you let free into the real world. Most choose to go to college, but it becomes a long complicated process of applications and uncertainty. In addition after high school the youth does not have to do anything in general. In Israel the youth have tons of potential that is tapped right after high school wether they like it or not. They are drafted into the army that finds what people are best at doing and sets them on a career path for after their service. The army also gives them time to relax and think about what they really want to do in life. Its hard to say what we learned from the movie can relate to this time period, but what i found out is Israelis do not want to fight for peace if they do not need to.
ReplyDeleteThe main difference of the life of Israeli and American youth would be the fact that Americans will stay imbeciles for a longer period of time due to the fact that they do not have to go into an army and become disciplined like those who live in Israel.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I learned Israeli culture is not much different than that of America. Teens are still impulsive idiotic teens no matter where one goes!
I think the main difference between Israeli and American Jewish youth is that throughout the life off an American Jew you never feel the sense of being surrounded by Jews. But Israeli youth do have this feeling and they appreciate it more. Based on these clips and films I have learned that the culture in Israel is out-going. Before high school ends teens want to have as much fun as possible because they know exactly what the next step is for them, Army. They know that they have to be serious during the army so they try to have as much fun as possible now.
ReplyDelete