Abstract
This chapter reviews the book Becoming Israeli: National Ideals and Everyday Life in the 1950s (2014), by Anat Helman. Becoming Israeli deals with those aspects of Israeli society and culture that make Israel distinct from other countries. The book explores how the Israeli society emerged, mainly on its own terms, and tackles the fundamental question of “what it means to be Israeli,” along with the extent to which the characteristics comprising Israeliness emerged in the early years of statehood. Among the book’s strengths is Helman’s choice of foci: the power of her study derives from its locating spheres and behavioral acts that are extremely important but frequently overlooked (kibbutz dining halls, for example). A weak component of the book is its discussion of the subject of humor.
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