Origins Of Israel Research Articles

The Israeli queue with a capacitated server: modeling and approximations

AbstractThe Israeli Queue is a batch service polling system where a single server attends to multiple queues based on seniority. Each arriving customer belongs to one of several classes. Upon arrival, a customer either joins an existing queue for their class or initiates a new queue if they are the first of their class to arrive. Customers from the class with the most senior member are served together as a batch, with the service time remaining constant regardless of the batch size. This service model is found in applications like advanced elevator systems and on-demand shared mobility, where passengers heading to the same destination can share a ride. However, in many real-world scenarios, the vehicle capacities are small and constraining, which calls for a deeper exploration of the Israeli queue with a capacitated server (IQCS). In this paper, we formally define the IQCS and address the challenges of creating a mathematically tractable model to represent it. To approximate the IQCS, we develop a quasi-birth-death process and derive approximations for key performance measures. To validate our approach, we implement a simulation model and use it to compare the IQCS, the approximate model, and the original Israeli Queue. Our results across various scenarios demonstrate the accuracy of the approximate model. Nonetheless, the presence of a remaining gap underscores the ongoing challenge of precisely and efficiently modeling the IQCS, posing an open question for the research community.

Teachers of Ethiopian origin in Israel: early career journeys and obstacles to being a teacher in the shadow of affirmative action

ABSTRACT This study deals with teachers of Ethiopian origin, i.e. second-generation immigrants from Ethiopia or those who were brought to Israel by their parents as young children. The goals of the study are twofold: first, to trace the obstacles they face against the background of racial discrimination and affirmative action, and second, to describe three prominent journeys that characterize the transition from studying in academic colleges of education to entry into teaching in schools, and how various incentives and support programs shape these transitions. The data was collected through life-story interviews with 10 teachers and semi-structured interviews with 10 dedicated support programs’ coordinators from academic colleges of education. The findings revealed a complex relationship between racial discrimination that these teachers face when entering teaching, and affirmative action policies that sometimes work against EDOT. The discussion interprets these consequences by using both Critical Race Theory and Optimal Distinctiveness Theory.

Was the 1982 Lebanon War a Deviation from Israeli Security Doctrine?

ABSTRACT On June 6, 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon with the aim of destroying the military infrastructure of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which was serving as a launching pad for terrorist infiltrations and Katyusha attacks into northern Israel. From its outset, the Israeli public considered the war an exceptional case and a deviation from the “proper” course of Israeli history. Allegedly, unlike other Israeli wars, the 1982 War did not relate to Israeli security concerns but instead to the political aims and whims of Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon. Also, it is often described as an unjust war of choice, which Israel initiated while it was not facing an existential threat. The claim that the 1982 Lebanon War was exceptional and a deviation from original Israeli principles is the main interest of this article. To determine whether the Lebanon War was a breach of Israeli history or a deviation from Israeli foundational political-moral principles, one must analyze the core tenets of Israel’s security strategy to which it adhered in most of its battles. Using the security doctrine as a guide map reveals that the conflict was neither unique nor a deviation but rather a fulfillment of long-standing Israeli security principles.

Summaries

Summaries

Social Cohesion and Community Displacement in Armed Conflict

Abstract What are the origins of conflict-related population displacement? Why do some communities in conflict zones suffer mass casualties while others evade conflict violence? Whether civilians migrate before or after belligerent operations in their vicinity influences the scale of casualties and population displacement in war. “Preemptive evacuation” is a specific manifestation of forced displacement, in which whole communities leave their homes before belligerents attempt to seize control in their local area. In conflicts involving strategic civilian-targeted violence, social cohesion, by promoting collective action, enhances communities’ capabilities to mobilize collective migration, thereby increasing the likelihood of preemptive evacuation. An investigation of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War probes the plausibility of the theory. Detailed information about Arab Palestinian villages in the previously restricted Village Files is used to construct a village-level dataset, which measures social cohesion and other social, political, and economic characteristics. These documents and data provide crucial sources of evidence to researchers investigating Palestinian society and development, the origins of Israel's statehood, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Findings suggest that areas where communities lack social cohesion may suffer higher casualties from targeted violence, signaling a need for urgent diplomatic and humanitarian prevention or mitigation efforts.

Clonal Spread of pESI-Positive Multidrug-Resistant ST32 Salmonella enterica Serovar Infantis Isolates among Broilers and Humans in Slovenia.

Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Infantis is the most prevalent serovar found in broilers and broiler meat and is among the top five serovars responsible for human infections in Europe. In 2008, a multidrug-resistant S. Infantis isolate emerged in Israel with a mosaic megaplasmid named pESI, associated with increased virulence, biofilm formation, and multidrug resistance. Since then, S. Infantis clones with pESI-like plasmids have been reported worldwide, replacing pESI-free clones. Here, we typed 161 S. Infantis isolates of poultry (n = 133) and human clinical (n = 28) origin using whole-genome sequencing. The isolates were collected between 2007 and 2021. In addition, we performed PacBio/Illumina sequencing for two representative pESI-like plasmids and compared them with publicly available sequences. All isolates belonged to sequence type 32 (ST32), except for one isolate that represented a novel single-locus variant of ST32. Core genome MLST (cgMLST) analysis revealed 14 clusters of genetically closely related isolates, of which four suggested broiler-to-human transmission of S. Infantis. pESI-like plasmids were present in 148/161 (91.9%) isolates; all were highly similar to the publicly available pESI-like sequences but lacked extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) genes. PacBio/Illumina hybrid assembly allowed the reconstruction of two novel complete pESI variants. The present study revealed that the multidrug-resistant, pESI-positive S. Infantis clone became the predominant S. Infantis clone in Slovenian broilers and humans during the last decade. Continued surveillance of resistant S. Infantis clones along the food chain is needed to guide public health efforts. IMPORTANCE Salmonella Infantis clones with pESI-like plasmids harboring several virulence and resistance genes have been reported worldwide. In the present study, we compared the population structure of 161 Salmonella Infantis isolates obtained from humans and broilers in Slovenia from 2007 to 2021. Whole-genome sequencing showed that most human isolates clustered apart from broiler isolates, suggesting an alternative source of infection. Most isolates were multidrug resistant due to the presence of pESI-like plasmids, of which two variants (pS89 and pS19) were fully reconstructed using long-read sequencing. Both exhibited high similarity with the original Israeli pESI plasmid and German p2747 plasmid. The prototype plasmid pS89 harbored the typical pESI-associated resistance genes aadA1, qacEΔ1, sul1, and tet(A), which were absent in the truncated plasmid pS19.

‘The World Is Very Competitive and Cruel, You Won’t Get Any Special Treatment’: Social Work and Youth Policy Discourses in the Neoliberal Era

Abstract Young people from ethnic minority groups are at the centre of public concern in modern societies. This article presents the findings of a qualitative study that critically examines the discourses of thirty-three social workers who work with young people of Ethiopian ethnic origin in Israel. The findings reveal three key discourses: the social inclusion discourse, the meritocracy discourse and the social conflict discourse. Alongside the dominance of conservative discourses and neoliberal perceptions of youth and sociocultural group relationships, the findings reveal the existence of a competing critical discourse. The discussion offers a critical and contextual analysis of the field of social work with youth as the basis for a renewed discussion of basic assumptions, values, professional role perceptions and work directions. It notes the critical models that recognise and oppose oppression as an alternative to policymaking, training and practice processes regarding young people from social minority groups.

The circular construction of “risk” for children of oppressed groups: Israeli social workers' perspectives on children of Ethiopian origin

AbstractThis article presents the findings of a research project that explored the perceptions and constructions of Israeli social workers, serving families of Ethiopian origin in Israel, regarding “risk” vis‐à‐vis the children of this community. Thirty semistructured in‐depth interviews with social workers of Ethiopian and non‐Ethiopian origin were conducted and thematically analysed. The study findings indicate that the risk posed to children from the Ethiopian community, as conceived by the social workers charged with their treatment, tends to emerge in the interface between four main contexts: the societal, the neighbourhood, the education system, and the welfare system. Resembling the cycle of poverty, in which a cyclical set of forces trap people in perpetual poverty, children from minority groups are often caught in a cycle of risk. In each of these four contexts, a circular movement was observed in the construction of risk. Breaking the circularity of “risk” requires a context‐informed approach that adopts the perspectives of critical theories, which consider structural factors, power relations, and sociopolitical context when assessing “risk” for children in general, and for children of oppressed groups in particular.

Biblical Theology

Biblical Theology Christopher T. Begg, Joseph E. Jensen, Fred W. Guyette, and John M. Halligan 2308. [LXX; Demonology] Anna Angelini, "Demonic Agents in the Greek Bible. Evaluating the Role of the Septuagint in Creating a Hellenistic Demonology," Septuaginta, 701-13 [see #2431]. A. highlights the possible role that the Greek Bible played in "demonology" as a cultural category during Hellenistic times. She focuses on the LXX's translation of texts in which Yhwh is surrounded by a number of entities that could be considered demonic. Three passages are esp. relevant: Deut 32:24; Hab 3:3-5; and Ps 91:5-6 (= Ps 90:5-6 LXX); see also Exod 12:13, 23. After briefly contextualizing each of these passages in the Hebrew [End Page 828] Bible, A. concentrates on their reception in the Septuagint, discussing the translational choices made and highlighting similarities and differences among them. [Adapted from author's introduction—T.H.] 2309. Sabine Bieberstein, "'Da triefen die Berge von Wein, und alle Hügel fließen über' (Amos 9,13). Paradiesische Bilder von überfließender Fülle und ihr kritisches Potential bis heute," BK 75 (2020) 2-9. The Bible insists on adequate, good, and healthy nutrition for all human beings. The creation stories of the Primeval History mirror this ideal condition as humanity's ideal original state. Many other texts present God as the giver and guarantor of food and drink for humans and animals. As the postexilic period was characterized by the threat of land loss, the texts that originated in that era depict the promised land with images of overwhelming abundance of food and wealth. Furthermore, in times of poverty and hunger, imageries of eschatological feasts developed, offering both hope and a critical potential for the present. [Adapted from published abstract—T.H.] 2310. [Genesis 1–3; NT] Darrell Bock, "Thinking Backwards about Adam and Eve," TJ 40 (N.S., 2019) 131-43. I begin this essay on how Adam and Eve are to be understood by discussing some Jewish texts that are not part of Scripture, tracing the impact of the foundational Genesis texts on these materials, as yet another angle on how the ancients read those texts. Do these extrabiblical passages treat the figure of Adam (and Eve) as symbols or rather as part of a larger account of Israel's origins? Is there a consistency in how the Genesis texts are handled in the extrabiblical passages? Do they provide any indications or raise any questions about how the texts of Genesis were seen? My plan then is to work backward to the Genesis texts, looking first at the Hebrew and Jewish texts and then at the NT. This may seem an unusual way to proceed. However, since the NT uses of the Genesis texts often involve appeals to Jesus, who is not a symbol but a real figure, it may be important to see if anything changes as we work backward, and what was in place regarding the Genesis texts when Jesus appeals to such contexts. [p. 131, adapted] This brief overview of how the name "Adam" is used points to a consistency of referent given that the name is tied to genealogies and specific historical events involving an individual. The canon appears both internally consistent and in harmony with the larger ancient background of the history of how the name "Adam" was applied to a figure. If we catch on to this consistent use, the listing of generations, and the remembering of specific events, then Adam emerges as a singular individual, at least from the standpoint of the canon and the Jewish milieu that reflected on the Genesis text. Assertions that this "Adam" is the literary Adam versus a historical Adam divide what the material seems to present together. … Our essay suggests that Genesis 1–11 and Adam and Eve in particular are not primarily to be seen as a function of a literary classification of the above segment as myth. That classification misleads us or at least is too limiting for what is taking place in the Genesis segment. The segment may be mythic in its dealings with questions of origin in cosmic...

Hidden and actual dropout from the education system among adolescents of Ethiopian origin in Israel

ABSTRACTThis paper examines aspects and predictors of actual and hidden dropout among immigrant students in general, and among Israeli students of Ethiopian origin, in particular. A hidden dropout is a student who is often absent from school or physically in class but is passive and does not actively take part in the learning process. The subject of this study derives from research evidence showing that the dropout rates of Israeli adolescents of Ethiopian origin are higher than those of their peers who are not of Ethiopian origin. We investigated differences between normative learners, hidden dropout youth and adolescents who are disengaged from the educational system. The predictors included perceived discrimination, social support and collective identities; 374 adolescents of Ethiopian origin completed self-report questionnaires. The major findings show that the hidden dropouts group was characterised by a pattern of high parental encouragement but a lack of support from teachers. Implications of the results, both for theory and for practice, are discussed, followed by suggestions for future research.

The Old Testament in Archaeology and History ed. by Jennie Ebeling et al.

Reviewed by: The Old Testament in Archaeology and History ed. by Jennie Ebeling et al. Andrew R. Davis jennie ebeling, j. edward wright, mark elliott, and paul v. m. flesher (eds.), The Old Testament in Archaeology and History (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2017). Pp. xxxv + 650. $59.95. This volume introduces college students and the interested public to "ancient Israel's origins in such a way that students could understand the Israelites from all of the evidence, not just from a single collection of ancient writings. The study of ancient Israel should be multifaceted and not simply a study of the Bible" (p. xi). Accordingly, many of the essays, as the following list shows, focus on the history and archaeology of ancient Israel as they relate to the OT. Part 1 ("Archaeology, the Bible, and Epigraphy: Discovery, Techniques, and Development") includes "Introduction to the Geography and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East," by Gary P. Arbino; "Introduction to the Old Testament and Its Character as Historical Evidence," by Mark Elliott, with Paul V. M. Flesher; "The West's Rediscovery of the Holy Land," by Victor H. Matthews; "'Bible Lands Archaeology' and 'Biblical Archaeology' in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries," by Rachel Hallote; and "A Critique of Biblical Archaeology History and Interpretation," by William G. Dever. Part 2 ("Israel before Settling in the Land") includes "In the Beginning, Archaeologically Speaking: Archaeology to the Bronze Ages in Canaan," by K. L. Noll; "Archaeology and the Canaanites," by Jill Baker; "The Book of Genesis and Israel's Ancestral Traditions," by Mark Elliott and J. Edward Wright; and "Israel in and out of Egypt," by J. Edward Wright, Mark Elliott, and Paul V. M. Flesher. [End Page 160] Part 3 ("Israel Settles in the Land of Canaan") includes "Looking for the Israelites: The Archaeology of Iron Age I," by J. P. Dessel; "Looking for the Israelites: The Evidence of the Biblical Text," by Paul V. M. Flesher; and "The Philistines during the Period of the Judges," by Ann E. Killebrew. Part 4 ("The Kingdoms of the People Israel") includes "The United Monarchy: David between Saul and Solomon," by Baruch Halpern; "Israel: The Prosperous Northern Kingdom," by Randall W. Younker; "The Southern Kingdom of Judah: Surrounded by Enemies," by Aren M. Maeir; "Daily Life in Iron Age Israel and Judah," by Jennie Ebeling; "Israel and Judah under Assyria's Thumb," by J. Edward Wright and Mark Elliott; "The Religions of the People Israel and Their Neighbors," by Richard S. Hess. Finally, Part 5 ("Judah as a Province: From the Babylonians to the Persians") includes "Destruction and Exile: Israel and the Babylonian Empire," by Bob Becking; and "Persia and Yehud," by Charles David Isbell. Since it would be impossible to review every essay here, I will highlight certain essays that exemplify the strengths and occasional shortcomings of this collection. Its chief strength is the richness of its archaeological chapters. Readers will find in these chapters up-to-date information on the history, culture, and religion of Israel as it can be reconstructed with archaeology. Key topics, such as the settlement (Dessel), the Philistines (Killebrew), the kingdom of Judah (Maeir) daily life (Ebeling), religion (Hess), and exile (Becking), are discussed with frequent reference to archaeological evidence, and there are ample maps and figures along the way to help readers visualize the biblical world. I was especially struck by how much space is devoted to the archaeology of the Levant before the Iron Age. Although the essays by Noll and Baker make some connections to the Bible, they are most valuable for the way they situate biblical history against the backdrop of the region's long-term history (cf. p. 296). A related strength is the introductory section, which discusses at length topics that often receive only cursory attention (or none at all) in textbooks. The essays in section 1, which constitutes a quarter of the book, give a detailed account of Levantine geography (Arbino), the history of Western research in the Near East (Matthews), with special focus on "biblical archaeology" (Hallote, Dever), and also practical information about archaeological method (Arbino). Such contextualization will be helpful for students to gain a better appreciation of how biblical...

Fifty Years of Drama on Israeli Children’s Television

This article analyzes the changes in drama series in the first five decades (1966–2016) of Israeli children’s television. Based on interviews with 27 central producers, this cultural-historical study seeks to explain the significance attributed to children’s drama over the years. Early children’s drama series in Israel were instructional or educational, but they also sought to control the representation of childhood under the direct supervision of the state. The neo-liberal privatization process in Israeli society led to the creation of locally produced, Hebrew-speaking daily dramas on private channels for children. In the multiscreen environment created by the age of multichannel television and digital media, original Israeli daily drama shows functioned as a central branding tool for children’s channels. The article contends that these shows became one of the producers’ key answers to the changes in children’s viewing habits and, more particularly, linear television’s strategy for success in a world of multiple online screens.

Comment entendre le livre des Chroniques ? Une histoire écrite sous la forme d'un plaidoyer des lévites au temple de Jérusalem

While the Exodus paradigm is fully represented in the Deuteronomistic historiography or in the book of Ezra-Nehemiah, which is a legacy of the exilic community, the corrective Chronicler proposes a history that emphasizes the "autochthonous" origin of Israel. This model is particularly visible in the concealment of the exodus, the genealogical construction of the narrative and a certain theology of the land.

On the margins of racism, immigration and war: perspectives on risk and protection of young children of Ethiopian origin in Israel

ABSTRACTThis article explores children’s perspectives on risk and protection in the context of war, exclusion, political conflict and immigration via the example of the excluded Ethiopian immigrant community in Israel. Thirty children of Ethiopian origin, aged four to six, shared their views on risk and protection with the aid of photography, drawings and group discussions. The qualitative, thematic and linguistic analyses of the children’s verbal explanations showed that most children related protective factors to their macro-level, in spite of the war. In their neighborhoods (exosystem) most children described factors referring to risk, while in their home and kindergarten (microsystems), children described a mix of risk and protective factors.Most children used the third-person when referring to risk and the first person when talking about protection. The results support a call for a context-informed child-centered approach. Understanding children’s experiences is crucial in creating prevention and intervention programs for marginalized groups.

The Contribution of Personal and Social Resources towards the Prediction of Ethiopian Students' Academic Achievements

The present research deals with the prediction of the academic achievements of students of Ethiopian origin in Israel. It seeks to explore the contribution of personal and social resources towards the success of these students in academic studies, in light of the poor achievements of Ethiopians in the conventional measures such as the Psychometric Entrance Test (PET) (Almagor-Lotan & Koch Davidovitz, 2011). Two classes of Ethiopian students from two colleges of education were investigated and compared with students from a control group. Besides the significant differences in the characterizations of the background data of the two groups, in their first-semester grades and in their personal resources, the Ethiopians manifested their own unique characteristics which include highly-focused future study goals, a low level of self-criticism, and lofty perceptions of coherence (control) and self-efficacy — all of which predict academic achievements.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 in Israel: phenotype and genotype of a Jew Yemenite subpopulation.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 is an autosomal dominant ataxia with various phenotypes affecting Jews of Yemenite origin in Israel. Clinical and family pedigrees data of 125 Yemenite Jewish patients were collected in our clinic. All examined patients underwent a detailed neurological and bedside vestibular examination. Cytosine-adenine-guanine repeats size in the Ataxin-3 gene was measured, and patients with expanded cytosine-adenine-guanine repeats>44 were diagnosed genetically as having spinocerebellar ataxia type 3. We estimated a disease prevalence rate of about 29/100,000 in Jew of Yemenite descendents living in Israel. We were able to group patients into 17 families. Mean age of onset was 44years. 74% of our population expressed neurological signs compatible with sub-phenotype III, i.e., ataxia and polyneuropathy. Vestibulo-ocular reflex deficit detected on bedside examination was found in 90% of the patients. The mean number of cytosine-adenine-guanine repeats in the Ataxin-3 gene of the diseased allele was 67 (range 55-76). Age of onset was inversely correlated with the number of cytosine-adenine-guanine repeats (r=-0.7) and was significantly earlier among male patients. Though the mean number of cytosine-adenine-guanine repeats was not larger in the offspring, their age of onset was significantly earlier than that of their parents. In addition, paternal offspring expressed the disease significantly earlier than maternal offspring. Signs and stages of disease seem to progress slower during the first 10-15years of the disease and faster afterward. A high disease prevalence rate in our Yemenite Jewish subpopulation is similar to that found in other isolated populations in other countries. Vestibulo-ocular reflex deficit detected on bedside examination should be added as part of the phenotype of Yemenite Jewish patients. Our clinical and genetic findings are in partial agreement with other spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 population studies and are relevant to patient management and the design of further studies.

Israel's Public Procurement Regime International and Comparative Aspects

English Abstract: This article aims to describe and analyze Israel’s public procurement regime, including its system for judicial review, with a special emphasis on its international and comparative aspects. It discusses the history and origins of Israel’s public procurement law, while showing the central role played by the Israeli Supreme Court in creating and developing this law. It also shows that when regulation moved from general (judge-made) principles to detailed (legislated) rules, the system became too rigid and too legalistically bureaucratic and agencies felt that they were unable to accomplish their objectives. This led to the an attempt to reform the system in 2009, by expanding the arsenal of tendering procedures available to procuring agencies, so that they would be more flexible, and to modernize the procurement system by introducing new technologies including electronic procurement. The article shows how these changes were influenced by foreign legal systems (mainly the EU and the US) and by international instruments, such as the UNCITRAL Model Law and the GPA. The reform also decentralized the exemption authority, granting it to each and every procuring entity. By an original analysis of official statistics, the article shows that the new tendering procedures are seldom used, that the pace of introducing electronic procurement is painfully slow, and that there has been a dangerous surge in the number of exemptions from public tendering, which probably is a result of the decentralization.The chapter also discusses Israel’s international commitments in this field, mainly under the plurilateral GPA, but also under other bilateral international agreements. These commitments are discussed on the background of Israel’s existing domestic preference polices. Finally, the chapter discusses Israel’s bid challenge system, which is performed exclusively by the judiciary, and how it serves to satisfy the obligation under the GPA to provide for an effective and independent bid challenge system. It also presents figures on the actual use of this system and on the average success rate of petitioners. The article concludes with the discussion of a recent case, which implemented GPA rules and dismissed the demand of the local producer to receive preferential treatment.תקציר בעברית: מאמר זה מטרתו לתאר ולנתח את משטר דיני המכרזים הציבוריים של ישראל, לרבות מערך הביקורת השיפוטית שלהם, עם דגש מיוחד על היבטיו הבינלאומיים וההשוואתיים. הוא דן במקורותיו ובתולדותיו של דיני הרכש הציבורי בישראל, ומראה את התפקיד המרכזי ששיחק בית המשפט העליון ביצירתו ובפיתוחו של תחום משפטי זה. המאמר מראה גם שכאשר הרגולציה עברה מעקרונות כלליים, פרי יציר הפסיקה, לכללים פרטניים סטטוטוריים, המערכת הפכה לנוקשה מדי ולבירוקרטית-לגליסטית מדי, באופן שגרם לרשויות לחוש שהן לא מסוגלות להשיג את מטרותיהן באמצעותה. תחושה זו הובילה לניסיון לבצע רפורמה בתחום זה בשנת 2009, באמצעות הרחבת ארסנל שיטות הרכש העומדות לשימוש היחידות הרוכשות. שיטות אלה נועדו לאפשר יתר גמישות ומודרניזציה של משטר הרכש באמצעות הכנסת טכנולוגיות חדשות, לרבות רכש אלקטרוני (מכרז ממוכן). המאמר מראה איך שינויים אלה היו מושפעים משיטות משפט זרות (בעיקר של האיחוד האירופי ושל ארהב) ומקודים בינלאומיים, כגון החוק לדוגמה של האום על רכש ציבורי והסכם הרכישות הממשלתיות של ארגון הסחר העולמי. הרפורמה גם ביזרה את סמכות הפטורים והעבירה חלק גדול ממנה לכל אחד מהגופים הרוכשים. על-ידי ניתוח מקורי של הסטטיסטיקה הרשמית שהתקבלה מהחשב הכללי, המאמר מראה שהשימוש בשיטות הרכש החדשות הוא נדיר ושחלה עליה מדאיגה במספר הפטורים מחובת מכרז (עד כדי 85% מכלל הרכישות!) ככל הנראה כתוצאה מהעברת סמכות הפטור מוועדת הפטורים המרכזית של החשכל אל היחידות הרוכשות.המאמר דן גם בהתחייבויות הבינלאומיות של ישראל בתחום זה, בעיקר תחת הסכם ה-GPA הפלורילטראלי, אך גם תחת הסכמים בילטראליים שונים. התחייבויות אלה נדונות על רקע מדיניות העדפת תוצרת הארץ הנוהגת ברכש הציבורי בישראל. לבסוף, המאמר דן בשיטת התקיפה של החלטות בתחום הרכש הציבורי הנוהגת בישראל אשר מתבצעת כולה במסגרת הרשות השופטת, והאופן שבו היא ממלאת אחר ההתחייבות תחת הסכם ה-GPA להעמיד שיטת ביקורת אפקטיבית ובלתי תלויה. המאמר גם מציג נתונים ביחס למידת השימוש בפועל בשיטה זו ומידת ההצלחה הממוצעת של עותרים. המאמר מסיים בדיון בפסק דין מהתקופה האחרונה אשר יישם את הסכם ה-GPA ודחה דרישה של יצרן מקומי לקבלת יחס מועדף.

Adopting a form for their own ends: Israeli musicals of 1964–1966

Abstract In the mid-1960s the first two original Israeli musicals based on a Broadway model, Shlomo HaMelech v’Shalmai HaSandlar (1964) and Kazablan (1966), were mounted. This article argues that the imported musical form was adopted by Israeli creators and audiences as a way of continuing a theatrical push for a unified single ‘Israeli’ culture. The musical form offered an image of a culture to which one could aspire to belong, even as that reality was being challenged by changing demographics and questioning of this prevailing mentality.

The Cameri Theatre (1945–1961): The Success, the Crisis and Its Healing by Leah Gilula (review)

Reviewed by: The Cameri Theatre (1945–1961): The Success, the Crisis and Its Healing by Leah Gilula Hanna Scolnicov The Cameri Theatre (1945–1961): The Success, the Crisis and Its Healing By Leah Gilula. Jerusalem: Yad Izhak Ben Zvi, 2014. 319pp. (Hebrew). In this book, Leah Gilula tells the story of Israel’s Cameri Theater, a modern theater that started out as a revolt of young actors against the established and acclaimed Habima Theater, which did not make room for the new generation. Tyrone Guthrie wrote scathingly about the allocation of roles not by correspondence of age, but by the seniority of actors. “Cameri” in Hebrew means “chamber,” so a modest chamber theater, rather than a stage for spectacle (and “habima” means “the stage”), calling for a tightly knit, realistic action taking place within a restricted, intimate space. The founder of the new theater, director Yosef Millo, had suggested naming the new theater the “1944 Theater,” renaming it year by year. Another suggestion, “The Young People’s Theater,” was rejected on the grounds that it would turn ridiculous as the actors grew older. The debate over the naming of the new theater is indicative of the grappling for a new content and a new style. [End Page 138] From a rebellious splinter group, the Cameri has grown into a central, perhaps the central, theater in Israel, overshadowing the famous Habima and its Russian-trained actors. The story of Habima has also been told recently by Elena Tartakovsky, in her book, Habima; The Russian Heritage (2013), which spans the whole history of that theater. Together, this duo of new books by young researchers provides an invaluable, and largely missing, perspective on the development of the Hebrew theater in Israel. This perspective is created through a painstaking collection and examination of historiographic and archival material, in conjunction with interviews of surviving firsthand witnesses. The need for a new and more modern theater was not only the result of the growing disaffection of the younger generation of Habima trainees struggling to find suitable employment, but also the natural outcome of the inpouring of young talent from central Europe, especially from Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia. An important component of the Cameri innovations was the introduction of the first original Hebrew play, Moshe Shamir’s He Walked Through the Fields (Hu Halach B’Sadot, 1948), dealing with the War of Independence, and premiering just two weeks after the declaration of independence, directed by Millo. This was not only an original Israeli play, but was directly engaged with what was happening in the country. The success of this performance encouraged the other theaters to also look for promising, original, contemporary plays. Gilula emphasizes throughout the importance of the financial basis of the theater, perhaps even beyond its artistic aspirations, showing how this influenced all aspects of the budding theater, but especially the nature of the personal relationships between the members of the collective. A good example of Gilula’s treatment of a particular staging is her examination of director Millo’s first production at the newly founded theater, Goldoni’s Servant of Two Masters. This performance was heavily indebted to Max Reinhardt’s world famous production of the play. The playful, physical, commedia dell’arte style of presentation was a marker of departure from the conventional acting that had become the norm in Habima. Furthermore, moving away from the Russian heritage, the Cameri was eager to adopt the new ideas circulating in contemporary European theater, in line with the countries of origin of the young actors. Gilula critiques the discrepancy between the purported intention of the new theater to be small, intimate, and true to life, and the actual visual spectacle and artificiality of Servant. But she also points to the refreshing introduction of [End Page 139] original, contemporary, European and American plays. The new trend was to emulate what was going on in the Western world, to immediately translate the new hits and have them produced locally. This was the case with Lorca’s Blood Wedding and Anouilh’s Antigone, as well as with a long list of other plays that were enjoying success on the stages of Europe and Broadway. The plays were also...

Arab Jews in Israel: the struggle for identity and socioeconomic justice

This article is based on a study in Arabic by author that formed the final chapter of the book Yahud al-bilad al-‘arabiyyah (The Jews of the Arab Countries) by the late Palestinian historian Khairiyyah Qasimiyyah. It examines the problem of identity among Jews of Arab origin in Israel and the resurgent use of the term ‘Arab Jew’ used by Jewish academics and activists in Israel. It also considers the issues of discrimination and socioeconomic injustice against the Arab Jewish community since the early history of Israel. Finally, it discusses the potential for joint action by Arab Jews and Palestinians for the cause of social justice and pluralism in Israel.