Recent Israeli Research Articles

The experience of men with breast cancer: a metasynthesis

Abstract Aim To assess men’s experiences when diagnosed with breast cancer. Subject and Methods: The breast is a symbol of femininity. Therefore, it is no surprise that studies on women’s experiences with breast cancer predominate in the literature. Because breast cancer accounts for just 1% of all cancers among men, it is often overlooked. Nevertheless, it accounts for proportionately more deaths than penile or testicular cancer. Five major databases were queried in December 2022 to review primary studies with qualitative design. Results Of the 206 articles selected and screened, eight met the inclusion criteria. Three highlighting men’s experience with stigmatisation and their need to be taken into consideration, even through information not solely aimed at women, are from a German study conducted between 2018 and 2020. Three from the UK between 2003 and 2007, also emphasise the stigma and the need for more information directed specifically at men. The study from the United States points out that men who receive treatment in women’s care spaces experience feelings of inadequacy. Last, a recent Israeli paper (2021) describes how men conceal the disease to avoid the stigma altogether. Conclusion The paper examines the paltry, recent research on men’s emotional experience with breast cancer, which is culturally relegated to women. However, a clear need emerges for more attention to be paid to addressing communications and relations for these male patients as well.

Beyond borders: investigating the impact of the 2023 Israeli–Palestinian conflict on global equity markets

PurposeThe present research study aims to explore the impact of the most recent Israeli–Palestinian conflict, which unfolded in October 2023, on global equity markets, including a wide range of both emerging and developed markets (as per the Morgan Stanley Capital Investment country classification).Design/methodology/approachThe market model of event study methodology, with an estimation window of 200 days and 28-day event window (including event day, i.e. October 7, 2023), has been employed to investigate the event’s impact on the stock markets of different countries, with 24 emerging countries and 23 developed countries. The daily closing prices of the prominent indices of all 47 countries have been analyzed to examine the impact of the conflict on emerging markets, developed markets and overall global equity markets. Additionally, cross-sectional regression analysis has been performed to investigate the possible explanations for abnormal returns.FindingsThe findings of the study suggest the heterogeneous impact of the selected event on different markets. Notably, emerging markets and the overall global equity landscape exhibited substantial negative responses on the event day, as reflected in average abnormal returns of −0.47% and −0.397%, respectively. In contrast, developed markets displayed resilience, with no significant negative impact observed on the day of the event. A closer examination of individual countries revealed diverse reactions, with Poland, Egypt, Greece, Denmark and Portugal standing out for their positive or resilient market responses. Poland, in particular, demonstrated significantly positive cumulative abnormal returns (CARs) of 7.16% in the short-term and 8.59% in the long-term event windows (−7, +7 and −7, +20, respectively), emphasizing its robust performance amid the geopolitical turmoil. The study also found that, during various event windows, specific variables had a significant impact on the CARs.Practical implicationsThe study suggests diversification and monitoring of geopolitical risks are key strategies for investors to enhance portfolio resilience during the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. This study identifies countries such as Poland, Egypt, Greece, Denmark and Portugal with positive or resilient market reactions, providing practical insights for strategic investment decisions. Key takeaways include identifying resilient markets, leveraging opportunistic strategies and navigating market dynamics during geopolitical uncertainties.Originality/valueAs per the authors’ thorough investigation and review of the literature, the present study is the earliest attempt to explore the short-term and long-term impact of the 2023 Israeli–Palestinian conflict on equity markets worldwide using the event study approach and cross-sectional regression analysis.

On talking birds and jelly donuts: tracking new developments in Israeli comics

ABSTRACT This article examines two recent Israeli webcomics and explores how each has introduced new modes of graphic communication in Israeli comics. Both are rooted in the Israeli cultural milieu but they reject the forms and substance traditionally associated with Israeli comics and graphic novels. In particular, I analyse Barlev’s use of anthropomorphism and Nachmany’s use of superhero parody in order to offer novel critiques of Israeli society while also expanding the range and scope of the Israeli comic book and graphic narrative marketplace. I conclude the article by offering a tentative assessment of what it is about webcomics that has facilitated both of these works and how Nachmany’s and Barlev’s popularity can lead to future novel expressions in Israeli comics.

Perception and privilege

Inequality perceptions differ along racial and gendered lines. To explain these disparities, we propose an agent-based model of localised perceptions of the gender and racial wage gap in networks. We show that the combination of homophilic graph formation and estimation based on locally limited knowledge can replicate both the underestimation of the gender or racial wage gap that empirical studies find and the well-documented fact that the underprivileged perceive the wage gap to be higher on average and with less bias. Similarly, we demonstrate that the underprivileged perceive overall inequality to be higher on average. In contrast to this qualitative replication, we also show that the effect of homophilic graph formation is quantitatively too strong to account for the empirically observed effect sizes within a recent Israeli sample on perceived gender wage gaps. As a parsimonious extension, we let agents estimate using a composite signal based on local and global information. Our calibration suggests that women place much more weight on the (correct) global signal than men, in line with psychological evidence that people adversely affected by group-based inequities pay more attention to global information about the issue. Our findings suggest that (educational) interventions about the global state of gender equality are much more likely to succeed than information treatments about overall inequality and that these interventions should target the privileged.

Israeli Innovations in the Field of Plastic Surgery.

Numerous innovations within the field of plastic surgery have been developed in Israel over the last few decades. Many of these therapeutic devices and techniques have been established globally with demonstrable efficacy and respectable safety profiles. This article offers an overview of recent Israeli cutting-edge medical therapeutic solutions contributing to the global practice of plastic surgery.

‘Hebrew Tarzans’ from Arthur Koestler's Thieves in the Night to Netflix and Fauda

Core elements of Zionist propaganda justifying the colonisation of Palestine are exploited again in the four books critiqued in this article ( Thieves in the Night; Promise and Fulfilment. Palestine 1917–1949; Exodus; and The Haj). For propaganda to be viable, however, it has to be adapted to changing circumstances. Recent Israeli television dramas such as Fauda (Chaos) have realigned images without letting go of the central elements in the propaganda war. In Fauda, Israeli killings in the occupied territories are virtually advertised, as if the state wants viewers to see what it is capable of doing in the name of combatting ‘terrorism’.

Black Skin, White Cameras

The recent arrival in Israel of thousands of refugees from countries like Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Sudan has triggered a spate of hate crimes and mob violence. Asked about these asylum seekers in 2012, Likud-party member Miri Regev called them a “cancer.” For this comment, she later apologized—not to the African asylum-seekers but to Israeli cancer survivors, and she expressed regret for comparing them to Africans. Around that same time, Interior Minister Eli Yishai of the Shas Party told a reporter that “this country belongs to us, to the white man.” Continuing on, he stated that he would use “all the tools [necessary] to expel the foreigners, until not one infiltrator remains.” While the racial dynamics of Israel have been thoroughly examined with respect to both intra-Jewish tensions (Ashkenazi supremacy) and the Palestinian issue (white settler-colonialism), in this essay, I want to theorize Israeli whiteness with respect to the African refugees. Specifically, I will examine two recent Israeli documentaries dealing with African refugees—Hotline (dir. Silvina Landsmann, 2015) and Between Fences (dir. Avi Mograbi, 2016). Both openly demonstrate solidarity with the African asylum-seekers, but they do so in different ways, and if the former film leaves the racial hierarchies of Zionism intact, the latter works to shatter them.

Promoting patients\u2019 rights through hospital accreditation

Legislation and accreditation standards both address patients’ rights. The two approaches differ in important ways; they should not be seen as competing but as complementing efforts. Laws define minimum standards, whereas accreditation standards describe optimal performance; laws focus on the rights, whereas accreditation standards also point out ways in which hospitals may act to deliver these rights, which both serves to help hospitals implementing the rights and to standardize the measures taken across hospitals. A recent Israeli study underpins this view, but also highlights that international accreditation standards and national legislation may differ, when it comes to the definition of the actual rights.

‘Revenge of the jobniks’? Soldier representation and resistance in contemporary Israeli popular culture

ABSTRACT For many decades, cultural representations of the military and military service in Israel, particularly in films and television series, tended to focus on male Sabra (Israeli-born) soldiers and their combat experiences, portraying them from either a ‘heroic-nationalist’ or a ‘post-heroic’ perspective. However, several recent Israeli films and television series bring to the fore men and women from different social backgrounds who serve as non-combatant soldiers (jobniks) far behind the frontlines. Such depictions of ‘anti-heroic’ soldiers expose previously underrepresented aspects of service in the Israeli military, ranging from subtle expressions of a lack of motivation to open acts of resistance. Based on an analysis of several notable films and television series featuring jobnik protagonists, we argue that although these works give voice to previously underrepresented social groups and accord legitimacy to soldiers’ acts of resistance, they simultaneously foster a more conservative discourse regarding military service in Israel by excluding other social groups and setting limits on individuals’ conduct within and outside the military. These findings suggest that while popular culture can challenge militarist tendencies, it may ultimately reinforce the military’s position as the ‘people’s army’ and the social norm of mandatory conscription.

The Israeli Nationality Law: A Blueprint for a Twenty-first Century Settler-Colonial State

This article examines the recent Israeli Nationality Law within a historical context. It argues that the law in many ways manifests the settler-colonial identity of the State of Israel and as such the law embodies clearly both the achievements of the Zionist movement and Zionist future designs. The law is not an extreme right-wing document but rather an accurate reflection of the major characteristics of the Zionist settler-colonial movement in Palestine. Like all settler-colonial movements, the Zionist movement strove to include as few Palestinians as possible in it. The incomplete implementation of this goal during the 1948 Nakba has informed Israeli policies since 1948 and are the best explanation for the 2018 Nationality Law.

A white city turned pink: Tel Aviv as Israel's homonormative LGBTQ flagship

Abstract In recent years, the reputation of the so-called 'White City' Tel Aviv as one of the global gay capitals has been disseminated and upheld by mainstream media. This article builds upon existing analyses of Israel's supposed liberalness towards non-normative lifestyles and its strong links to the phenomenon of pinkwashing. The term has come to signify the glossing over of Israeli settler colonial occupation that specifically directs attention to Israel's progressive LGBTQ rights by juxtaposition with a narrative of queer oppression among Palestinian communities. Looking at a range of media representations, such as documentary Oriented and the mediatized phenomena of Tel Aviv Pride and LGBTQ-friendly Birthright Trips, I explore how these narratives ultimately contribute towards shaping Tel Aviv as an exclusionary urban space, inaccessible to those subjects who do not comply or fit with a securitized and corporatized new normal. By using a critical approach to the city's founding discourse, and the more recent Israeli state's ethno-nationalist investments towards branding Tel Aviv as a queer city, I argue that non-(homo)normative members of the LGBTQ community, and especially Palestinians, are silenced and pushed further away from what is constructed as the queer subject in the 'White City' space.

Gender Gaps in the Center versus the Periphery

Recent evidence from industrialized countries shows that men and women tend to exhibit different voting preferences, with greater proportions of women favoring left-wing parties. This phenomenon, known as the ‘modern gender gap’, has been observed in recent Israeli elections as well. After discussing the history of the ‘traditional gender gap’, the article examines the gender gap in the 2013 and 2015 Israeli elections from a geographical and socio-economic perspective, using Israel National Election Studies (INES) data. We focus on two main hypotheses concerning these elections: first, that the gender gap in voting varies according to the geographic location of voters; second, that the modern gender gap affects voters residing in affluent localities. Our findings indicate that both hypotheses hold for the 2013 election but not for the 2015 election.

Terror films: The socio-cultural reconstruction of trauma in contemporary Israeli cinema

Ben-Moshe Yael, Ebbrecht-Hartmann Tobias, Terror films: The socio-cultural reconstruction of trauma in contemporary Israeli cinema. “Images” vol. XXV, no. 34. Poznań 2019. Adam Mickiewicz University Press. Pp. 69–86. ISSN 1731-450X. DOI 10.14746/i.2019.34.05.
 The public discourse in Israel regarding events such as the Holocaust, war, or terror attacks mostly failed to embrace the trauma caused by such events, and to integrate their effects in the collective memory. According to trauma theoreticians, the location of trauma in the discourse is related to the character of trauma as a non-narratable memory, since personal trauma exist in the void, thus marking a missing memory. This paper explores the notion of trauma in contemporary Israeli cinema as it was reconstructed during and after the Second Intifada (2000–2008). The paper focuses on feature films reflecting on experiences of terrorist violence, among them Avanim (2004), Distortion (2004), Frozen Days (2006), The Bubble (2006), 7 Minutes in Heaven (2009). These films embrace parallel elements structuring a worldview, in the private as well as the collective sphere, thus shaping the surroundings as a mirror of the self and the subjective traumatic experience as a reflection of a complex social reality.A particular focus of our analysis will also be on aesthetic strategies that cinematically express rupture and distortion of terrorist violence and trauma, especially moments of suddenness and disruption in contrast to duration and circular repetition, elements of a specific temporality of trauma that also shaped the narration and style of recent Israeli war films, such as Waltz with Bashir (2008) or Beaufort (2007).

Failing Intersectionality: Gender, Ethnicity, and Religious Traditions in Recent Israeli Films

Failing Intersectionality: Gender, Ethnicity, and Religious Traditions in Recent Israeli Films

The hermeneutics of casting

This article offers a close reading of the casting in the Israeli drama series BeTipul (the original series for the HBO adaption In Treatment). My analysis views casting as a key mechanism of meaning-making in television series and explores its heightened cultural and social significance in recent Israeli television dramas. I explore, in particular, how through the casting of well-known actors, who have previously portrayed key mythological figures, old national myths are challenged in an almost iconoclastic manner that adds symbolic layers to the series, layers that might be overlooked by viewers who are unfamiliar with the specific cultural background.

From World to Globe: The Transformation of Israeli Cultural Production in the Time of Neoliberal Globalization

Abstract This essay examines recent developments in Israeli cultural production. To do so, it argues, we must think of new cultural forms as responses to the neoliberal privatization reforms that accompany globalization. These reforms have altered Israeli social life to the degree that the once peripheral literature and cinema that conformed to Fredric Jameson's definition of Third World national allegories can now be read as symptoms of First World cultural production. This historical and aesthetic shift has made itself felt at the heart of Israeli daily life in the rearticulation of the relation between private and public spheres. Recent Israeli literature and film consequently invite us to rethink the stylistic preoccupation of contemporary theories of world literature by asking how these media use aesthetic figures to give form to the concepts of freedom, necessity, and knowledge. To look at this aesthetic and political shift, I offer a comparative reading of Yeshayahu Koren's 1967 novella, Funeral at Noon, and Adam Sanderson's 2014 cinematic adaptation of that novella.

Between Two Hills: From <em>Hill 24</em> to <em>Beaufort</em> and the Question of the Political in Israeli Cinema

In the second half of the 1990s and the early part of the 2000s, Israeli filmmakers tended to focus on family dramas, all but eschewing the social and political themes that dominatedt Israeli cinema in the preceding two decades. Perhaps in reaction to the Rabin assassination and the terror attacks of the 1990s, which intensified during the Second Intifada, the cinematic gaze seemed to have turned from the battlefi eld to the home as the site of dramatic tension. Joseph Cedar’s Beaufort (2007), which deals with the Israeli pullout from Lebanon in 2000, followed by two other films that dealt with the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, Ari Folman’s Waltz with Bashir (2008) and Shmuel Maoz’s Lebanon (2009), may have signaled Israeli filmmakers’ renewed interest in the political realm as a sphere of change. By comparing these films to early Israeli war films, namely Hill 24 Doesn’t Answer (1955), this article seeks to assess whether the new direction heralded by Beaufort does indeed indicate a turn toward the political realm or whether these films in fact continue the apolitical trend of recent Israeli cinema.

Adherence to acute otitis media diagnosis and treatment guidelines among Israeli otolaryngologists

IntroductionThe recent Israeli acute otitis media (AOM) guidelines, drafted mainly by pediatricians and family physicians in 2013, addressed diagnostic and therapeutic issues, in order to reduce over-diagnosis and treatment. These guidelines are considered as the 'standard of care' for AOM management. While the adherence rate of pediatricians to previous Israeli AOM guidelines (2004) was reported to be high (>85%), the compliance of otolaryngologists has not been studied. MethodsAn anonymous 19-item questionnaire was circulated among practicing Israeli otolaryngologists (residents [n = 93], specialists [n = 283]). All the items were scored according to the number of correct answers in line with the guidelines, and summed on a 0–100 scale. ResultsResponse rate was 34% (n = 127). Overall, scores of correct answers of residents (n = 48, 52% of all residents) and specialists (n = 79, 28% of all specialists) were similar, and showed comparable moderate adherence to both guidelines: 55.7 vs 58.3 (p = 0.26). Residents were more likely to adhere to the U.S. guidelines, when compared to specialists (score difference 6.1 vs 2.8, p = 0.008). Responders preferred the microscope for diagnosis (48%), over the recommended (pneumatic) otoscope (62%) (p = 0.05), and were more likely to start antibiotic therapy (62%), rather than the 'watchful waiting’ (38%) (p = 0.03). Concerning antibiotic treatment, 50% of otolaryngologists prescribed amoxicillin as recommended, at 60–80 mg/kg/d. ConclusionThe moderate adherence rate suggests that the guidelines were partially adopted by otolaryngologists, who use different instrumentation than recommended, and treat more severe/complicated cases. Over-treatment with antibiotics and inaccurate dosing regimens are still common. Better implementation of the AOM guidelines among otolaryngologists should be performed in designated training platforms.

The Cost of Covering Costs: A Nationwide Model for Water Pricing

This study offers a high-resolution model of nationwide water supply. The model is sufficiently detailed to represent all main water sources in an economy, the principal segments of the conveyance system, urban, industrial and agricultural demand regions, and various water types, including fresh, saline and recycled. Calibrated for Israeli 2010 data, we find that the optimal extraction of fresh water is only 2% larger than the total observed supply from those sources. However, for some specific sources, the deviation between optimal and observed quantities is significant. Assuming average constant recharge, the optimal aggregated desalination is 57% of the 2010 desalination capacity and only 33% of the present desalination capacity. Even with an assumed 40% decline in recharge (for example, due to climate change), the model uses only 50% of the present desalination capacity. This may suggest that the construction of desalination facilities in Israel, which began in 2005, could have been delayed. The model establishes a comprehensive system of pumping levies and user fees that support the optimal allocation. However, due to considerable scale economies, the average cost is almost 50% larger than the marginal cost. The implications are that the welfare cost of the recent Israeli Balanced Budget Water Economy legislation is more than 100 million USD per year, about 10% of the water economy share of the GDP.

Reluctance Versus Urge to Disclose Child Maltreatment: The Impact of Multi-Type Maltreatment.

Child maltreatment is a major public health issue in Israel. According to a recent Israeli national epidemiological survey, approximately half of Jewish and Arab girls and boys between the ages 12 and 17 experienced at least one type of child maltreatment, at any severity level. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of multi-type maltreatment on Israeli children and youth survivors' reluctance versus urge to disclose; with the effects of gender, age, and ethnicity taken into account. The study is important since non-disclosure has deleterious effects in terms of continuation of the abuse, delays in criminal prosecution and commencement of treatment. A self-report questionnaire incorporating the following instruments was administered: the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, and the Disclosure of Trauma Questionnaire. The sample consisted of 6,253 Jewish and Arab children and youth who reported experiencing at least one lifetime child maltreatment event. Study results indicated that children and youth's reluctance to disclose is positively associated with their emotional reactions to disclosure, as well as with higher instances of child maltreatment exposure; whereas urge to talk is negatively correlated with their emotional reactions to disclosure.