 | Culture of Israel: Encyclopedia - Culture of Israel
Culture of Israel
Land of Israel
Districts · Cities · Transportation
Dead Sea · Red Sea · Sea of Galilee
Mediterranean · Negev · Judea · Samaria
Jerusalem · Tel Aviv · Haifa
Zionism · Timeline ·Aliyah · Herzl
Balfour · Mandate · 1947 UN Plan
Independence · Austerity · Ma'abarot
Lavon Affair · Eichmann Trial
1948 War · 1949 Armistice · Suez War
Six-Day War · Attrition War
Yom Kippur War · Lebanon War
Peace treaties with:
Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan
Timeline · Peace process · Peace camp
1st Intifada · Oslo · 2nd Intifada
Barrier · Disengagement
Science & Tech. · Companies · Tourism
Judaism · Israeli Arabs · Kibbutz
Music · Archaeology · Universities
Hebrew · Literature · Israelis
Law of Return · Jerusalem Law
Parties · Elections · PM · President
Knesset · Supreme Court · Courts
UN · Intl. Law · Arab League
Israel Defense Forces
Mossad · Shabak · Aman
Sayeret · YAMAM · Magav · Police
Portal:Israel
The culture of Israel, also called "Israeli culture", is inseparable from long history of Judaism and Jewish history which preceded it (i.e. dated earlier than the Israeli Declaration of Independence, on May 14, 1948). However, this article concerns only the cultural aspects of the modern Israeli state.
Culture of Israel - Background
With a population drawn from more than one hundred countries on six continents, Israeli society is rich in cultural diversity and artistic creativity. The arts are actively encouraged and supported by the government. The Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra performs throughout the country and frequently tours abroad. The Jerusalem Symphony, the orchestra of the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, also tours frequently as do other musical ensembles. Almost every municipality has a chamber orchestra or ensemble, many boasting the talents of gifted performers recently arrived from the countries of the former Soviet Union.
Folk dancing, which draws upon the cultural heritage of many immigrant groups, is very popular. Israel also has several professional ballet and modern dance companies. There is great public interest in the theater; the repertoire covers the entire range of classical and contemporary drama in translation, as well as plays by Israeli authors.
Of the three major repertory companies, the most famous, Habimah, was founded in 1917.
List of Israelis, List of Israeli musical artists, List of Hebrew language poets, List of Hebrew language authors, List of Israeli actors, List of Hebrew language playwrights, Music of Israel, Science and technology in Israel, Israeli art students, Religion in Israel, Jewish ethnic divisions, Secular Jewish culture
Culture of Israel - Artist colonies
Active artist colonies thrive in Safed, Jaffa, and Ein Hod, and Israeli painters and sculptors exhibit and sell their works worldwide. Haifa, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem have excellent art museums, and many towns and kibbutzim have smaller high-quality museums. The Israel Museum in Jerusalem houses the Dead Sea Scrolls along with an extensive collection of Jewish religious and folk art. The Museum of the Diaspora is located on the campus of Tel Aviv University. Israelis are avid newspaper readers. Israeli papers have an average daily circulation of 600,000 copies. Major daily papers are in Hebrew; others are in Arabic, English, French, Polish, Yiddish, Russian, Hungarian, and German.
Culture of Israel - Poetry and literature
Culture of Israel - Noted poets
- Hayyim Nahman Bialik
- Natan Alterman
- Abraham Shlonsky
- Leah Goldberg
- Yehudah Amichai
- Nathan Zach
- David Avidan
- Rachel (poet)
- Dalia Rabikovich(died in 2005)
- Neomi Shemer (1930-2004)
- Rami Saari
Culture of Israel - Prose authors
- Shmuel Yosef Agnon (winner of the Nobel prize for literature in 1966)
- Aharon Appelfeld
- David Grossman
- Ram Oren
- Amos Oz
- Meir Shalev
- A.B. Yehoshua
- Dan Zalka
Culture of Israel - Fine Arts
- Nahum Gutman
- Yigal Tomarkin
- Danny Karavan
- Yaakov Agam
- Reuven (painter)
- Menashe Kadishman
- Mordecai Ardon
- Abraham Yakin
- Hannah Yakin
- Meir Pichhadze
Culture of Israel - Museums
More than 200 museums are operating in Israel with millions of visitors annually.
Culture of Israel - Jerusalem
Major museums in Jerusalem are:
- The Israel Museum
- The Rockefeller Museum in East Jerusalem,
- The Ticho House.
- The L.A. Mayer Institute for Islamic Art.
- The Tower of David Museum of the History of Jerusalem.
- The Yad Vashem Museum in Jerusalem.
Culture of Israel - Tel Aviv
Major museums in Tel Aviv are:
- The Tel Aviv Museum of Art
- The Eretz Israel Museum in Ramat Aviv.
- Beit Hatefutsot (The Diaspora Museum), located on the Tel Aviv University campus.
- Beit Hapalmach in Ramat Aviv.
- Museum of the History of Tel Aviv-Jaffa and Independence Hall.
Culture of Israel - Haifa
Major museums in Haifa are:
- The Haifa Museum
- The Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art.
- The National Maritime Museum.
- The Hecht museum
Culture of Israel - Music
See main article: Music of Israel.
Israeli music is very versatile and combines elements of both western and eastern music. It tends to be very eclectic and contains a wide variety of influences from the Diaspora and more modern cultural importation: Hassidic songs, Asian and Arab pop, especially Yemenite singers, and hip hop or heavy metal.
The transsexual singer Dana International won the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest.
Culture of Israel - Film and theatre
Culture of Israel - Repertory theater companies
- Habima
- HaKameri
- Beit Lessin
- Gesher
- HaKhan
- Haifa Theater
- Beer-Sheba Theater
Culture of Israel - Filmmakers
- Boaz Davidson
- Assi Dayan - Givat Halfon Eina Ona (Halfon Hill does not respond), The life according to Agfa, A Whale in Sharton beach
- Eytan Fox - Yossi & Jagger
- Amos Gitay - Kadosh, Kedma, Alila
- Dover Kosashvili - Late Marriage
- Elia Suleiman - Divine Intervention, Chronicle of a Disappearance and Cyber Palestine
- Uri Zohar - Lul, Metzitzim (Peeping Toms), Hor Ba-Levana (A hole in the moon)
Culture of Israel - Playwrights
- Hanoch Levin - חנוך לוין -Bathtub Queen, Hefetz.
- Nissim Aloni - ניסים אלוני
- Yehoshua Sobol - יהושוע סובול
- Hillel Mittelpunkt
- Edna Mazia - Herodes
- Avraham Shlonsky - אברהם שלונסקי - Utz Li Gutz Li.
- Anat Gov - ענת גוב
Culture of Israel - Actors
See List of Israeli actors
- Chaim Topol - חיים טופול -Salah Shabati, James Bond.
- Yael Abecassis - יעל אבוקסיס - Kadosh, Alila.
- Gila Almagor - גילה אלמגור
- Mili Avital - מילי אביטל
- Arik Einstein - אריק איינשטיין - Lul, Metzitzim.
- Ze'ev Revach - זאב רווח - Charlie Ve'hetzi, Hagiga B'Snuker
- Yehuda Barkan - יהודה ברקן
Culture of Israel - Comedy and satire
- Hagashash Hachiver - הגשש החיוור
- Ephraim Kishon - אפריים קישון
- Ephraim Sidon - אפריים סידון
- Orna Banay - אורנה בנאי
- Eli Yatzpan - אלי יצפאן
- Tuvya Tzafir - טוביה צפיר
- Tal Friedman - טל פרידמן
- Shaike Ofir - שייקה אופיר
- Zeu Ze band - זהו זה
- Shlomo Barabba - שלמה בראבא
- Eli & Mariano - אלי ומריאנו
Culture of Israel - Animal rights in Israel
Israel is committed to animal rights. Israel has banned:
- Dissection of animals in elementary and secondary schools.
- Performances by trained animals in circuses.
- Foie gras.
See also
- List of Israelis
- List of Israeli musical artists
- List of Hebrew language poets
- List of Hebrew language authors
- List of Israeli actors
- List of Hebrew language playwrights
- Music of Israel
- Science and technology in Israel
- Israeli art students
- Religion in Israel
- Jewish ethnic divisions
- Secular Jewish culture
Other related archives1947 UN Plan, 1948, 1948 War, 1949 Armistice, 1st Intifada, 2nd Intifada, A.B. Yehoshua, Abraham Shlonsky, Abraham Yakin, Aharon Appelfeld, Alila, Aliyah, Aman, Amos Oz, Arab League, Archaeology, Arik Einstein, Attrition War, Austerity, Avraham Shlonsky, Balfour, Barrier, Beer-Sheba, Beit Hapalmach, Beit Hatefutsot, Chaim Topol, Chronicle of a Disappearance, Cities, Companies, Courts, Dalia Rabikovich, Dan Zalka, Dana International, David Avidan, David Grossman, Dead Sea, Diaspora, Disengagement, Districts, Divine Intervention, East Jerusalem, Egypt, Eichmann Trial, Elections, Elia Suleiman, Ephraim Kishon, Eretz Israel Museum, Eurovision Song Contest, Eytan Fox, Foie gras, Folk dancing, Gesher, Gila Almagor, Givat Halfon Eina Ona, Habima, Habimah, Hagashash Hachiver, Haifa, Haifa Museum, Hannah Yakin, Hanoch Levin, Hassidic, Hayyim Nahman Bialik, Hebrew, Hecht museum, Herzl, Independence, Intl. Law, Israel Defense Forces, Israel Museum, Israeli, Israeli Arabs, Israeli Declaration of Independence, Israeli art students, Israelis, Jaffa, Jerusalem, Jerusalem Law, Jewish ethnic divisions, Jewish history, Jordan, Judaism, Judea, Kadosh, Kedma, Kibbutz, Knesset, L.A. Mayer Institute for Islamic Art, Land of Israel, Late Marriage, Lavon Affair, Law of Return, Leah Goldberg, Lebanon, Lebanon War, List of Hebrew language authors, List of Hebrew language playwrights, List of Hebrew language poets, List of Israeli actors, List of Israeli musical artists, List of Israelis, Literature, Ma'abarot, Magav, Mandate, May 14, Mediterranean, Meir Shalev, Menashe Kadishman, Mili Avital, Mordecai Ardon, Mossad, Museum of the History of Tel Aviv-Jaffa and Independence Hall, Music, Music of Israel, Nahum Gutman, Natan Alterman, Nathan Zach, National Maritime Museum, Negev, Neomi Shemer, Nobel prize, Oslo, PM, Parties, Peace camp, Peace process, Police, Portal:Israel, President, Rachel (poet), Ram Oren, Ramat Aviv, Rami Saari, Red Sea, Religion in Israel, Rockefeller Museum, Safed, Samaria, Sayeret, Science & Tech., Science and technology in Israel, Sea of Galilee, Secular Jewish culture, Shabak, Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Six-Day War, Soviet Union, Suez War, Supreme Court, Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Tel Aviv University, Ticho House, Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art, Timeline, Tourism, Tower of David, Transportation, UN, Universities, YAMAM, Yaakov Agam, Yad Vashem, Yael Abecassis, Yehoshua Sobol, Yehudah Amichai, Yom Kippur War, Yossi & Jagger, Zionism, artist colonies, ballet, cultural, culture, heavy metal, hip hop, modern dance, society, transsexual
 Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Culture of Israel", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki |
