North American Jews in Israel: The cultural distinction and identity of American-Anglo Olim.

摘要

This dissertation is an evaluation of a group of American Olim (immigrants) to Israel who are representative of American Judaism diversity, ranging from the ultra-Orthodox to the secular. Unlike the vast majority of Jews who have no intention of leaving home, these Olim went to Israel because of their desire to fulfill the Zionist dream---to live in a Jewish nation-state with Jews wielding state power.; The research clearly indicates that this hope and vision have been largely unrealized. Instead of one people embracing a similar vision, they find a mosaic of Jewish groups, all vying to promote their own voices. Furthermore, they learn that the Jewish state itself does not reflect their values and beliefs. As a result this study found that although the greater vision of an Israeli family reunion has been unrealized, American Olim have formed their own tightly knit ethnic group (one of Israel's many) that acts as a substitute for the idealized Jewish ingathering.; Previous studies about the competition between rival groups in Israel have focused on Jews of Middle Eastern extraction, since this group posed the greatest challenge to the Israeli elite. Western Jewish groups sharing similar Westernized values have been largely ignored. The few ethnographic studies on American Olim were completed over twenty years ago. Thus, this dissertation is a substantive addition to the literature on American Olim.