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AMER. & ISRAELI CULTURES.
Term Paper ID:26437

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Comparative overview of histories, economies, immigrants, dominant groups, religion, family.... More...

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Paper Abstract:
Comparative overview of histories, economies, immigrants, dominant groups, religion, family.

Paper Introduction:
The United States and Israel have diverse cultures. Part of the difference stems from political realities in these two countries. Civic life in Israel's recent history has been strongly influenced by the threat of war while the United States has enjoyed centuries of peace within its boundaries. Although the people of Israel date from about 3,500 years ago, Israel became an independent state in 1948. Israel is a small country, roughly about the size of the state of Massachusetts. The country lies within the region of the world known as the Middle East. The Mediterranean coastline forms the entire western side of Israel. To the north and northeast are Lebanon and Syria, respectively. To the east is Jordan. To the south and southwest is the Sinai Desert of Egypt. In addition to Israel's own territory, there are the Occupied Territories,

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Washington: GPO, 199 .Azoulay, Ariella, Ophir, Adi, and Kohn, Debora. In contrast, the weekend in Israel is short, beginning onFriday afternoon and continuing only through Saturday. The United States and Israel have diverse cultures. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace, 1997.Tartter, Jean, and Mason, Robert Scott. To the south andsouthwest is the Sinai Desert of Egypt. . In addition to Israel's ownterritory, there are the Occupied Territories, including the Golan Heights,the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank. More thanthree quarters of the population is white, including those of Hispanicorigin. [12]Simon and Henderson, 46.----------------------- 9 Most white people in theUnited States consider themselves thoroughly "American" and have minimalconnection to their immigrant roots. [3]Kevin Avruch, "The Society and Its Environment," In HelenChapin Metz (Ed.) Israel: A Country Study (Washington: GPO,199 ): 89. New York: HarperCollins College Publishers, 1994.Simon, David and Henderson, Joel. Private Troubles and Public Issues: Social Problems in the Postmodern Era. Increasing immigration to Israelhas created pressure on the Israeli government to expand Israeli territory,which has intensified competition over the land between Israelis and Arabs,some of which has led to war: "Israel gained substantial territory as aresult of two of these wars, but this has exacerbated rather than improvedits security problem and increased regional hostility toward the state."[4] Immigration has played a role in the adoption of norms and thepreservation of folkways in both Israel and the United States. In Israel, both women and men are subject to thedraft, but in reality, a much smaller percentage of women are required toserve: "Only about 5 percent of the approximately 3 , females eligibleannually [are] inducted."[11] The central problem in Israel is national security, which contributesto a cultural stereotype of religious and cultural insularity. This diversity, however, creates one of themost challenging central problems in this country: "A surprisingly largenumber of Americans (about 25 percent) believe that America should bereserved for white Christians, and that all those who are different do notconstitute 'real' Americans."[2] English is the official language in theUnited States, and some jurisdictions with large immigrant populations havepassed or are contemplating the passage of "English only" laws, as abacklash against the proliferation of foreign languages. Recent immigrants, however, mostnotably those from Central and Latin America and Asia, cling to manyaspects of culture from their homelands. [11]Jean Tartter and Robert Scott Mason, "National Security,"In Helen Chapin Metz (Ed.) Israel: A Country Study (Washington:GPO, 199 ), 289. Fort Worth:Harcourt Brace, 1997. Religious courts have charge ofmarriage and divorce, for example. Americans are saidto be obsessed with sports, both professional and amateur. There has been tension between religious Orthodox Jews andnonreligious and non-Orthodox Jews in Israel. Washington: GPO, 199 .----------------------- [1]Ariella Azoulay, Adi Ophir and Debora Kohn. "National Security." In Helen Chapin Metz (Ed.) Israel: A Country Study, 249-338. The remainder is mostly African-American, followed by Asian andAmerican Indian. thereare no rules that tell us when enough is enough."[12] Consequently,Americans are known for their financial excesses. [5]Kevin Avruch, "The Society and Its Environment," In HelenChapin Metz (Ed.) Israel: A Country Study (Washington: GPO,199 ): 95. Religious conflict creates subcultures and countercultures in bothcountries. The largestreligious minority group is the Muslims, most of who are Israeli Arabs.Other religious groups include Christians, Druzes, and Baha'is. People tell folktales, dance the folk dances, sing folk songs,and on many occasions dress in native dress, particularly those in ruralcommunities during the spring planting and fall harvest periods: "ManyOriental Jews, especially in the second generation since immigration, aretraditionalists, expressing this commitment in observance of folk customssuch as ethnic festivals and pilgrimages."[5] Both the United States and Israel have dominant cultures. Equally important is thepreservation of its tradition and religion. "The Society and Its Environment." In Helen Chapin Metz (Ed.) Israel: A Country Study, 85-138. Differencesare apparent between recent immigrants and those whose descent fromimmigrants is separated by many generations. InIsrael, Jews are both the mediators and the owners of wealth, and theirpart in actual production is constantly diminishing."[7] Neither the majority of Americans nor the majority of Israelisconsider themselves very religious. In contrast, the church has no bearingon law in the United States; people in America generally practice theirreligion by attending church, tithing, and supporting missionary work inother countries. Itslong history of immigration has given the United States one of the mostdiverse populations on earth. . Jewsdirect most of the country's important cultural institutions: "Non-Jewishlabor mediates between Jewish wealth and Jewish consumer society . Israelis alsolove sports, but emphasize culture, especially classical music. Internet: http://www.jewishpost.com/jpn 41 b.htm (April 1 , 1998).Gerner, Deborah. The Mediterranean coastlineforms the entire western side of Israel. Mourning and warpreparations go hand in hand."[1] In contrast to Israel, the United States has enjoyed a relativelypeaceful existence, which has contributed to the country's robust economy.Since its founding in 1776, the United States has only had one major armedconflict within its boundaries, the Civil War in the 19th century. . In theUnited States, the dominant culture is white and Christian. Whereasgifted athlete Michael Jordan personifies the American approach toentertainment, brilliant violinist Itzhak Perlman personifies the Israeliapproach. In America,women participate in the workforce at the same rate as men but have yet toachieve pay equity. . Israel is a small country, roughlyabout the size of the state of Massachusetts. Subsequently, Israelhas absorbed millions of new immigrants into its total population, mostlyfrom Europe and the former Soviet Union. Both Israel and the United States are important cultures in the NewWorld Order. Although the people of Israel date from about 3,5 years ago, Israelbecame an independent state in 1948. "1 Years of Zionism: 5 Years of a Jewish State." Tikkun 13 (March-April 1998): 68(4).Elliman, Wendy. However, the relativelyhomogeneous nature of the population facilitates the preservation of folkcustoms. Part of thedifference stems from political realities in these two countries. Globalpeace cannot be achieved without the involvement of both these countries. Americamust find ways to celebrate its diversity if it is to benefit fully fromthe emerging global economy. Like the United States, immigration has played a dominant role inIsrael's population. The Orthodox Jews seek todisenfranchise the liberal streams of Judaism in Israel. In America, the family is in transition while in Israel, a morestable, traditional family is dominant. [7]Azoulay, Ophir, and Kohn, 7 . The main point of contrast between thetwo groups is that America emphasizes the separation of church and state,while in Israel, Judaism is a central institution: "traditional Judaismhas been playing a more dominant role since the late 196 s and affectingmore of the political and economic dimensions of everyday life."[8] Jewsbelieve that they have a special religious tie to the land of Israel, andthis belief inspired them to create the modern State of Israel. [8]Avruch, 98. The United States is the leading superpower and its cultureis imitated throughout the world. Immigrants andother racial minorities continue to be victimized by hate crimes. [2]David Simon and Joel Henderson, Private Troubles and PublicIssues: Social Problems in the Postmodern Era. [4]Deborah Gerner, One Land, Two Peoples (Boulder: Westview,1991): 63. Civil andreligious courts serve the three communities: Jewish, Christian, andMuslim. Boulder: Westview, 1991.Mednick, Martha. Peacehas allowed the United States to expand from the original thirteen coloniesby annexing both contiguous and non-contiguous lands. The white race directs most of the important culturalinstitutions in America because it constitutes a large part of what isknown as the power elite: "the two hundred or so largest corporations andsome fifty financial institutions control about two-thirds of all businessincome and half of all bank deposits."[6] In Israel, the dominant cultureis Jewish. [1 ]Martha Mednick, "Single Mothers: A Review and Critique of CurrentResearch," In Arlene Skolnick and Jerome Skolnick (Eds).Family in Transition, 8th edition (New York: HarperCollinsCollege Publishers, 1994): 369. In real terms, this law has given the new immigrantfinancial help in housing and medical services, in setting up a household,and in studying Hebrew, Israel's official language. However,Israel's defense is important to its survival. Civil courts handle crime. The United States has a well-deserved cultural stereotype ofmaterialism. Under Israeli law, any Jewish person is given theautomatic right to settle in Israel: "Understanding the importance ofaliyah, as immigration to Israel is called in Hebrew, is crucial tounderstanding much about Israeli society, from its demography to its ethniccomposition."[3] Aliyah law also clears the way for the immigrant tobecome a citizen. The average American works a forty hour week, Mondaythrough Friday. In Israel, the culturaltraditions of the newer Israelis are often very different from those ofIsrael's founders, producing more change. One Land, Two Peoples. Jews make up about 9 percent of the population. Israel is a much smaller, less powerfulcountry yet has a global impact far beyond the Middle East region. [9]Wendy Elliman, "Reform Judaism Creates Its Own Israeli Identity,"Jewish Post of New York Online Internet: http://www.jewishpost.com/jpn 41 b.htm (April 1 , 1998): 1. In fact, the United States is referred to as a nation of immigrants. America's powerful economy attracts immigrants from around the world. The ReformJudaism Movement is at the forefront of the struggle with Orthodoxy: "TheIsraeli [Reform] movement is unique in that it has developed within thedual reality of a hostile Orthodox monopoly and a multicultural Jewishsovereignty, where Israeliness has sometimes replaced Jewishness."[9] Entertainment is important in both countries, although Americans havemore leisure time. "Reform Judaism Creates Its Own Israeli Identity." Jewish Post of New York Online. [6]Simon and Henderson, 5 . To the east is Jordan. The United States is bordered by Mexico to the south and Canada tothe north. To the north and northeast areLebanon and Syria, respectively. Neighboring Arab states have often beenat war with Israel: "Israelis live between wars, the last always too closeto forget, the next always too close to escape. There is no official religion in the United States butthe vast majority of the population is Christian, either Protestant orRoman Catholic. The country lies within theregion of the world known as the Middle East. BibliographyAvruch, Kevin. True gender equality remains elusive in both countries. "1 Years ofZionism: 5 Years of a Jewish State." Tikkun 13 (March-April1998): 69. Withthe exception of American Indians and Eskimos, all other citizens aredescendants of immigrants who came within the last four centuries. The American nationis now composed of fifty states, ranging in size from Alaska to RhodeIsland. Civiclife in Israel's recent history has been strongly influenced by the threatof war while the United States has enjoyed centuries of peace within itsboundaries. "Single Mothers: A Review and Critique of Current Research." In Arlene Skolnick and Jerome Skolnick (Eds.) Family in Transition, 8th edition, 368-384. No holds are barred in the pursuit of the American Dream:"Money has attained an almost sacred quality in American life . A pressing problem in the UnitedStates is premarital sex and single motherhood, which has led to afeminization of poverty: "Single mothers tend to be in and out of thelabor force and are more subject to unemployment and underemployment."[1 ]Israel has experimented with alternative family patterns, such as thekibbutz.

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