CULTURE
Until
recently, Israel's culture has been predominantly religious, be
it Jewish, Christian or Muslim. Although the hoe-that-field, pick-that-fruit,
scoutlike kibbutz feeling is still in evidence, and although Judaism
is the state religion, Israel is rapidly turning into a cosmopolitan
consumerist society. Most Jewish Israelis play it both ways, leading
a largely secular life but still taking part in the occasional
religious ceremony. This is not to say that orthodoxy has died
out: on the contrary, orthodox factions are becoming stronger
and stronger, and their calls for a return to religiosity are
louder and louder. Many Orthodox - and particularly Hasidic -
Jews are recognisable by their dark clothes, beards and curly
sideburns (although women tend to forego the beards and sideburns).
In
Palestinian parts of the country, Muslim culture is more evident:
you'll generally see fewer women, and those that you do see will
be dressed more modestly. Sunni is the predominant Muslim sect.
Family and hospitality are very important in Palestinian life,
and most Palestinians are extremely friendly and helpful to strangers,
going so far as to welcome them into their homes.
Israel
is renowned for its classical music, with artists such as violinist
Yitzhak Perlman strutting the world stage. Klezmer, the knees-up
violin-based Yiddish folk music, is hugely popular in Israel and
has spread its tentacles to Jewish communities around the world.
The founders of the Zionist movement were writers, and literature
is still strongly supported in Israel - successful exports have
included Amos Oz and David Grossman. The Palestinian community
also has a strong literary tradition, born out of adversity and
struggle - poetry is particularly popular. In their passion to
impose a Jewish identity on their new homeland, the new Israelis
took to architecture with a passion, resulting in the form-over-function
Internationalist style as well as the spread of Bauhaus buildings.
Few Islamic buildings have survived into the 20th century, but
there is some beautiful Mamluk architecture in Old Jerusalem.
