Culture of Israel - Cultural Influences

Cultural Influences

The development of Israeli culture was very much influenced by aliyah or immigration waves, and by Jews in the Holy Land, making modern day Israel a rich mixture of vibrant diversity. The Jewish pioneers who came to the Holy Land hailed from many countries, and brought with them the cultures of their former lands. Russian culture had an undeniable impact on the arts in Israel. The Habima Theatre brought its Russian and Yiddish roots to the country. Local Arab culture had an influence on dance, language and mannerisms. British culture was introduced during the period of the British Mandate of Palestine. German culture left its mark on the architecture of Israel, with many buildings in Tel Aviv and other cities inspired by the Bauhaus movement.

Especially celebrated are works from the 1950s and the 1960s, when art in modern Hebrew was created, in contrast to the poetry written previously, like that of Nathan Alterman, Avraham Shlonsky, and Leah Goldberg, or the literary style of one of the greatest Hebrew authors, S. Y. Agnon. The central figures of modern poetry in the first decades were Yehuda Amichai, Nathan Zach and David Avidan. In the field of literature, most notable were Moshe Shamir and Aharon Megged, along with Amos Oz, A. B. Yehoshua, Meir Shalev, and many more.

After the founding of the state in 1948, immigrants rushed to Israel from many different countries, but their influence on Israeli culture was relatively gradual. In the 1950s, prominent influences on Israel were the cultures of England, France, and the United States. Since the early 1960s, and more prominently in the 1970s, additional effects began to appear. In theater, Russian dominance began to gradually weaken, and other influences began to permeate, such as the European theater of Bertolt Brecht. In music, French influence began to weaken, and instead, a wide variety of influences, such as British popular music (in particular The Beatles), Greek music, and modern Russian culture, have affected Israeli culture.

The culture of the Jewish refugees from the Arab states has had a considerable impact on music and film. The comedy troupe HaGashash HaHiver and bourekas films offered a satiric look at Mizrahi mannerisms and the perceived predominance of Ashkenazi culture. In popular music, the main influences were from Britain, Europe, and South America; in addition, Turkish, Greek, and Arab music gradually became more important. Since the inauguration of Israeli commercial television, a high-quality local drama developed — adding another dimension to Israel Television, which had previously relied on imported series from England and the United States.