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Examines the discourses and experiences associated with space and place in contemporary Israel.
This volume explores various processes associated with constructing what has variously been called "The Holy Land," "Eretz Israel," "Zion," Palestine," or "Israel." The contributors focus on ways the landscapes of Israel figure in creating and recreating the identity, presence, and history of groups living there. The book critiques the assumptions lying at the base of various spatial practices related to Zionism. It does this through both a theoretical examination and a focus on hitherto little explored phenomena such as pilgrimages of Israelis to their (or their relatives') native lands abroad, the establishment of Jewish saints' tombs in Israel, the design of Kibbutz museums, country hikes, and conceptions of territory in mixed (Jewish-Arab) communities.
"Grasping Land is an outstanding effort for which the editors are to be commended. Not only are the articles clearly written, absorbing, original and unusual with respect to the anthropological literature of the Middle East generally and Israel in particular, but they open up new vistas in thinking about nationalism, political systems and the ethnography of complex society. What truly sets this volume apart from many other collections, is the brilliant explanatory essay by the editors." — Laurence D. Loeb, University of Utah
"I am particularly impressed with the richness of the case material and the sophisticated manner in which it is utilized to explicate the common themes. The topic is of great intrinsic significance for anyone interested in contemporary Israel. The book is highly original and important." — Leonard Kasdan, Dalhousie University
Introduction
Eyal Ben-Ari and Yoram Bilu
1 To Morocco and Back: Tourism and Pilgrimage among Moroccan-Born Israelis
André Levy
2 Gravesites and Memorials of Libyan Jews: Alternative Versions of the Sacralization of Space in Judaism
Harvey E. Goldberg
3 Saints' Sanctuaries in Israeli Development Towns: On a Mechanism of Urban Transformation
Eyal Ben-Ari and Yoram Bilu
4 The Presence of Absence: The Memorialism of National Death in Israel
Don Handelman and Lea Shamgar-Handelman
5 Tiyul (Hike) as an Act of Consecration of Space
Orit Ben-David
6 Remaking Place: Cultural Production in Israeli Pioneer Settlement Museums
Tamar Katriel
7 In and Out of Territory
Dan Rabinowitz
8 The Double Site of Israel
Zali Gurevitch
9 A Response from New York: Return of the Repressed?
Jonathan Boyarin
Epilogue (Three Years Later)
Yoram Bilu and Eyal Ben-Ari
Contributors
Index