November 2 Response

Fred Camper, “In Chaos, Truth: Kippur”

3. Why has the opening scene (and matching closing scene) divided critics in their response to it?
The scenes, which depicts the main character Weinraub making love to his girlfriend has been said to be nothing but then a way of showing the carefree wild life he lived before the rest of the narrative (war) took place. However, Camper argues that the blending of colors within the sex scene makes an "implied argument for peace," because it blends together the Israeli colors and the Arab national colors.

Nitzan Ben-Shaul, “Israeli Persecution Films”

4. What significant socio-economic changes took place in Israel immediately after the War of Independence, and what were the consequences of the “statist policy” adopted by the Mapai party (in terms of national politics and foreign relations)? Since the word “hegemony” is used a few times in the article, briefly define it in this answer as well.

After the war, Israel's population increased tremendously and once the war was won, the previously hegemonic (dominating, leading) party, the Mapai party, created the statist policy, where the country has central control over socio-economic affairs. Politically, the policy resulted in Israel aligning with the "western bloc"of states" and gave the Mapai party dominance over a unified statist educational system and unified statist army.

5. Define the terms “Zionism” and “Sabra.” In what ways does the Sabra woman in Hill 24 Doesn’t Answer “metonymically represent the future of the state”?

Zionism is a movement for the protection and development of a Jewish nation in Israel, and a Sabra is a native-born Israeli. The woman represents the future of the state because of her neutrality, she falls in love with a foreigner while still protecting and being proud of her people and homeland, showing that Israel can be at peace with people from anywhere.

6. What is the significance of having both nativist (Sabra) and diasporic (non-native born) characters in the group defending Hill 24?

Because at said above, it displays a sense of neutrality among everyone, how they are not aligning because of their hatred for others or religious beliefs, but because they feel that it is morally right to defend this hill.

7. Why was the period following the Six-Day War (1967) significantly different than the period following the War of Independence?
After the Six-Day War, there was no real sense of stability like there was after the War of Independence, because it led to an immediate war with Egypt. This lead to continued fighting and no real peace for Israel or its neighbors until the next war in 1973.

8. Ben-Shaul suggests that Israeli ideology shifted “to an individualistic social paradigm as a better social coping mechanism than the collectivist one.” How did this shift manifest itself in films of the period (1967-1977) and particularly in the film Siege?
The shift is manifested in the narrative structure of the films in this time period, this structure contains two circles, an outer one that is essentially Israel at war, and an inner circle which shows the individual against society.