About the book
Bringing Zion Home examines the role of culture in the establishment of the \"special relationship\" between the United States and Israel in the immediate postwar decades. Many American Jews first encountered Israel through their roles as tastemakers, consumers, and cultural impresarios—that is, by writing and reading about Israel; dancing Israeli folk dances; promoting and purchasing Israeli goods; and presenting Israeli art and music. It was precisely by means of these cultural practices, argues Emily Alice Katz, that American Jews insisted on Israel's \"natural\" place in American culture, a phenomenon that continues to shape America's relationship with Israel today.
Katz shows that American Jews' promotion and consumption of Israel in the cultural realm was bound up with multiple agendas, including the quest for Jewish authenticity in a postimmigrant milieu and the desire of upwardly mobile Jews to polish their status in American society. And, crucially, as influential cultural and political elites positioned \"culture\" as both an engine of American dominance and as a purveyor of peace in the Cold War, many of Israel's American Jewish impresarios proclaimed publicly that cultural patronage of and exchange with Israel advanced America's interests in the Middle East and helped spread the \"American way\" in the postwar world. Bringing Zion Home is the first book to shine a light squarely upon the role and importance of Israel in the arts, popular culture, and material culture of postwar America.
Editions of Bringing Zion Home
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9781438454658
- Paperback
- ISBN 9781438454641
- PDF
- ISBN 9781438454665
Read an Excerpt
Bringing Zion Home examines the role of culture in the establishment of the \"special relationship\" between the United States and Israel in the immediate postwar decades. Many American Jews first encountered Israel through their roles as tastemakers, consumers, and cultural impresarios—that is, by writing and reading about Israel; dancing Israeli folk dances; promoting and purchasing Israeli goods; and presenting Israeli art and music. It was precisely by means of these cultural practices, argues Emily Alice Katz, that American Jews insisted on Israel's \"natural\" place in American culture, a phenomenon that continues to shape America's relationship with Israel today.
Katz shows that American Jews' promotion and consumption of Israel in the cultural realm was bound up with multiple agendas, including the quest for Jewish authenticity in a postimmigrant milieu and the desire of upwardly mobile Jews to polish their status in American society. And, crucially, as influential cultural and political elites positioned \"culture\" as both an engine of American dominance and as a purveyor of peace in the Cold War, many of Israel's American Jewish impresarios proclaimed publicly that cultural patronage of and exchange with Israel advanced America's interests in the Middle East and helped spread the \"American way\" in the postwar world. Bringing Zion Home is the first book to shine a light squarely upon the role and importance of Israel in the arts, popular culture, and material culture of postwar America.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Bringing Zion Home about?
Bringing Zion Home examines the role of culture in the establishment of the \"special relationship\" between the United States and Israel in the immediate postwar decades. Many American Jews first encountered Israel through their roles as tastemakers, consumers, and cultural impresarios—that is, by writing and reading about Israel; dancing Israeli folk dances; promoting and purchasing Israeli goods; and presenting Israeli art and music. It was precisely by means of these cultural practices, argues Emily Alice Katz, that American Jews insisted on Israel's \"natural\" place in American culture, a phenomenon that continues to shape America's relationship with Israel today.
Katz shows that American Jews' promotion and consumption of Israel in the cultural realm was bound up with multiple agendas, including the quest for Jewish authenticity in a postimmigrant milieu and the desire of upwardly mobile Jews to polish their status in American society. And, crucially, as influential cultural and political elites positioned \"culture\" as both an engine of American dominance and as a purveyor of peace in the Cold War, many of Israel's American Jewish impresarios proclaimed publicly that cultural patronage of and exchange with Israel advanced America's interests in the Middle East and helped spread the \"American way\" in the postwar world. Bringing Zion Home is the first book to shine a light squarely upon the role and importance of Israel in the arts, popular culture, and material culture of postwar America.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Bringing Zion Home?
Society and Social Sciences > Society and culture: general > Social groups, communities and identities > Social groups: religious groups and communities
Where can I read a sample of Bringing Zion Home?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781438454658
How long is Bringing Zion Home and how many pages does it have?
Bringing Zion Home has 230 page(s)
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Bringing Zion Home?
Emily Alice Katz
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Bringing Zion Home is available as hardcover(ISBN 9781438454658) and paperback(ISBN 9781438454641) and pdf(ISBN 9781438454665)
Where can I buy Bringing Zion Home online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy Bringing Zion Home from below
Where can I buy Bringing Zion Home?