Westernization in Jerusalem
Westernization is
defined as the integration and assimilation of Western culture; in other words,
it’s the social process of becoming familiar with or converting to the customs
and practices of Western civilization and Jerusalem is no exception to that
influence. My main question is in what ways has this holy city adjusted to the
assimilation of different cultures over time and whether these changes were
overall preferred by the locals and/or tourists.
Changing certain aspects
of a culture means changing one’s own identity. For many, a large part of one’s
identity is strongly based on the beliefs and customs that are practiced in a
community, however many don’t realize how or when these customs were originally
established. Take Jerusalem which has been conquered by the Jebusites, Babylonians,
Crusaders, the British, Persians, and many more since the first settlement in
4500 BCE. Temples were built and destroyed, prophets were discovered, and
religions established with the crucification of Christ and Muhammad’s ascent to
heaven from the dome of the rock until finally in 1948 the state of Israel was
established and there was the reunification of Jerusalem’s old city and eastern
half in 1967. Having been conquered numerous times and having to separate from
their homeland on multiple occasions, each time they returned to Jerusalem,
they inevitably brought foreign cultural influences along with them, and with
time, these changes became the norm for the state as a sense of identity. One
example of this assimilation was when Hebrew, the modern language of the Jewish
quarter of Jerusalem, originated from the Canaanites. Each conqueror also left
an impression on Jerusalem as seen with the holidays being celebrated as a
reminder of the past; Purim, Passover, and Hanukkah are some examples of that.
One of the ways Jerusalem
was transformed by the incoming of European immigrants and by being inhabited
by westernized power was the introduction of democracy. It is still practiced
to this day to elect a prime minister in the same manner that Great Britain
runs its political affairs. Being a truly democratic state is somewhat unique
in the middle east. There are others that are considered democratic, but
elections mostly use intimidation to win. Similar political practices may be
one of the reasons why America is one of the nations that financially supports Israel,
and this is seen when the U.S.-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act of
2018 was approved, giving $38 billion that was negotiated in 2016 to Israel.
And as the American Israel public Affairs committee would put it, the act seeks
to ensure that Israel has the means to defend itself, by itself, against
growing and emerging threats. This is a start to fully globalize Jerusalem and Israel
as it becomes better equipped to deal with attackers and defend itself while
allowing resources to be spent making modern advancements in society. It also
allows for it to be recognized as a developed country that is capable of
accepting alliances and political acknowledgement from other powerfully
developed nations.
Religion is also
affected by westernization as New traditions are constantly being added to the
way a religion is being practiced. Even a small change that only one family
partakes in, can eventually spread influencing the rest of society, making it
the new norm. And with people always visiting or moving to Jerusalem to better
appreciate its religious significance, and by just coming into the state of Israel,
influence is being spread throughout the workplace, schools, shops, and so many
other social environments. This is similar to the multiple forms of Christianity
being practiced around the world as there is Catholics, Protestants, Eastern Orthodox,
etc. This usually occurs when there’s common disagreement over how a religion
is supposed to be properly practiced which ultimately leads to a division of
traditions. Even though each religion has different traditions and beliefs, the
different sectors celebrate their faith while being isolated from the rest of Jerusalem,
so much so that someone from the Jewish neighborhood would hardly ever witness
a Christian or Muslim holiday being observed in public unless they specifically
looked for it which hinders westernization to a point. Highly Orthodox Jews are
an example of the lacking spread of religious influence since they’re secluded
off from the rest of society because they usually don't own a tv to keep up
with global changes, and they don’t associate with others that don’t follow
their beliefs. This also means that they have separate schools, work
environment, etc. and follow their traditions in a strict and steady manner.
Another way Jerusalem
has changed due to westernization is its financial income, mainly from
tourists. Any strong nation knows that money is needed to expand and be
recognized as a powerful influence capable of making globalized decisions.
Because of tourism, Jerusalem is also known for its high job income. As a holy
site for three main religions, it is a highly visited place to pray while also
appreciating the culture within each sector. Jerusalem also contributes in
keeping historical accuracy as museums such as Yad Va Shem, the holocaust
museum, attract foreigners and locals who wish to learn more about the past and
how it made Jerusalem the place of safety for many refugees as it is still
being used for to this day. Another example of how western countries want to
stay connected with Jerusalem and be involved spiritually even when living
oceans apart are these online “send a note” to the western wall.
Westernization has made
tourism a priority in Jerusalem as modifications are constantly being made to accommodate
all travelers. Some of these modifications include opening fast food chains
that are easily recognizable such as McDonalds, Burger King, Dominos, Pizza Hut
to name a few to make visitors more comfortable. By introducing familiarity to
a foreign place, it makes adjusting to a new culture easier while also raising
the economy of Jerusalem simultaneously. Jerusalem has also allowed for
non-kosher food to be served in certain areas away from those that strictly
kept kosher in order to maintain a pleasant stay for visitors. This may still
have an impact on strict followers who may find more reasons to dislike
westernization. English is also being taught in primary school to engage
students with global affairs and to better prepare them for life outside of Jerusalem
since the majority of the world speaks English.
With cultural
integration, entertainment is heavily influenced by western countries. When it
comes to movies and tv shows, almost all popular shows are re-recorded from English
to Hebrew, all English-speaking movies have translated subtitles, and many
renditions of popular shows have been introduced to Israel such as the
X-Factor, The Voice, Ninja Warrior, and many more. With music, Israel is a
participant in the Eurovision, an international song competition amongst European
nations, able to spread their music style to the public as well as become
influenced by the other competitors. Sports have also expanded in Israel with
westernization as baseball for example was introduced to Jerusalem in an
orphanage in 1927. With all these changes in sports, the Eurovision, and other
hosted events throughout Israel, the venue, however, is almost never Jerusalem.
This is primarily for political reasons and the conflict of interest over the
capital’s true ownership, which is why after winning the Eurovision in 2018, Israel
has to host it in Tel-Aviv this May to avoid retaliation and getting America
and other nations involved. The foregoing political conflict with Jerusalem is
one of the reasons why moving the embassy to the holy city was met with so much
disbelief and violence.
Attachment to the city
for tourists, East and West Jerusalem differ in that tourists have to adjust to
a new environment but while visiting the holy city, they have convenient access
to familiar sites. East Jerusalem have to compete with more cultures
integrating into Jerusalem as they risk being overshadowed, however inequality
between the different communities is more likely to be observed with more
people of different backgrounds to witness it. West Jerusalem is economically
and politically supported as it becomes globalized after westernization.
However many may still resist changes, especially in orthodox regions where
they are unaccepting of foreign concepts, since they appreciate Jerusalem only
as a holy city not as a tourist attraction. A representation of the lack of
appreciation for Jerusalem as a holy city comes from the poem “Tourists” from
the beginning of the semester where it says “They put on grave faces at the
wailing wall and they laugh behind heavy curtains” (Yehudah Amichai, 3). To me,
this means that some may never truly understand what Jerusalem and its
cultural significance means to its inhabitants, but they can pretend to show
compassion and understanding even though something of such great despair for
some might just be a regular tourist stop for another.
So in conclusion,
although not every idea is successfully incorporated into a growing community
such as the one found in Jerusalem, there are both consequences and benefits
for the changes that are included such that Jerusalem can grow into a respected
and powerful, globally recognized city of the state of Israel, however it also
comes at a price of losing unique traditions and values as time passes and
people adapt to new customs.
Works Cited:
Ariel, Yaakov1. “Paradigm
Shift: New Religious Movements and Quests for Meaning and
Community
in Contemporary Israel.” Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative &
Emergent
Religion, vol. 13, no. 4, May 2010, pp. 4–21. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.1525/nr.2010.13.4.4.
Bob Hepburn. “The
Westernization of Israel.” Toronto Star, The (Ontario, Canada), 4 July
1993.
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Evri, Yuval, and Almog
Behar. “Between East and West: Controversies over the Modernization
of
Hebrew Culture in the Works of Shaul Abdallah Yosef and Ariel Bension.” Journal
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Jewish Studies, vol. 16, no. 2, July 2017, pp. 295–311. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.1080/14725886.2017.1280904.
HAARETZ Daily Newspaper.
Senate Passes Bill to Enshrine $38-billion Military Aid Package
to
Israel Into Law
https://www.haaretz.com/whdcMobileSite/us-news/senate-Passes-bill-to-enshrine-military-aid-package-to-israel-into-law-1.6340748
History of Jerusalem:
Timeline for the History of Jerusalem (1998-2019). Jewish Virtual Library
Keren-Kratz,
M. “Westernization and Israelization within Israel’s Extreme Orthodox Haredi
Society.”
Israel Studies Review, vol. 31, no. 2, pp. 101–129. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.3167/isr.2016.310207.
Accessed 27 Mar. 2019.
Maranga, Kennedy.
“Globalization and Its Implications for Global Leadership.” Journal of
https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,cookie,uid&db=bth&AN=131698481&site=eds-live.
Martinelli, Alberto. Global
Modernization : Rethinking the Project of Modernity. SAGE
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“Tourists”
by Yehudah Amichai. The poem was copied from: Amichai, Yehuda, Poems of
Jerusalem
(Jerusalem: Schocken Press, 1987). Weiner, Myron. Modernization; the
Dynamics
of Growth. Basic Books, 1966. EBSCOhost,
Picture: https://jbss.org/the-jbss-logo/
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