From Schlemiel to Sabra (eBook)

By turning to the early literature of Zionist Palestine, Hollander shows how Jews strove to construct a better Jewish future.

1. Philip Hollander is a new voice in gender and literary studies of the early years of the Yishuv, Zionist Palestine prior to the establishment of the state of Israel.

2. Hollander grapples with the importance of images of potent masculinity in the foundation of the state and advancement of its social and political agenda.

3. This book offers a new interpretative perspective on the early years of Zionist Palestine and the importance of cultivating a new ideal of masculinity for the success of the Jewish settlement.

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"e;Convincingly demonstrates the role of gender and sexuality in forming the Israeli state and . . . the place of literature as a force in politics."e; -ChoiceIn From Schlemiel to Sabra, Philip Hollander examines how masculine ideals and images of the New Hebrew man shaped the Israeli state. In this innovative book, Hollander uncovers the complex relationship that Jews had with masculinity, interrogating narratives depicting masculinity in the new state as a transition from weak, feminized schlemiels to robust, muscular, and rugged Israelis. Turning to key literary texts by S.Y. Agnon, Y.H. Brenner, L.A. Arieli, and Aharon Reuveni, Hollander reveals how gender and sexuality were intertwined to promote a specific Zionist political agenda.A Zionist masculinity grounded in military prowess could not only protect the new state but also ensure its procreative needs and future. Self-awareness, physical power, fierce loyalty to the state and devotion to the land, humility, and nurture of the young were essential qualities that needed to be cultivated in migrants to the state. By turning to the early literature of Zionist Palestine, Hollander shows how Jews strove to construct a better Jewish future.