Samson, Unchained: Biblical Undercurrents in the Political Sentiments of Israeli Jews

Biblical tales resonate powerfully with Israeli Jews who live with, in and through their religious past, occasionally re-experiencing it, even as they resist it. The article considers the political sentiments of Israeli Jews through the life and death of the biblical Samson in order to revisit the e...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Israel studies (Bloomington, Ind.) Ind.), 2022-06, Vol.27 (2), p.125-144
Main Author: Abulof, Uriel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bible
Biblical studies
Bones
Convergence
Death & dying
Humiliation
Jewish people
Jews
Politics
Public opinion
Religion
Religious aspects
Revenge
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
cited_by
cites
container_end_page 144
container_issue 2
container_start_page 125
container_title Israel studies (Bloomington, Ind.)
container_volume 27
creator Abulof, Uriel
description Biblical tales resonate powerfully with Israeli Jews who live with, in and through their religious past, occasionally re-experiencing it, even as they resist it. The article considers the political sentiments of Israeli Jews through the life and death of the biblical Samson in order to revisit the emotional and moral drivers of their public beliefs, behaviors, and identities. I identify the biblical story's main facets and show how they resonate with Israel's political sentiments: the fantasy of a sacred supremacy; the mistrust of adversaries from within and without; a fear of humiliation and isolation; and recourse to sacrificial revenge. I suggest that while the Bible has become a bone of contention between secular and religious Zionists, Israel's "Samsonian" qualities exist in a dialectical process of divergence and convergence over meaning-making. If Israel is Samson in chains, it may be time for liberation in life rather than death after bringing down the Philistine temple.
doi_str_mv 10.2979/israelstudies.27.2.10
format article
fullrecord <record><control><sourceid>gale_proqu</sourceid><recordid>TN_cdi_proquest_journals_2640414915</recordid><sourceformat>XML</sourceformat><sourcesystem>PC</sourcesystem><galeid>A700800227</galeid><sourcerecordid>A700800227</sourcerecordid><originalsourceid>FETCH-LOGICAL-c627t-9570bde8f86533e1dc966f0c91f96abcaa01e5990bcf3cde975eadd38db0043</originalsourceid><addsrcrecordid>eNqNkl9rFDEUxQdRsFY_gjDgk-CsN5nJZOJbu-i6utrCWOxbyCR3tlnmT5tkUL-92W2xLCyy5CHh3t9JLjknSV4TmFHBxXvrncLOh8lY9DPKZ3RG4ElyQhjlGQVy_TSeoSoywUj-PHnh_QYAWMHhJLmqVe_H4V16NegbZQc0H9Jz23RWqy7WDDo9OYdD8Kkd0nCD6eXY2bBr17Fs-11vbNPlbgqbfsFf_mXyrFWdx1cP-2lSf_r4Y_45W10slvOzVaZLykOch0NjsGqrkuU5EqNFWbagBWlFqRqtFBBkQkCj21wbFJyhMiavTANQ5KfJm_tbb914N6EPcjNObogPSloWUJBCEPZIrVWH0g7tGJzSvfVannGACoBSHqnsALXGAZ3qxgFbG8t7_OwAH5fB3uqDgrd7gsgE_B3WavJefr1cHs0u6-_Hs99-Hs-eL45mq8Xqf5_3wOqx63CNMlo-v9jn2T2v3ei9w1beOtsr90cSkNtIy71IS8olja2oK_4ZvkEd-snjo-cVA1ExWW9jv009pTTGXFznfwERHfdI</addsrcrecordid><sourcetype>Aggregation Database</sourcetype><iscdi>true</iscdi><recordtype>article</recordtype><pqid>2640414915</pqid></control><display><type>article</type><title>Samson, Unchained: Biblical Undercurrents in the Political Sentiments of Israeli Jews</title><source>International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS)</source><source>EBSCOhost MLA International Bibliography With Full Text</source><source>Art, Design and Architecture Collection</source><source>Project Muse:Jisc Collections:Project MUSE Journals Agreement 2024:Premium Collection</source><source>Social Science Premium Collection (Proquest) (PQ_SDU_P3)</source><source>ProQuest One Literature</source><creator>Abulof, Uriel</creator><creatorcontrib>Abulof, Uriel</creatorcontrib><description>Biblical tales resonate powerfully with Israeli Jews who live with, in and through their religious past, occasionally re-experiencing it, even as they resist it. The article considers the political sentiments of Israeli Jews through the life and death of the biblical Samson in order to revisit the emotional and moral drivers of their public beliefs, behaviors, and identities. I identify the biblical story's main facets and show how they resonate with Israel's political sentiments: the fantasy of a sacred supremacy; the mistrust of adversaries from within and without; a fear of humiliation and isolation; and recourse to sacrificial revenge. I suggest that while the Bible has become a bone of contention between secular and religious Zionists, Israel's "Samsonian" qualities exist in a dialectical process of divergence and convergence over meaning-making. If Israel is Samson in chains, it may be time for liberation in life rather than death after bringing down the Philistine temple.</description><identifier>ISSN: 1084-9513</identifier><identifier>ISSN: 1527-201X</identifier><identifier>EISSN: 1527-201X</identifier><identifier>DOI: 10.2979/israelstudies.27.2.10</identifier><language>eng</language><publisher>Bloomington: Indiana University Press</publisher><subject>Bible ; Biblical studies ; Bones ; Convergence ; Death &amp; dying ; Humiliation ; Jewish people ; Jews ; Politics ; Public opinion ; Religion ; Religious aspects ; Revenge</subject><ispartof>Israel studies (Bloomington, Ind.), 2022-06, Vol.27 (2), p.125-144</ispartof><rights>Copyright © Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Ben-Gurion Research Institute for the Study of Israel and Zionism</rights><rights>COPYRIGHT 2022 Indiana University Press</rights><rights>Copyright Indiana University Press Summer 2022</rights><lds50>peer_reviewed</lds50><woscitedreferencessubscribed>false</woscitedreferencessubscribed></display><links><openurl>$$Topenurl_article</openurl><openurlfulltext>$$Topenurlfull_article</openurlfulltext><thumbnail>$$Tsyndetics_thumb_exl</thumbnail><linktohtml>$$Uhttps://www.proquest.com/docview/2640414915?pq-origsite=primo$$EHTML$$P50$$Gproquest$$H</linktohtml><link.rule.ids>314,780,784,12847,12861,21394,27924,27925,33223,33611,34775,43733,44200,62661,62662,62677</link.rule.ids></links><search><creatorcontrib>Abulof, Uriel</creatorcontrib><title>Samson, Unchained: Biblical Undercurrents in the Political Sentiments of Israeli Jews</title><title>Israel studies (Bloomington, Ind.)</title><addtitle>Israel Studies</addtitle><description>Biblical tales resonate powerfully with Israeli Jews who live with, in and through their religious past, occasionally re-experiencing it, even as they resist it. The article considers the political sentiments of Israeli Jews through the life and death of the biblical Samson in order to revisit the emotional and moral drivers of their public beliefs, behaviors, and identities. I identify the biblical story's main facets and show how they resonate with Israel's political sentiments: the fantasy of a sacred supremacy; the mistrust of adversaries from within and without; a fear of humiliation and isolation; and recourse to sacrificial revenge. I suggest that while the Bible has become a bone of contention between secular and religious Zionists, Israel's "Samsonian" qualities exist in a dialectical process of divergence and convergence over meaning-making. If Israel is Samson in chains, it may be time for liberation in life rather than death after bringing down the Philistine temple.</description><subject>Bible</subject><subject>Biblical studies</subject><subject>Bones</subject><subject>Convergence</subject><subject>Death &amp; dying</subject><subject>Humiliation</subject><subject>Jewish people</subject><subject>Jews</subject><subject>Politics</subject><subject>Public opinion</subject><subject>Religion</subject><subject>Religious aspects</subject><subject>Revenge</subject><issn>1084-9513</issn><issn>1527-201X</issn><issn>1527-201X</issn><fulltext>true</fulltext><rsrctype>article</rsrctype><creationdate>2022</creationdate><recordtype>article</recordtype><sourceid>8BJ</sourceid><sourceid>AIMQZ</sourceid><sourceid>ALSLI</sourceid><sourceid>K50</sourceid><sourceid>M1D</sourceid><sourceid>M2R</sourceid><recordid>eNqNkl9rFDEUxQdRsFY_gjDgk-CsN5nJZOJbu-i6utrCWOxbyCR3tlnmT5tkUL-92W2xLCyy5CHh3t9JLjknSV4TmFHBxXvrncLOh8lY9DPKZ3RG4ElyQhjlGQVy_TSeoSoywUj-PHnh_QYAWMHhJLmqVe_H4V16NegbZQc0H9Jz23RWqy7WDDo9OYdD8Kkd0nCD6eXY2bBr17Fs-11vbNPlbgqbfsFf_mXyrFWdx1cP-2lSf_r4Y_45W10slvOzVaZLykOch0NjsGqrkuU5EqNFWbagBWlFqRqtFBBkQkCj21wbFJyhMiavTANQ5KfJm_tbb914N6EPcjNObogPSloWUJBCEPZIrVWH0g7tGJzSvfVannGACoBSHqnsALXGAZ3qxgFbG8t7_OwAH5fB3uqDgrd7gsgE_B3WavJefr1cHs0u6-_Hs99-Hs-eL45mq8Xqf5_3wOqx63CNMlo-v9jn2T2v3ei9w1beOtsr90cSkNtIy71IS8olja2oK_4ZvkEd-snjo-cVA1ExWW9jv009pTTGXFznfwERHfdI</recordid><startdate>20220622</startdate><enddate>20220622</enddate><creator>Abulof, Uriel</creator><general>Indiana University Press</general><scope>AAYXX</scope><scope>CITATION</scope><scope>8GL</scope><scope>IBG</scope><scope>IMW</scope><scope>ISN</scope><scope>KPI</scope><scope>0-V</scope><scope>3V.</scope><scope>7XB</scope><scope>88H</scope><scope>88J</scope><scope>8BJ</scope><scope>8FK</scope><scope>8G5</scope><scope>ABUWG</scope><scope>AFKRA</scope><scope>AIMQZ</scope><scope>ALSLI</scope><scope>AVQMV</scope><scope>AZQEC</scope><scope>BEC</scope><scope>BENPR</scope><scope>CCPQU</scope><scope>DWQXO</scope><scope>FQK</scope><scope>GNUQQ</scope><scope>GUQSH</scope><scope>JBE</scope><scope>K50</scope><scope>LD-</scope><scope>LD.</scope><scope>LIQON</scope><scope>M1D</scope><scope>M2N</scope><scope>M2O</scope><scope>M2R</scope><scope>MBDVC</scope><scope>PQEST</scope><scope>PQQKQ</scope><scope>PQUKI</scope><scope>PRINS</scope><scope>Q9U</scope><scope>QXPDG</scope><scope>S0X</scope></search><sort><creationdate>20220622</creationdate><title>Samson, Unchained: Biblical Undercurrents in the Political Sentiments of Israeli Jews</title><author>Abulof, Uriel</author></sort><facets><frbrtype>5</frbrtype><frbrgroupid>cdi_FETCH-LOGICAL-c627t-9570bde8f86533e1dc966f0c91f96abcaa01e5990bcf3cde975eadd38db0043</frbrgroupid><rsrctype>articles</rsrctype><prefilter>articles</prefilter><language>eng</language><creationdate>2022</creationdate><topic>Bible</topic><topic>Biblical studies</topic><topic>Bones</topic><topic>Convergence</topic><topic>Death &amp; dying</topic><topic>Humiliation</topic><topic>Jewish people</topic><topic>Jews</topic><topic>Politics</topic><topic>Public opinion</topic><topic>Religion</topic><topic>Religious aspects</topic><topic>Revenge</topic><toplevel>peer_reviewed</toplevel><toplevel>online_resources</toplevel><creatorcontrib>Abulof, Uriel</creatorcontrib><collection>CrossRef</collection><collection>Gale In Context: High School</collection><collection>Gale in Context : Biography</collection><collection>Gale In Context: World History</collection><collection>Gale In Context: Canada</collection><collection>Global Issues</collection><collection>ProQuest Social Sciences Premium Collection【Remote access available】</collection><collection>ProQuest Central (Corporate)</collection><collection>ProQuest Central (purchase pre-March 2016)</collection><collection>Religion Database (Alumni Edition)</collection><collection>Social Science Database (Alumni Edition)</collection><collection>International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS)</collection><collection>ProQuest Central (Alumni) (purchase pre-March 2016)</collection><collection>Research Library (Alumni Edition)</collection><collection>ProQuest Central (Alumni)</collection><collection>ProQuest Central</collection><collection>ProQuest One Literature</collection><collection>Social Science Premium Collection (Proquest) (PQ_SDU_P3)</collection><collection>Arts Premium Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest Central Essentials</collection><collection>eLibrary</collection><collection>AUTh Library subscriptions: ProQuest Central</collection><collection>ProQuest One Community College</collection><collection>ProQuest Central</collection><collection>International Bibliography of the Social Sciences</collection><collection>ProQuest Central Student</collection><collection>Research Library Prep</collection><collection>International Bibliography of the Social Sciences</collection><collection>Art, Design and Architecture Collection</collection><collection>Ethnic NewsWatch</collection><collection>Ethnic NewsWatch (Alumni)</collection><collection>One Literature (ProQuest)</collection><collection>Arts &amp; Humanities Database</collection><collection>Religion Database (ProQuest)</collection><collection>ProQuest research library</collection><collection>Social Science Database (ProQuest)</collection><collection>Research Library (Corporate)</collection><collection>ProQuest One Academic Eastern Edition (DO NOT USE)</collection><collection>ProQuest One Academic</collection><collection>ProQuest One Academic UKI Edition</collection><collection>ProQuest Central China</collection><collection>ProQuest Central Basic</collection><collection>Diversity Collection</collection><collection>SIRS Editorial</collection><jtitle>Israel studies (Bloomington, Ind.)</jtitle></facets><delivery><delcategory>Remote Search Resource</delcategory><fulltext>fulltext</fulltext></delivery><addata><au>Abulof, Uriel</au><format>journal</format><genre>article</genre><ristype>JOUR</ristype><atitle>Samson, Unchained: Biblical Undercurrents in the Political Sentiments of Israeli Jews</atitle><jtitle>Israel studies (Bloomington, Ind.)</jtitle><addtitle>Israel Studies</addtitle><date>2022-06-22</date><risdate>2022</risdate><volume>27</volume><issue>2</issue><spage>125</spage><epage>144</epage><pages>125-144</pages><issn>1084-9513</issn><issn>1527-201X</issn><eissn>1527-201X</eissn><abstract>Biblical tales resonate powerfully with Israeli Jews who live with, in and through their religious past, occasionally re-experiencing it, even as they resist it. The article considers the political sentiments of Israeli Jews through the life and death of the biblical Samson in order to revisit the emotional and moral drivers of their public beliefs, behaviors, and identities. I identify the biblical story's main facets and show how they resonate with Israel's political sentiments: the fantasy of a sacred supremacy; the mistrust of adversaries from within and without; a fear of humiliation and isolation; and recourse to sacrificial revenge. I suggest that while the Bible has become a bone of contention between secular and religious Zionists, Israel's "Samsonian" qualities exist in a dialectical process of divergence and convergence over meaning-making. If Israel is Samson in chains, it may be time for liberation in life rather than death after bringing down the Philistine temple.</abstract><cop>Bloomington</cop><pub>Indiana University Press</pub><doi>10.2979/israelstudies.27.2.10</doi><tpages>20</tpages></addata></record>
fulltext fulltext
identifier ISSN: 1084-9513
ispartof Israel studies (Bloomington, Ind.), 2022-06, Vol.27 (2), p.125-144
issn 1084-9513
1527-201X
1527-201X
language eng
recordid cdi_proquest_journals_2640414915
source International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS); EBSCOhost MLA International Bibliography With Full Text; Art, Design and Architecture Collection; Project Muse:Jisc Collections:Project MUSE Journals Agreement 2024:Premium Collection; Social Science Premium Collection (Proquest) (PQ_SDU_P3); ProQuest One Literature
subjects Bible
Biblical studies
Bones
Convergence
Death & dying
Humiliation
Jewish people
Jews
Politics
Public opinion
Religion
Religious aspects
Revenge
title Samson, Unchained: Biblical Undercurrents in the Political Sentiments of Israeli Jews
url http://sfxeu10.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/loughborough?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&ctx_tim=2025-01-07T14%3A11%3A24IST&url_ver=Z39.88-2004&url_ctx_fmt=infofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rfr_id=info:sid/primo.exlibrisgroup.com:primo3-Article-gale_proqu&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Samson,%20Unchained:%20Biblical%20Undercurrents%20in%20the%20Political%20Sentiments%20of%20Israeli%20Jews&rft.jtitle=Israel%20studies%20(Bloomington,%20Ind.)&rft.au=Abulof,%20Uriel&rft.date=2022-06-22&rft.volume=27&rft.issue=2&rft.spage=125&rft.epage=144&rft.pages=125-144&rft.issn=1084-9513&rft.eissn=1527-201X&rft_id=info:doi/10.2979/israelstudies.27.2.10&rft_dat=%3Cgale_proqu%3EA700800227%3C/gale_proqu%3E%3Cgrp_id%3Ecdi_FETCH-LOGICAL-c627t-9570bde8f86533e1dc966f0c91f96abcaa01e5990bcf3cde975eadd38db0043%3C/grp_id%3E%3Coa%3E%3C/oa%3E%3Curl%3E%3C/url%3E&rft_id=info:oai/&rft_pqid=2640414915&rft_id=info:pmid/&rft_galeid=A700800227&rfr_iscdi=true