From Nationality to Peoplehood: Adaptation and Identity Formation in the Israeli Diaspora

Jewish migrants from Eastern Europe have always been successful in adapting to Western countries. They have identified with the culture & nationality of the societies in which they have settled, rarely returning to their countries of origin. They have overcome discrimination to attain levels of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Diaspora (New York, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2004-10, Vol.13 (2), p.331-358
Main Author: Gold, Steven J. (Steven James)
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Assimilation
Child rearing
Comparative analysis
Cultural Identity
Diaspora
Eastern Europe
Emigration
Ethnicity
Field work
Identity formation
Immigrants
International
Israel
Israelis
Jewish people
Jews
Los Angeles, California
Migrants
Migration
Nationality
Noncitizens
Participant observation
Second-generation immigrants
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Summary:Jewish migrants from Eastern Europe have always been successful in adapting to Western countries. They have identified with the culture & nationality of the societies in which they have settled, rarely returning to their countries of origin. They have overcome discrimination to attain levels of educational, cultural, & economic prominence higher than those of many native-born elites. Israeli emigrants, on the other hand have not adapted so well to Western countries. They share occupational, residential, social, & cultural characteristics with native-born Jews, but they seldom see themselves as host-country nationals, socialize primarily with other Israelis, & often express the wish to, or actually do return to Israel. They confront strong conflicting bases of identity associated with Western Jewish communities as well as with Israel. This study draws on 194 in-depth interviews with Israeli immigrants in Los Angeles, CA, & ethnographic data to explore these tensions, using two dominant approaches to immigrant adjustment: the "second generation" approach, which emphasizes assimilation; & the "transnationalist" approach, which rejects it. The actions of Israeli emigrants are partially compatible with both, though fully consistent with neither. It is necessary to synthesize the two to most accurately understand Israeli emigrants' views. References. S. Stanton
ISSN:1044-2057
1911-1568
1911-1568
DOI:10.1353/dsp.2008.0007