Israel: A History

11 | Culture and Norms in an Evolving Society

248 11 CULTURE AND NORMS IN AN EVOLVING SOCIETY * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The State of Israel’s first nineteen years were marked by tremendous dynamism, rapid change, and conflicts touching on both ethos and culture. In a panoramic view this period appears as the heyday of the national ethos. Israelis saw the state as the realization of the Zionist idea and the age-old vision of Jewish redemption. This positive attitude was manifested in public enthusiasm for the idf, a broad consensus around retaliatory actions taken along the borders (see next chapter), the elation produced by the 1956 Sinai Campaign, and the lyrics of popular songs performed by the idf entertainment troupes. An up-close look, however, reveals cracks in the seemingly monolithic national ethos, and new voices can be heard hinting at changes within it. One way the state consolidated its new ownership of the land was by erasing all traces of its former owners. Arab villages and towns were given Hebrew names. The aim was to Judaize the map of Israel by eliminating the last vestiges of the Arab places and supplanting them with new settlements. The new names were sometimes based on the previous Arabic names, but with a Hebrew pronunciation . E√orts were made to restore the old Hebrew names of biblical, Mishnaic, and Talmudic locations that were known by Arabic versions of these names. In other instances Jewish place-names from the time of the First and Second Temples were identified, and the new settlements were named after them. Archeology played a leading role in Judaizing the map. The goal was to prove Jewish ownership of the land in ancient times by uncovering the past, then make the present appear a natural progression from it. In cases where no connection with the Jewish past was found, the new settlements were named after Zionist leaders or notable Jewish and non-Jewish personages who had helped establish the state. Often in the mixed towns, streets named after Muslim or Ottoman heroes were replaced by names with Jewish connotations. Thus the main street in Ja√a became Jerusalem Boulevard. Even though Arabic was one of the state’s o≈cial languages, together with Hebrew and English, it vanished from the map, except for the Arab villages in Samaria and the Galilee. But the ancient Arabic names did not always disappear in practice. The members of the Government Names Committee tried in vain to erase from memory names like Talbiyeh, Malha, Katamon, Wadi Salib, or Cabri. The inhabitants preferred to use the old familiar names, not the synthetic ones dictated by the committee. It was the era of Hebraization, not only of settlement names but also of per- culture and norms in an evolving society 249 sonal names. Ben-Gurion was among the small minority who had Hebraized their names as early as the Second Aliya period. The vast majority of his colleagues kept their original names, which expressed their connection with family, birthplace, and the past. But for Ben-Gurion immigration to Palestine symbolized rebirth. (He stipulated that his gravestone should bear only the dates of his birth and death, and the inscription: ‘‘Immigrated to Eretz Yisrael in 1906.’’) Now Ben-Gurion demanded that army o≈cers and state o≈cials undergo the same process he had, insisting that the idf generals Hebraize their names for the swearing in of the general sta√. Thus Yigael Sukenik became Yadin, Yigal Paicovich became Allon, and Shimon Koch, Avidan. ‘‘I changed my name a few days ago, and thus also changed my status,’’ wrote Uri Heinsheimer of the new Ministry of Justice, who chose the name Yadin.∞ Many new immigrants, especially the younger ones, also took part in this symbolic shedding of their old identity, adopting a new one they felt was more suited to the place and time. The Hebrew name rid them of an ethnic Diaspora identity and built a bridge into the nascent Israeli society. In most cases the decision to adopt a new name was collective, made by the whole family. At the same time, there were many who preferred to keep their old name with its memory of the past. For Holocaust survivors, keeping their names meant preserving the names and memories of the families that had perished. Thus Hebraization of people’s names succeeded only partially, and mostly in the army and government o≈cialdom. At the time the state was established, some 70 percent of the Jewish population spoke Hebrew. With the arrival of the...