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Culture of Israel

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State of Israel
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The culture of Israel is inseparable from long history of Judaism and Jewish history which preceded it (i.e. dated earlier than the Israeli Declaration of Independence, on May 14 1948) and from the local (Palestine/Land of Israel) traditions. However, this article concerns only the cultural aspects of the modern Israeli state.

Background

With a population drawn from more than one hundred countries on six continents, Israeli society is rich in cultural diversity and artistic creativity. The arts are actively encouraged and supported by the government. The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra performs throughout the country and frequently tours abroad. The Jerusalem Symphony, an orchestra associated with the Israel Broadcasting Authority, also tours frequently as do other musical ensembles. Almost every municipality has a chamber orchestra or ensemble, many boasting the talents of gifted performers arrived in the 1990s from the countries of the former Soviet Union.

Folk dancing, which draws upon the cultural heritage of many immigrant groups, is very popular. Israel also has several professional ballet and modern dance companies. There is great public interest in the theatre; the repertoire covers the entire range of classical and contemporary drama in translation, as well as plays by Israeli authors.

Of the three major repertory companies, the most famous, Habimah, was founded in 1917.

Arts and media

Although artist colonies in Safed, Jaffa, and Ein Hod have faded in numbers and importance since the 1970s, Israeli painters and sculptors continue to exhibit and sell their works worldwide.

Tel Aviv, Herzliyyāh, and Jerusalem have excellent art museums, and many towns and kibbutzim have smaller high-quality museums. The Israel Museum in Jerusalem houses the Dead Sea Scrolls along with an extensive collection of Jewish religious and folk art. The Museum of the Diaspora is located on the campus of Tel Aviv University.

Israelis are avid newspaper readers. Israeli papers have an average daily circulation of 600,000 copies. Major daily papers are in Hebrew, Arabic, English and Russian. Others come in French, Polish, Yiddish, Russian, Hungarian, and German.

Poetry and literature

Noted poets

Prose authors

Fine Arts

Museums

More than 200 museums are operating in Israel with millions of visitors annually.

Jerusalem

Major museums in Jerusalem are:

Tel Aviv

Major museums in Tel Aviv are:

Haifa

Major museums in Haifa are:

Other

Music

See main article: Music of Israel.

Israeli music is very versatile and combines elements of both western and eastern music. It tends to be very eclectic and contains a wide variety of influences from the Diaspora and more modern cultural importation: Hassidic songs, Asian and Arab pop, especially by Yemenite singers, and israeli hip hop or heavy metal.

Israel is also home to several world-class classical music ensembles such as the Israel Philharmonic, the New Israeli Opera and others.

Also popular are forms of electronic music, including but not limited to trance, hard-trance and goa-trance. Notable artists from Israel popular in this field are limited but a famous example would be the goa-trance duo Infected Mushroom

Dance

The traditional folk dance of Israel is the Hora, originally an Eastern European circle dance. Israeli folk dancing today is choreographed for recreational as well as performance dance groups.

Modern dance in Israel is a flourishing field, and several Israeli choreographers such as Ohad Naharin are considered to be among the most versatile and original international creators working today. Famous Israeli companies include the Batsheva Dance Company and the Bat-Dor Dance Company.

Film and theatre

Repertory theater companies

Filmmakers

Playwrights

Actors

See List of Israeli actors

Comedy and satire

See also

External links

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