From legalism to symbolism: anti-mobility and national identity in Israel, 1948–1958

Cohen, Nir

doi:10.1016/j.jhg.2009.03.002

Cited by 22 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Like other Jews who arrived in Israel in the 1940s and 1950s, Polish Jews were expected to shed their foreign national identity. In line with the young nation's strong diaspora negation (Hebrew Sh'lilat Hagalut ) sentiments, affiliating—or retaining links—with one's country of origin was strongly frowned upon, indeed delegitimized (Cohen, 2010). Poland, dubbed The Land of Treblinka in the Israeli press, was a particularly sensitive case (Silber, 2008).…”

Section: Polish‐jewish/israeli Relationshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

Property investment and the making of the ambivalent elective Polish diaspora in Israel

et al. 2023

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The article explores investment decisions made by Israelis who purchased or intended to purchase a residential property in Poland. Specifically, it focuses on their set of motivations to invest there and the extent to which their ethno‐national or other types of affinity with the country played a role in their decision. Drawing on interviews with (Jewish) Israeli citizens, we argue that their Choice to invest in Poland was not only financial but influenced also by strong emotional connections to the country, a combination we term ‘sentrumental’ (instrumental and sentimental). We contend that the decision of Israeli Jews to buy property in Poland, against the historical backdrop of the traumatic experience of Jews there, is highly contentious. Analyzing the discursive strategies they use to explain, indeed justify, their unorthodox decision, we show how their emotional ties to Poland often conflict with its controversial history and their own personal identities. It is this conflict, we conclude, that makes Israeli Jews with various biographical ties to Poland an inherently ambivalent elective diaspora.

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Section: Polish‐jewish/israeli Relationshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

Property investment and the making of the ambivalent elective Polish diaspora in Israel

et al. 2023

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“…Emigration from Israel was long regarded a social aberration, which needs to be contained by various means (Gold, ; Cohen, ). Three arguments have historically been mobilised against (highly skilled) departure; demographically; migrants were perceived key resource in the battle against the uneven population balance between Israel and its neighbours.…”

Section: Highly Skilled Emigration and Return In Israel: From Nation mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Web of Repatriation: The Changing Politics of Israel's Diaspora Strategy

Cohen

2015

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Diaspora strategies were explained against the backdrop of neoliberal reforms, within which context governments in sending countries sought to mobilise skilled migrants for homeland development projects. Despite sporadic evidence that non‐governmental organisations take increasingly meaningful parts in diaspora strategy‐formation processes, little attention has thus far been paid to their specific roles. This paper attends to the salient contribution of non‐governmental organisations to Israel's diaspora strategy. Focusing on two recent state‐assisted return programs, it argues that a greater involvement of private and civic organisations should be seen as part of broader political‐economic shifts, most notably economic neoliberalisation. Since the late 1980s, organisations have partnered with the state to create a tri‐sectoral ‘web of repatriation’, which is effectively responsible for the creation and implementation of return programmes. Through a critical analysis of the discourse within, and practices deployed by, this new web, the paper illustrates the changing politics of return in Israel. Specifically, it shows how partners have advanced a greater professional segmentation of (potential) returnees, prioritised those best suited for the needs of a small number of ‘economic growth engines’, and institutionalised merit‐based compensation schemes. Despite their different positions and situated knowledge, both state and non‐state bodies have been using similar trajectories, calling for greater privatisation, harsher selectivity, and differential rewards in Israel's diaspora strategy. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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“…The sense of betrayal by the loss of precious human and material resources, especially during Israel's early decades of statehood (1950sÁ1970s), was sometimes followed by calls to ostracise Israelis abroad and deny them selected rights. Politicians from nationalist parties have occasionally gone as far as suggesting that emigrants' passports be annulled and their citizenship be cancelled altogether (Cohen 2010).…”

Section: The Israeli State and Migrants: An Emerging Diasporic Citizementioning

confidence: 99%

Rights Beyond Borders: Everyday Politics of Citizenship in the Israeli Diaspora

Cohen

2011

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies

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From legalism to symbolism: anti-mobility and national identity in Israel, 1948–1958

Cited by 22 publications

References 3 publications

Property investment and the making of the ambivalent elective Polish diaspora in Israel

Property investment and the making of the ambivalent elective Polish diaspora in Israel

A Web of Repatriation: The Changing Politics of Israel's Diaspora Strategy

Rights Beyond Borders: Everyday Politics of Citizenship in the Israeli Diaspora

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