The Tombstone in Israel’s Military Cemetery since 1948: Israel’s Transition from Collectivism to Individualism

Yossi Katz

Published by De Gruyter Oldenbourg 2014

The Tombstone in Israel’s Military Cemetery since 1948

Israel’s Transition from Collectivism to Individualism

Yossi Katz

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110309119

Overview
Contents

About this book

Co-publication with Magnes Press

Military cemeteries are one of the most prominent cultural landscapes of Israel. Their story reflects largely the main social processes that Israeli society has been undergoing since the War of Independence (1948) until today. Until the end of the 1970s, the military tombstones and their surroundings were uniform and equal, according to rules set by the State. However, since the 1980s families of the fallen soldiers started to add on the tombstone personal expressions, as well as personal objects, photographs, military artifacts etc. Thus the military tombstone and the Israeli military cemetery became one of the expressions of the dramatic transformation, from a society which emphasized the importance of the collective, to a society which intensifies the significance of the individual. The book is based on many archival documents, as well as interviews and photographs, all of which shed light on one of the most sensitive issues in Israeli society and express its importance as a central component of Israeli identity.

Author / Editor information

Yossi Katz, Bar-Ilan University, Israel.

Reviews

"Katz’s book is a welcome addition to existing studies on commemoration in Israel, and particularly military commemoration during the state’s 70 years of existence."
Judy Baumel-Schwatz in: Israel Studies Review 33.1 (2018), 111-115

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	I
Preface Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	VII
Table of Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	XIII
Chapter 1. The Institutional Frameworks The Division for Commemorating the Soldier and the Public Council for Commemorating the Soldier Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Chapter 2. The Spatial Frameworks Efforts to Concentrate the Graves of the Fallen in the Military Cemeteries and the Status of the Military Plots Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	25
Chapter 3. From a Military Cemetery to a Cemetery for the Security Forces Law and Reality in the Process of Expanding Eligibility for a Military Grave and Tombstone for Those Who Are Not Soldiers Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	43
Chapter 4. The Tombstone Selecting the Uniform Model of the Military Tombstone Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	82
Chapter 5. The Uniform Inscription The Process of Formulating the Text of the Uniform Inscription on the Military Tombstone (1949-1954) Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	101
Chapter 6. Preserving the Essential Uniformity The Public Council Confronts Requests by Families for Amending the Uniform Inscription (from the mid-50s until the close of the 70s) Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	146
Chapter 7. Uniformity is Tested by an Era of Polarization The Public Council versus Petitions by the Families to the High Court of Justice Demanding Substantial Changes in the Uniform Inscription (the early 80s until the early 90s) Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	169
Chapter 8. Towards a Revolution Incorporating Personal Expression in the Inscription Chapter 8 Towards a Revolution Incorporating Personal Expression in the Inscription Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	200
Chapter 9. The Inscription Providing Personal Expression The General Legislative Process for Rules Governing the Inscription Providing Personal Expression at the Foot of the Tombstone (the Latter Half of the 90s) Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	253
Chapter 10. Internal Fissures in the Rule of Uniformity The Families Press for Substantial Changes in the Uniform Inscription and the Location of the Personal Inscription (the 90s until the Start of the Second Millennium) Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	289
Chapter 11. Everyone Does as He Sees Fit The Continuing Phenomenon of Embellishments – Impairments to Uniformity in the Face of Impotence Displayed by the Establishment Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	335
Postscript: An Unfinished Story The Military Tombstone as a Dynamic Cultural Product in the Scenery of the State of Israel Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	397
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	412
Index of names and subjects Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	416
Index of places Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	422

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: De Gruyter Oldenbourg
Audience: Academics in the fields of Israel Studies, Military History, Political Culture
Pages
- Front matter: 14
- Main content: 423
Illustrations
- Illustrations: 46
- Coloured Illustrations: 43
Keywords: Israel; Militärfriedhöfe; Grabsteine; politische Kultur; kollektive Identität

eBook

Published: June 18, 2014
ISBN: 9783110309119

Hardcover

Published: May 13, 2014
ISBN: 9783110307986