Since independence, Israel has lived with a paradox–needing and seeking legitimacy, understanding, and empathy from the world community while simultaneously also discounting the world, which David Ben Gurion articulated so succinctly with his “Um Shmum.” These tension-laden tendencies reflect not only strong cultural dispositions along with issues arising from Israel’s troubled birth, development, and existence, but also some of the deep ruptures in what it means to be Israeli in a globalizing world. We therefore aim to reflect upon Israel’s delicate balance between its desire to be different from a world that it simultaneously genuinely needs and that it also wants to be a legitimate member of. Below are a selection of photos from the conference.
