Posted by kelnersj on Tuesday, September 20, 2011 in Articles, Research.

2003-4. Contemporary Jewry 24: 124-154.

Ethnographic study of Israel experience programs reveals processes by which Israel becomes cognitively and affectively meaningful to American Jews. A Durkheimian analysis suggests that feelings generated by an intense group experience are preserved in symbolic residue that re-evokes these feelings. For American Jewish travelers, Israel comes to serve as a summarizing symbol, integrating a multitude of normative and non-normative meanings, and allowing for variability and idiosyncrasy.

Read the article on the Berman Jewish Policy Archive website.

Tags: articles, Birthright Israel, israel, tourism