Why Israeli TV Is So Good

Key Findings:

The author compares TV made by Israeli Jews and American Jews in recent years, and grapples with why shows made by the former are so good and the latter so sterile. 

The TV shows used to illustrate the authors point of view are centered around faithful and religious characters. The difference between the two genres are analyzed by exploring these demographics’ relationships with faith in the last fifty years, and how they vary from one another. 

American Jews have spent the last fifty years assimilating into American society, a space where religion is viewed as optional and even burdensome. From schools, to books, to entertainment— the American Jews’ life has been filtered through the lens of assimilation, all to prove that the convergence of two identities is a great thing. Religion, to the American Jew is something to reconcile with the rest of their identity, and this is evident in the television content produced by this demographic. Despite the successful merge of the Jewish and American identity, the author argues that the result is always this: “While we may feel proudly and uniquely and incontestably Jewish, the coins we truly value were forged in all-American smithies.” Born of this sentiment are stories about religious communities that portray life as a religious Jew in an oppressive, bleak light. The author references Unorthodox and My Unorthodox Life as examples. 

Israelis have had a different relationship with religion in the last fifty years. They have fought for a return to tradition and a return to their land. The author argues that when it comes to religion, for Israelis, it is something to indulge in, not hide from. In Israel, faith equates to a return to old values of freedom, charity and grace. These same same values are reflected in Israeli TV.  This is why Shtisel, The New Black and Srugim were, according to the author, so good, and so widely acclaimed.