Modern Israel is a land of contrasts and contradictions that many American Jews often find hard to understand. It’s possible to visit a world class high tech hub and explore next generation Jewish innovation, and then walk for ten minutes and find yourself in an Ultra Orthodox neighbourhood like Bnei Brak that is closer spiritually and culturally to the religious communities of 18th century Poland or Lithuania.
When you visit Israel for the first time, you’ll quickly realize that there is no such thing as a single Israeli Jewish culture and there is zero agreement about what constitutes modern Jewish identity. Israel is a melting pot of secular and religious Jewish traditions and is home to Jews from every ethnicity and community in the Diaspora. Israel is a place where ancient traditions shape and inspire modern Judaism on a daily basis. It’s frequently confusing – and occasionally chaotic – but it’s never boring!
A customized luxury tour of Israel with Gil Travel is an amazing way to encounter thousands of years of ancient Jewish traditions and heritage, while gaining valuable insights into how Israel is developing as a dynamic high tech society, and punching above its weight in the medical technology, cybersecurity, AI, AgriTech and FoodTech, and defence industries. The big question is whether Israel’s precious Jewish traditions and heritage can stay relevant – and offer a vision for the future – in a rapidly changing world?
This article explores how tradition and modernity intersect for ordinary Israelis – like using a smartphone and an app to check Shabbat candle lighting times, or balancing the lure of non-stop digital distractions and work commitments with family life and holiday observance.
Ancient Roots in a Modern Landscape
Modern Jewish identity ultimately stems from the ancient traditions and culture of the Biblical Israelites. Our distant ancestors who settled the land of Israel, planting its fields and vineyards, and building its cities and towns, left us a unique common heritage. Weekly Shabbat observance and the High Holiday rituals are a golden thread that connects us to the past. Whatever your personal interpretation of modern Judaism, you retain a direct spiritual connection to the people of ancient Israel and their world.
Modern Israel is a fast-paced, sometimes frenetic country that functions as part of the 24 hour global economy. Despite the scope of Jewish innovation and command of next generation technologies, the past is always present. It can be a truly powerful experience for an American Jew to attend Kabbalat Shabbat at the Western Wall and feel the growing sense of peace and blessing that rises across the ancient city of Jerusalem as Shabbat approaches.
If you’re lucky enough to attend a brit milah, bar or bat mitzvah, or a Jewish wedding in Israel, you’ll gain a very different insight into the enduring power of traditional Jewish rituals. They are adapted to modern needs and expectations, but the essence of each ceremony, and its impact on our lives, is timeless and unchanging. Even a visit to a local Israeli synagogue for an ordinary Shabbat service can transform your understanding of how the ancient and the modern merge in Israeli society.
Festivals and Holidays – Timeless Celebrations with a Contemporary Twist
The Jewish holidays – originally closely connected to the prehistoric agricultural cycle – can be a wonderful time to visit Israel. The main holidays of Passover, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot and Hanukkah are complemented by festive modern holidays like Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israeli Independence Day).
Even the most traditional dates on the Jewish calendar like Pesach are interpreted with the latest technologies. Our ancient ancestors in the Kingdoms of David and Solomon thrived on Iron Age technical innovation, but they could never have imagined modern Haggadah apps or virtual Seders that bring together online guests from around the world.
Many of Israel’s most advanced high tech and fintech companies gather employees together every afternoon during Hanukkah to light the candles, before spoiling them with sufganiyot (jelly donuts) and drinks. The candle lighting ceremonies are also a big event on social media and a chance to celebrate Jewish resilience in the face of murderous enemies – sadly a recurring theme in Jewish history that continues to this day.
If you really want to see how modern Israelis party, you need to be in Israel for Yom Ha’atzmaut. As well as the annual airshow featuring spectacular overflights by the Israeli Air Force, there are light shows, fireworks, parties and barbecues across the country. Yom Ha’atzmaut is one feature of modern Jewish culture in Israel that unites the majority of Israeli Jews, regardless of politics or affiliation. Only the Ultra orthodox stay home.
Israeli Cuisine – A Fusion of Old and New
Food is a big part of Jewish tradition and family life and Israel is a true culinary melting pot. Not only can you find delicious Jewish food from across the Diaspora, but a unique Israeli style is gradually emerging. Israeli food has too many influences to list here, but it’s predominantly a mixture of traditional Ashkenazi and Mizrachi cooking, with some wholesome Kibbutz influences and local Middle Eastern and Mediterranean styles.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the emerging Israeli national cuisine is the revival of ancient foods. In one instance, Israeli scientists succeeded in germinating six 2,000 year old date seeds discovered by archaeologists, restoring a lost type of Biblical era date palm. Israeli wine growers have worked something close to a miracle by planting vineyards and building a thriving wine industry. The modern landscape, planted with grape vines, is suddenly closer to the landscape of the Bible.
Israel is also developing its own brewing industry and Israeli craft beers are easily a match for their best US counterparts. American beer and wine lovers are in for a treat, especially if they sign up for private tours of Israeli breweries and vineyards. Jewish innovation also extends to distillation with Israeli distillers creating their own whiskies, gin and even local calvados from Golan apple orchards.
Technology and Innovation – Keeping Tradition Relevant
Israeli tech companies and startups may be intent upon disrupting global markets, but they are also playing a useful role in preserving Jewish traditions and making them more accessible to a new tech savvy generation. Observant Jews can access kosher apps for dietary guidance and lists of kosher restaurants, supermarkets and food delivery services around the world.
Torah students can improve their knowledge of the ancient texts with AI-driven Torah study platforms enabling remote religious study from anywhere in the world. In a changing world that increasingly fosters social isolation and alienation, online communities are fostering global Jewish connections and creating virtual networks for friendship, learning and mutual support.
An unlikely source of high tech innovation is Israel’s kibbutz movements. Many American Jews instinctively picture orchards, fish ponds and massive greenhouses when they think of kibbutzim. Over the last generation the kibbutzim have undergone dynamic change. They still retain many features of the old agricultural collectives, but their wealth comes from sophisticated high tech enterprises. Some of Israel’s kibbutzim are making vital contributions to global agriculture through AgriTech innovation – reinventing their traditional idealism and concern for the collective good.
Jewish Art, Music, and Literature – Honoring Tradition in Creative Expression
The creation of the modern State of Israel unleashed a wave of creativity, producing new generations of energetic and talented artists, musicians, and writers. As well as Israel’s natural beauty – and turbulent recent history – they can draw upon over 3,000 years of Jewish history for inspiration.
The sculptor and painter Menashe Kadishman explored one of Judaism’s most powerful images in his work the Sacrifice of Isaac. Painter Moshe Castel was so inspired by the basalt block he found in the ruined synagogue at Korazin (a historical Jewish town in the Galilee) that he invented a technique of painting with a mixture of finely ground basalt, sand and glue.
If you’re interested in Israeli art, Gil Travel can create a customized art tour that includes private guided tours of museums and galleries, lectures and talks, and the chance to meet some of Israel’s most talented contemporary artists.
Explore the Fusion of Past and Present in Modern Israel
Israel is arguably the world’s most fascinating country. Few other places on earth have such a deep history and wealth of traditions. The ancient culture of the Israelites had a huge formative influence on the world’s major religions and helped to shape the modern world. American Jews are continually amazed by how 21st century Israel – the land of high tech and scientific innovations – fuses ancient traditions with modern values.
Modern Jewish identity and modern Judaism are continually evolving, while maintaining an unbreakable connection to a distant past that survives in Bible stories. Many of these stories, once dismissed as myths, are being gradually confirmed through archaeology. As you explore Israel, you’ll find that the past sits side by side with the present, and that Biblical ruins are frequently a stone’s throw from high tech factories and luxury housing developments.
Jewish America also faces many cultural and demographic challenges in a rapidly changing world. It’s an interesting question whether American Jews can take away any useful insights from Israel’s cultural evolution and integrate the lessons as they adapt their own Jewish identity and outlook.
Talk to Gil Travel today about planning a luxury tour of Israel that is tailored to expose you to the most interesting and rewarding aspects of traditional and modern Judaism, and provide vital insights into how their fusion is producing a thriving new Jewish culture in the ancestral Jewish homeland.
