The Forest as a National Icon

Literature, Politics, and the Archaeology of Memory

Bibliographic Data

ID23206156
AuthorsYael Zerubavel (corresponding author)
Year1996
Volume1
Issue1
Pages60-99
Publication date1996-01-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueIsrael Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1084-9513 • E-ISSN: 1527-201X
PublisherIndiana University Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1353/is.2005.0045
OpenAlexW4256256320
LanguageEN
Citations received8

THE ADMIRATION OF TREES AS symbolizing the beauty, purity, and magnitude of nature is a familiar theme in Romantic literature. In the emergent Hebrew culture of the pre-state Jewish society in Palestine, trees carried an even greater symbolic value: they became an icon of national revival, symbolizing the Zionist success in "striking roots" in the ancient homeland. Children were often named after trees and children's literature described young trees as children. 1 The depiction of the Jewish nation as a tree provided a powerful visual representation of historical processes that were at the core of Zionist consciousness. The image of a chopped tree with a new branch sprouting from its side (photo 1) was used as the emblem of La-No'ar, a highly popular book series for young adults: the chopped tree symbolized the curtailed Jewish national life during centuries of life in exile, while the new branch represented the beginning of national renewal, a symbolic analogue to the Hebrew youth themselves. This tree image was later modified in a poster issued by the Zionist Federation (photo 2) , reversing the relation between death and renewal. The poster shows a tall tree with an abundance of green leaves, and only one dead branch is sticking out on its side. The statement inscribed below this transformed image reinforces its message: "Branches of our people are chopped down and fall off, but the tree is alive and well. Give your hand to our national renewal. Be a member of the Zionist Federation."

Archaeology · Art · Genealogy · Hebrew · Homeland · Icon · Judaism · Literature · National consciousness · Nationalism · Nazism · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Classics · History · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies · Law · Public Spaces through Art

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