Star Power

As a surge of patriotism sweeps over Israeli youth, the Star of David is now more than a fashion statement.

By Joshua Mitnick

Israel's younger generation were once thought to be disconnected from their Jewish roots. But a recent fashion trend featuring the Jewish Star of David reveals that Israeli youth may have a stronger Jewish identity than originally perceived. Joshua Mitnick reports on this phenomena for The Jewish Week. This article is reprinted with permission of the author.

 

Suddenly, the Star of David has gone chic. In recent months, the Jewish icon has moved beyond the confines of government officialdom and synagogues to dangle from choke collars and grace hip-hop album covers.

Patriotism Sweeps Israeli Youth

In the music clubs and discos of Tel Aviv it has become ubiquitous. On Sheinkin Street, ground zero of Israeli bohemia, it has carved out prominent space in jewelry boutique display cases.

 

After two-and-a-half years of Palestinian uprising and months of talk of looming war in the region, the patriotic fad has swept up Israeli youth. Feeling isolated in the Middle East and sensing growing anti-Semitism abroad, the teenagers say that there's a deeper dimension to their dress sensibility these days than just superficial fashion.

 

"How you dress is how you feel inside your heart. Jews want to show who they are," said 15-year-old Rony Gur, a 10th-grader at Aharon Katzir high school. "It gives you a feeling of security. It's a good feeling when you're out on the streets."

 

If Star of David necklace charms used to be subtly camouflaged behind a blouse or hidden under a T-shirt, now they're a prominently displayed fashion accessory. One popular variation is to decorate the star with colorful rhinestones. They also come in a heavy, palm-sized, silver variation that hangs from large chains to the tummy.

 

"I like to wear it big. Young people like to be more provocative. They like to show off," said Adi Cohen, 18. "In my opinion, it adds. It's identifying with everyone. It's a style."

 

As the Middle East becomes consumed in war, local taste in clothing has adjusted itself with militaristic motifs. Storefront windows feature mannequins dressed in olive green and camouflage combat pants. To go along with the army-issue get-ups, stores are selling shiny costume military identification tags.

 

 

Star of David Has Gone Chic

But few can remember the last time the hip have hailed the Star of David. Wearing the hexagram symbol has traditionally been associated in Israel with Jews of Middle Eastern descent, who are considered to be more vocal in their nationalism than their countrymen who hailed from Europe. Among the Israeli mainstream, the symbol is usually confined to formal settings such as bar mitzvahs or sporting events.

 

"The Star of David has been out for maybe 30 years. It's come back so big and so substantial," said Haiya Bar, a saleswoman at a clothing boutique. "Sabras have always been modest about it. Maybe it's because there have been so many wars since 1948 that people have become indifferent."

 

Bar said one of the store's designers recently began adorning skirts with the Star of David and menorah designs, but there were none left to display.

 

Indeed, almost the entire country has shifted rightward after 30 months of daily bloodshed with the Palestinians. The change was in stark evidence during the January election campaign in which dovish parties suffered their worst defeat in some 25 years.

 

And yet, when questioned about what started the Star of David trend, Israeli youth aren't inclined to launch into a political diatribe or cite Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's wistful odes on the essence of Zionism. They explain they're taking their cue from a local rap artist who goes by the name of "Subliminal."

 

A glance at the rapper's latest album holds some clues. The cover art features a mud-covered hand clutching a shining gold Star of David pendant. The lyrics contain strident political prognoses like "the country is vacillating like a cigar in Arafat's mouth," while urging Israelis to seek unity with lines like "together we will survive, alone we will fall."

Coping With the Collapse of the Peace Process

The themes have earned Subliminal, a.k.a. Kobi Shimoni, a chilly response from Israeli music critics, some of whom have argued that his messages smack of fascism. But he's struck a chord with many teenagers struggling to cope with the collapse of the Oslo peace process and preparing to be drafted.

 

"These are usually kids who are about to enlist, and are full of worries and excitement, and are asking themselves all types of questions. They're looking for slogans," said Nimrod Reshef, a hip-hop music producer and performer. "Look at our prime minister and look where this nation is marching to, and it's pretty logical that you'd hear more war echoes.''

 

What Madonna did for crosses in the U.S. in the 1980s, Subliminal is now doing for the Star of David. And the link with the loud and confrontational culture of hip-hop has made large stars even more popular.

 

The patriotic mode is even present on Sheinkin--a Tel Aviv street known as a bastion of Israel's secular left-wing. Ayelet Dror, a saleswoman at a Sheinkin gift shop, said necklace designers are using Star of David charms more often whereas before they stuck to more naïve and ecumenical symbols like hearts or flowers.

 

"Maybe it's because of the feeling that it's the end of the world. Because we're in crisis, and we don't have something to look forward to," said Dror. "People are getting on the nostalgia bandwagon."

 

But every fad dies hard, even if there's more substance behind it than the temporary notions of what is hip. That means the Star of David fad will probably burn itself out by year's end, some say.

 

"A couple of years ago it would have been strange. I would have worn it even five years ago because I'm patriotic," said Yael Kapach, a singer-songwriter and marketing associate at Israeli record company NMC. "It's fashion; in a little while it won't be around any more.

 

Joshua Mitnick is a freelance journalist living in Israel. His articles have appeared in The Chicago Tribune, Newsday, The Toronto Star, The Newark Star Ledger and The Washington Times. This article was reprinted from The Jewish Week, and is reprinted with the author's permission.