“Our Best Boys”

Abstract

Several scholars view the military to be a most forceful institution in constructing images of masculinity in society at large. Usually, military service can be described as a rite of passage to male adulthood, teaching toughness, and trying to eliminate what is regarded to be effeminate. Israel serves as an interesting case study to investigate the connections between gender and the military. Although participation in the military is compulsory for Jewish men and women and motivation to serve in the military is high, meaning that the military socializes most Jewish Israelis, this national duty is highly gendered. The author discusses the historical background of the Israeli Jewish ideal of manliness, its reinforcement by times of conflict and war, and its impact on the private and the public sphere.

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