A new study by the Institute for Jewish People's Policy shows that Israeli series strengthen the connection of Jewish Scouts in the Diaspora to Israel, strengthen general Jewish solidarity and even improve Israel's image and image among Jews and non-Jews.
In preparation for the publication of the study led by Dr. Gitit Levy-Paz, several senior figures in the television industry, representatives of government ministries and fund representatives have gathered at the institute in recent days to discuss the research findings and questions regarding the importance of series as a soft Israeli and Jewish power.
The conference participants agreed on another finding of the study - a prerequisite for the success of the Israeli series is the granting of creative freedom to creators and artists to express the complexity of Israeli society without any intervention from the state.
Filming of the second season of Homeld in Israel (Archive)
In the Facebook groups of the series, which have up to tens of thousands of participants, viewers write about their first encounter with Israel, and describe a sense of familiarity, Jewish and Israeli learning.
They describe an "Israeli experience", and the series for them "are like a lesson or a trip to a new place, to a new culture".
The study also shows that for Jews, the Israeli series is more than a "journey of discovery" or study of Israel.
For them, the connection to Israel is a major component of Jewish identity, and therefore the television series meet for them a Jewish identity need.
For American Jews for whom Israel is significant and important and they want to maintain contact with Israel in their daily lives, the series are a fun, inexpensive and relatively simple opportunity to maintain contact and satisfy the identity response.
Get to know Israel through the screen
The study also found that there was a significant connection between watching the series and strengthening the connection to Israel, and the stronger the initial connection to Israel, the more the series strengthened the connection.
In addition, it appears that the series also has a positive effect on Jews who do not have a significant connection to Israel, and especially Jews on those who do not know Israel - the series strengthened Jewish identity and the status of Israel.
According to Prof. Yedidya Stern, President of the Institute for Jewish People's Policy, "We know that images create reality, and at the moment we see from the outside that Israel is a country with only one problem - but we know this is not the case in reality." As a living, vibrant and functioning society, the fact that Israel is pluralistic, that there is no interference in content, the ability of artists and creators to express themselves without intervention, alongside the free market, makes culture a strategic tool both externally and internally. "To give up this soft power. Israel must be turned into a start-up nation in the field of television and cultural entrepreneurship. Through television, it is possible to reflect reality, shape, influence, fight and strengthen the connection between Jews around the world."