| Abstrakt: |
This paper examines a fascinating similarity among three memoirs from different periods of the Yishuv - Zionism before the establishment of the State of Israel. The three memoirs are those of Sara Malkin of the second Aliya, who was recognized as a leading woman pioneer; of Henya Peckleman of the third Aliya, who lived with her mother in conditions of economic hardship and became one of Israel/Palestine's first female construction workers, though she never gained honour or social status, and committed suicide at 35; and the memoirs of Netiva Ben-Yahuda, one of the first female fighters in the Palmach. In these three different life stories, the author identifies a similar social pattern: all three women were excluded from the centers of Zionist activity in which they were involved; in periods marked by life-threatening dangers (such as a war or plague), these women, who transgressed gender boundaries, were all falsely accused of causing death; and this accusation was in turn used as a pretext to remove them from the group and restore gender-order. The article suggests that contradictory definitions of femininity characterize Zionist ideology and practice. This inner contradiction is manifested in the gaps between ideology and practice during the second and third Aliyas, as well as in the status and roles of women in the Palmach. This paper points out and analyzes the intriguing connections between literary devices and social-gendered conditions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
