Boycotting German and Germany: Artistic Censorship and the Creation of Israel (1948-1967)

This article discusses the artistic censorship of German and Germany in Israel between 1948-1967. During these years, with various fluctuations, the Israeli Film and Theatre Review Board, the agency in charge of artistic censorship, actively censored films, plays and concerts in German. Relying on previously undiscussed archival data, the article tracks the contours of this censorship, from its adoption upon the establishment of the state, to its eventual demise after full diplomatic relations were established between Israel and West Germany. In doing so, the article makes three arguments. First, Israeli censorship, at least initially, embraced the censorship policy adopted by Jews in Mandatory Palestine, and Jews globally prior to World War Two. Second, Israeli censorship policy closely tracked diplomatic developments with West Germany. Third, Israeli censorship, because it was adopted after 1945, was not primarily intended to harm German economic interests, but rather to protect the feelings of the Israeli public generally, and Holocaust survivors specifically. In this way, it played a critical role in the formation of the new Israeli identity and the construction of the new nation state.

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