Few Israelis would dispute that Amer- Hamedinah, a large circular plaza on the Pumpkins and the artist formerly known
ican influence has made a tremendous im- northeast end. You can dine on thick, juicy as Prince at Tower Records on the first
pact on daily life here. It has made the hamburgers in the company of cardboard floor of the shiny Opera Building, one of
country more competitive and capitalistic, movie stars at Planet Hollywood by the dozens of multimillion dollar high-rises
its people more private, materialistic and Tayelet, a curving stone boardwalk that sprouting up. And you can shop in Amer-
career-minded. But they disagree on the stretches from the hotel district in the ican-style malls in and around the city.
benefits and drawbacks of this socioeco- northern edge about three miles south to
In its cultural invasion of the Jewish
nomic development.
Jaffa. You can buy compact discs (for
While many Israelis share Chupak's about $20 each) of popular American
misgivings about Israel becoming Uncle bands such as Pearl Jam, Smashing

BURGEAIRIN

A.,Pri

When McDonald's recently tried to put
up a restaurant in the Art Deco district of
South Beach, it faced strong resistance
from the city's architectural review panel.
The group asked the fast-food giant to
adapt its building's design to the area's
unique style.

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r

Sam Jr., others wel-
come the powerful
tides of American-
ization that have
swept the world.
Most Israelis ex-
press mixed feel-
ings. For thein, the
question is whether
the good outweighs
the bad.
"Americanization
turns culture into a
consumer product,
a capitalistic com-
modity," says Dr.
Eyal Naveh, who
teaches American Studies at Tel Aviv Uni-
versity. "It is happening all over the world,
and it is sad."
But many young Israelis are happy
about it. Eli Ben-Adima argues that for the
most part, the Americanization of Israel
has created positive changes by making
culture accessible to everyone and push-
ing forward all segments of society.
"It is good to modernize," says the 19-
year-old soldier in a knitted kippah, who
grew up in an Orthodox home in Tzfat. "It
opens people's minds and breeds a diver-
sity of opinions. It's bad to stay the same.
In my hometown [on Upper Galilee's tallest
mountain], people haven't changed, they
have not expanded their horizons. You will
not find diversity of opinions there. But
you will find it in Tel Aviv."
In many ways, Tel Aviv is more Amer-
ican than some sections of Miami, Los An-
geles and other U.S. cities. The streets in
Israel's business and cultural center over-
flow with enough Madison Avenue influ-
ences to calm the nerves of the most
alarmist Wall Street analyst. You can find
high-end imports such as Donna Karan
dresses and Liz Claiborne bags at Kikar

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state, America has faced little resistance,
Naveh says. In fact, he notes, Israelis have
welcomed it with open arms not just in
their streets but in their homes, bodies and
minds.
"My [18- and 4-year-old] kids have
stopped reading books," he says, shaking
his head. 'They have become passive. My
son sits in front of the computer all day.
This creates shallow communication skills
and diminishes the importance of human
relationships."

1f '7 ,:ege4 Readtelace

- Wite% eitufsa4

While some nations — like the French
and Chinese — put restrictions on the
spread of Americanization in their home-
lands, Israelis show no intention of con-
structing a floodgate.
In fact, Israelis seem more open at times
to embracing Americanization than Amer-
icans.

The French, meanwhile, blocked Mc-
Donald's from moving into the famed, el-
egant Vavin-Brea Square, where Picasso
once bought paint brushes and other sup-
plies.
Sixteen thousand French signed the
petition to keep McDonald's out of the
square. The French also kept the home of
the Big Mac away from the Eiffel Tower
area.
But in Israel, no one raised a finger
when American food companies destroyed
historic cafes in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Cafe Atara is now a Pizza Hut. The
Jerusalem landmark served Irgun mem-
bers who fought the British and the Arabs
(and other Jewish underground groups)
before the creation of Israel.
Cafe Filtz is now a McDonald's. Locat-
ed on Hayarkon Street in Tel Aviv, it
served as the favorite hangout for British
officers during the Mandate period and for
United Nations officials during their visit

