ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses Ashkenazi, Moroccan and Israeli ethnic models. Ashkenazim are by no means the only source of emulation; "becoming Israeli" is not the only cultural fate which Oriental Jews have in store for them. The young people illustrate the emergence of ethnic group consciousness among Iranians in Israel. The chapter describes how Iranians are consolidating their identity through definitional ceremonies in which they present themselves to themselves in a variety of cultural performances. It argues that Jews of Iranian origin are doing this through the medium of definitional ceremonies, which try to unite Iranians with varying definitions of self and different interests. The Iranian community in Israel, since the 1978 revolution, is composed of old immigrants, the bulk of whom came during 1950-1951; young adults who were bom in Iran or Israel, but were raised in Israel; and new immigrants.
