ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses how the social unconscious of Israeli Jews, and their European legacy, affects the attitude towards Europe. The long shadow of the Holocaust hovers above Israelis. Unconscious social processes, especially the impact of the Holocaust on descendants of survivors, are analysed through two well-known Israeli books, and portrayed through clinical vignettes.
The attitude towards Europe and Europeans by Israeli Jews is complicated and ambivalent. On the one hand Europe is perceived in positive terms and is idealized as a civilised place and a model for good manners and “high culture”. However, the impact of anti-Semitism, the memories of the Holocaust and centuries of persecution, and the fact that Europe is a Christian continent, unconsciously negatively affect how Israeli Jews relate to Europe, associating this “civilized” place with deep dark drives and threats.
