ABSTRACT
Zionism was and remains a national movement with the goal of establishing the State of Israel. This chapter shows that the economic processes that set the stage for the migration of labor in a globalized scale may become an inextricable part of the cultural processes whereby religious beliefs, rituals, and symbols are produced, disseminated, and consumed. It traces the creation of Evangelical Churches by and for Latin-American migrant workers within the context of the Jewish state. The chapter relates to the social significance of religious practices and beliefs, both as particular forms of production and consumption, for migrants’ individual and collective identity in the host society. It focuses on the construction of identity via the articulation of symbols, rituals, and religious practices, in “protected” spaces such as immigrant Churches in Israel. The chapter also focuses on the role of immigrant Churches in satisfying the needs for social status, prestige, and power, and recognition within the immigrant community.
