Abstract
This article examines how Israeli sitcoms represent immigrant families as sites where ethnic, generational, and cultural tensions are negotiated through humor. Focusing on the shows Nevsu (2017–2022) and Sovietzka (2023), the study explores how Ethiopian and Former Soviet Union (FSU) immigrant families perform “belonging” within Israel’s ethnonational framework. Using thematic analysis, it identifies three key modes through which these sitcoms stage the politics of identity: (1) the management of racism within family dynamics, (2) intergenerational negotiations over cultural authenticity and emotional expression, and (3) the reassertion of the “melting pot” ideal through depoliticized, reconciliatory endings. While both series begin by exposing structural racism and the limits of Israeli inclusivity, they gradually channel conflict into the private sphere resolving tensions through emotional harmony rather than social critique. The study argues that these representations function as a form of emotional pedagogy teaching viewers to frame belonging not as a collective right but as an individual achievement rooted in adaptation and effective self-regulation. By juxtaposing the narratives of Ethiopian and FSU families, this article reveals how Israeli comedy transforms the immigrant experience into a performance of national cohesion, affirming the resilience of the Zionist “melting pot” myth in contemporary television culture.
Recommended Citation
Lavie, Noa and Ramer Biel, Sharon
(2024)
"“Immigrant Families, Now Please Assimilate”: Israeli Sitcoms and the Performance of Belonging,"
Jewish Film & New Media: Vol. 12:
Iss.
1, Article 4.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/jewishfilm/vol12/iss1/4