Beyond the Myth: Kaniuk’s Critique of Jewish-Israeli Masculinity
Abstract
This essay discusses Yoram Kaniuk’s (1930‑2013) literary approach to Jewish-Israeli masculinity as a performance rather than an essential identity. Instead of rejecting Zionist masculine ideals, Kaniuk created alternative geographic, temporal and symbolic spaces where different masculine performances became possible. The analysis of Himmo King of Jerusalem (1966), Life on Sandpaper (2003), and 1948 (2010) demonstrates fracturing heroic embodiment through abject survival, spatial displacement enabling alternative performance, and temporal distancing that expose the gaps between myth and memory.
Submitted: April 1, 2025 | Accepted: Oct. 19, 2025 | Published Dec. 15, 2025 | Language: en
Keywords Jewish-Israeli masculinity • Trauma • Yoram Kaniuk • Performance of identity • Sabra myth
Copyright © 2025 Adia Mendelson-Maoz. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
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