Reflections on the israeli ‘griping’ ritual

The “griping�? chapter was written shortly after the “communication�? chapter, and its Hebrew version was published in 1982. Each of them, although in different ways, embodies my understanding of both American and Israeli cultural communication forms. Thus, although these studies are examples of “cultural communication,�? they are also the product of “cultures in contact.�? Moving back and forth between Israel and the United States has helped to heighten my sensitivity to my ‘home scene’ as well as to deepen my understanding of American cultural ways. Given my familiarity with both cultures, I have recently become interested in questions of cultural influence, or, as some Israeli commentators have put it, in communicative expressions of “the Americanization of Israel.�?.