Gender Differences in the Portrayal of Jewish Teachers in Israeli Films Made Before and After the Establishment of the State, 1932–1956

Abstract:This paper deals with the feminization of teaching as reflected in Israeli films made in the later years of the yishuv and the early years after the establishment of the state. Its exploration of the diverse constructions of the cinematic gender roles of teachers is based on a qualitative analysis of six full-length films released between 1932 and 1956, each featuring a teacher or teachers among the main characters. The growing presence of women teachers in the films made in those years mirrored a global and local process of women’s entry into the educational labor market. While the figure of the male teacher was held up as a spiritual leader and a military commander, the female teacher was constructed as an apprentice, a secretary to her male counterpart or a mother substitute. Notwithstanding the purported Zionist ethos of gender equality, these differing portrayals echo uneven social power and, in turn, contribute to the construction of traditional gender roles and the declining status of teaching in Israel.