Street art in Israel

Graffiti written by Jews in this area can be traced back to the 8th century BCE in places such as Beit She'arim. While the most common graffiti were phrases like "Good luck in your resurrection" and “My beloved was here”, more outlandish graffiti was found too, such as "You will come to an evil end if you rob this grave” and "Lasius is a pervert."^[6] And while ancient graffiti was most commonly found near tombs, it also was used in everyday ancient life for various purposes such as advertising a store or mark rows of theater seats to claim ownership. However, as professor Karen B. Stern notes, creating these markings was not an easy task, as “powders and fragments would cover one’s face and fill one’s lungs with dust; hardened dirt, rock, and plaster could push back and split fingernails; and carving implements, including metal nails, blades, and stones, surely drew blood when the lighting faded or surfaces grew unwieldy”.^[7] Ancient graffiti in this area has been found in many languages including Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, and Greek.^[2]

Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's assassination in 1995 by an ultranationalist opposed to his peace initiative^[8] impacted on Israeli society and shattered the sense of political stability. In the aftermath of Rabin's death, graffiti and street art emerged as a powerful form of expression for many young Israelis.^[9] Avigdor Klingman and Ronit Shalev argue that the graffiti produced at this time can be seen as a form of "ritual bereavement" and created a kind of collectivism that allowed individuals to develop an expressive ritual of fellowship which affirmed that one was not alone in grief, anger, shame, or sense of helplessness".^[1] A study of the graffiti near the assassination site in Tel Aviv was carried out, categorizing each piece of art. Set 1 was done immediately after the assassination, and set 2 around 10 months later.

The study noted how Rabin's past as a military leader was combined with his later desire for peace. For example, one piece of graffiti in the square reads "In memory of the peace leader. We will always be with you in fire and water—I salute you, General," while another says "you were our leader in time of war, a prophet in time of hope and the Messiah in time of peace—and our dream was murdered." The graffiti merges Rabin’s contradictions and allows him to be portrayed as both a military leader and a man of peace."^[10]

63% of the signatures were female. Some graffiti was written in English. The most commonly drawn symbols were the Peace sign and the Star of David.^[1] Unlike many other instances of graffiti, this type of graffiti was seen as legitimate. Most remained intact for 15 months. When the government announced plans to erase the graffiti, the public protested and stopped the action.^[10]

Following the October 7 attacks by Hamas and the start of the Israel–Hamas war, Israeli graffiti artists commemorated and memorialized the victims of the attacks, the hostages still held in Gaza, and those who had fought against Hamas or rescued people. It has also become an outlet to speak out against Hamas, and to criticize Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the war.^[11]

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  Mural in Tel Aviv of the kidnapped Bibas family.
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  Memorial graffiti for Inbar Haiman, a graffiti artist known as "Pink", who was murdered in Gaza.
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  Mural of (from left to right) Amit Mann, Ben Shimoni, Awad Darousha, and Aner Shapira, civilian heroes of October 7.
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  Mural depicting Joe Biden as Captain America, protecting Israel.
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  Graffiti equating Hamas and ISIS.
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  Graffiti in Tel Aviv protesting the global women's organizations inaction and ignoring of the evidence of sexual violence in the context of the 7 October attacks.

 

The Israeli West Bank barrier has become known for its political graffiti. It first began to garner international attention in 2005, after the anonymous British graffiti artist Banksy visited and left nine works on the barrier. This inspired other acclaimed international street artists to paint on the wall, such as Blu, Paul Insect and Sam3. These efforts, and subsequent exposure in the media, resulted in almost one million dollars being raised for Palestinian charities. The art on this barrier is often referred to as a form of Sumud, what literary scholar Tahrir Hamdi calls "creative resistance."

Local Palestinian artists also have a large presence on the wall, whether that is creating their own art or "Palestinizing" the wall art made by others. For example, as a local youth explained, "Someone bricked up the window Banksy painted on the wall. Maybe they didn't like his work, or the idea of a beautiful landscape. For me, the issue is not about rejecting the view but whether it's the right time to imagine it".

The Israeli government often has tried to censor Palestinians from using graffiti and street art as a form of resistance or communication. During the First Intifada, graffiti “became a way to organize protests, strikes, and rallies; to affirm allegiances; to warn against collaboration; and finally, to demarcate political boundaries.”^[12] To stop this, Israeli forces imposed fines, threatened imprisonment, and collaborated with local Palestinians to remove the works they found the most troubling, such as those with heavy references to the Nakba.^[13]

Some Palestinian critics view these pieces of art as further eroding their sovereignty over their space. Others accuse artists of beautifying the wall and creating artistic tourism that actually helps legitimate its presence. There are also concerns that such murals do not actually challenge Israeli authority.

Recently, with the rise of the so-called "electronic Intifada", graffiti has taken a step back in terms of prominence for Palestinian resistance. There even was an website with a virtual separation barrier, where users could "tag" or "bomb" it with protest art.^[12][14]

 

Tel Aviv's Florentin neighborhood is known for its vibrant street art scene. Young people are attracted to this area due to the low rents.^[15] Florentin has long been the focus of urban renovation plans and many buildings have been marked for demolition. These abandoned buildings have become canvasses, leading to a flourishing graffiti culture.^[16] Researcher Caroline Rozenholc notes that the "dark reputation accumulated through years of poverty and lack of municipal concern is nowadays dissolving into a sense of 'authenticity.'”^[17]

As much of Florentin's population is low-income, even "smiles, when they appear, can be distorted and twisted, or bordering on lunacy."^[16] Graffiti in Florentin is often politically charged and created by rival political groups. In one instance, for example, the slogan "The infiltrators [African migrants and refugees] are a cancer" was changed to read "racism is cancer." Graffiti wars are quite common, with some being changed over and over.^[18]

Some say that the fast-paced gentrification of the neighborhood is causing the art on its streets to dwindle, and an outcry ensued when some of the street art was painted over by the municipality.^[19] On the other hand, locals are sometimes upset by the proliferation of private street art tours, showing their displeasure with graffiti displaying the message "FUCK UR TOURS." One resident observed that "The tours may be keeping this area alive, but the large amount of dense graffiti creates a sort of layer of makeup on an area that is actually dead. Something about the tours causes me, as a resident, to feel like an animal in the zoo". In response, veteran graffiti artists have stopped working in the neighborhood, favoring less touristy spots in the center of the city.^[20]

Street art in Jerusalem is different than it is in other parts of the country. There have been multiple deliberate projects designed to bolster the presence of graffiti in the capital, mainly by the director of the Jerusalem Center Development Company, a branch of the Jerusalem Development Authority. To be legal, before implementation the designs are subject to approval by both the local authorities and the adjacent residents and business owners who may be impacted by the artwork. Moreover, there are official guidelines in place that prohibit any depictions of political ideologies, violent content, or other unsuitable imagery.^[21]

 

Spearheaded by Solomon Souza (grandson of artist F. N. Souza), the Mahane Yehuda Market has turned into one of the most impressive spots in Jerusalem for street art. Souza has spray-painted over 250 works on the shuttered stalls in the market, depicting well-known contemporary and historical figures.^[22] During the week, when the market is open, most of the art is not visible. However, on Shabbat, the market is generally closed and any passersby can admire the work. Notable figures depicted are:

• Hannah Szenes—Jewish World War II hero
• Abraham Joshua Heschel—American Rabbi and civil rights activist
• Gracia Mendes Nasi—Sephardi woman who helped Jews flee the Inquisition
• Mahatma Gandhi—Indian nationalist leader and nonviolence advocate
• Steven Spielberg—Jewish-American filmmaker
• David Ben-Gurion—first Prime Minister of Israel
• Moses—prophet and leader of the Jewish People
• Rabbi Ovadia Yosef—Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel and spiritual leader
• Ada Yonath—Israeli Scientist
• Jonathan Pollard—Israeli-US spy who sold US state secrets
• Sophie Scholl—German anti-Nazi resistance fighter
• Sheikh Farid al-Jabari—a senior clan leader in Hebron
• Golda Meir—first female Prime Minister of Israel^[23]

So far, Souza has completed these murals without any help from the city or third parties, although he is open to working with the municipality or foundations in the future. Souza has said that it has been easy to get permission from the shop owners to paint their shutters, with some even requesting a favorite rabbi or the family patriarch.^[24]

Akin to Florentin, the historic Beit Ya'akov neighborhood became run-down in recent years. That is why, according to Hila Smolyanski, director of the visual arts department at the Jerusalem Municipality, this neighborhood was selected by the city to undergo a cultural project. The project, named Tabula rasa (meaning blank slate), was done by 30 artists to create murals and other street art on poles, walls, balconies, shops and doors to revitalize the area. Some of the artists are well-known and have frequented galeries, other are more notorious local graffiti artists.^[25] Then Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat explained that the project is “a joint venture between the merchants, the Student Union and the municipality.”^[26]

The penalty for illegal street art in Israel can be a fine or up to a year in prison.^[27] In April 2023, a Bnei Brak resident was arrested for graffitiing “Rabin is a terrorist, war criminal” on a Rabin memorial in Tel Aviv.^[28]

• Culture of Israel