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ABSTRACT
This article examines the combined use of maps and symbols as an official symbol of political organization. Used in combination, a map and an emblem push the geographical component to the forefront of cultural–political discourse as an element of myth, drawing attention to an aspect that is not a conscious part of daily life. The article explores how the map of the Land of Israel was used as an official symbol by Zionist organizations, and attempts to decipher the political–cultural significance of the symbolic geography they employed. A symbolic map of Eretz Yisrael was adopted by three Zionist organizations: the Jewish National Fund (JNF); HaMahanot HaOlim Socialist–Zionist youth movement and the Revisionist movement. Aside from their differences in mission and raisons d’être, the organizations in this study represent different models of map and symbol usage. The main distinguishing feature was in their use of outlines and borders.
Acknowledgments
The author is grateful to Zefat Academic College, which funded the editing of this article. I would like to thank the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute at Brandeis University for its hospitality, generosity and support; and especially for the privilege of being a Helen Gartner Hammer scholar-in-residence in the summer of 2015.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes
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