Yesh Matsav

Street graffiti is one way of getting to know a country and Israel’s wall art is no exception. It reflects a country that is self-reflecting, deeply irreverant, and often despairing; a country divided and torn about how they see themselves and the world outside.  The lower image features one of the country’s most popular street symbols that has laid the groundworks for an existential conversation  among Israel’s graffiti artists. The phrase, taken from an old song, means “The people of Israel lives,” and has long been a patriotic anthem. But for years graffiti artists have distorted the phrase, turning “chai,” which means “life,” into other words such as “chayot,” meaning “animals,” such that the phrase reads “The people of Israel are animals,” or “The people of Israel live in a dream,” (Am Israel chai be’chalom) one of my favorite variations on the theme.