This picture is the inspiration for my ethnography. Her name is Ziva David and she is one of the main characters of the television show NCIS. Ziva is not your stereotypical Jewish woman. She has come to the United States and became part of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service to protect marines and solve murders or myseteries dealing with marines. I watch this television show probably too much but have grown to follow the characters as the story goes on. Ziva is probably one of my favorite characters on the show because she breaks the stereotypical version of Jewish women. She is strong physically and emotionally and very skilled in martial arts and using a weapon. I believe that Ziva is a good role model and a very interesting person. The more I watch this show, which is pretty much every day, the more I enjoy working on my project.
http://janetdcohen.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/janet_jpg_072006_248.jpg
Diana,
ReplyDeleteDoes Ziva come from Israel? If so, there are other models for Jewish women that probably fit her profile. In fact, women make up almost half of the military in Israel. You should look into that and see if it helps you frame a question or research focus, for example, what's the difference between a Jewish woman's role and an Israeli woman's role? Which is Ziva more like? How is she understood by the US audience of that show (as Jewish or Israeli)?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8005198.stm
ReplyDeleteHere is a BBC article about U.S. military women soldiers and their exposure to sexual violence. For a U.S. woman, it is voluntary to enlist/commission in the military, but for an Israeli woman it is obligatory. It would be a very interesting study to learn about the differences or similarities that women face in the U.S. military and the Israeli military, respectively. I know that women in Israel serve on the front lines in battle, can fly combat missions, let alone fly, etc..., whereas U.S. women cannot. Does that have anything to do with the sexual violence and discrimination so present in the U.S. military? Not to add to your project a cross-cultural study, this article just reminded me of Ziva and your project.
Sorry--reloading a misplaced post:
ReplyDeleteI think you have a great topic for your class project, if for no other reason that I too am a fan of NCIS.
The actress that plays Ziva David is in real life a Chilean - Cote de Pablo. You mentioned race as an inspiring factor for your research.
I'm thoughtful about why a Chilean was cast to play an Israeli military officer. The show is successful in portraying a foreigner, it is just curious that a native of one country, Chile, is portraying that of another--Chileans and Israelis would not immediately come to my mind as capable of impersonating one another. Then again, as this show is fiction, and set in the United States, and so long as the actor/actress speaks with an accent and has a particular look--I initially imagine Israelis as Middle Easterners, therefore having darker complexions--it is enough to get away with, and I buy Ziva's character as that of a real Israeli. Plus, with acting as a profession, it is basically a requirement that a person should accurately impersonate a given character--in other words, Cote de Pablo is passable as an Israeli.
As I have no other exposure to Israeli people or women except for the Israeli representatives at Miss Universe beauty pageants, Ziva has greatly influenced my perception of Israeli women--particularly professional military women. I am excited to learn if your research reveals NCIS/Ziva David/Cote de Pablo is an accurate representation of modern Israeli women, or refutes it.
I think your project is very interesting. Have you compared her image to that of other fictional Jewish characters? One person that comes to mind is John Munch in Law and Order SVU. There are several episodes that are based around his Judaism, where he has to explain custom and tradition to his partners. Munch also seems to be the philosophical voice of reason. Do either of these examples take place in NCIS, or do they portray her differently.
ReplyDeleteI thought that your presentation was very interesting. I actually came across the show as I was flipping channels and decided to watch it. I had seen the show a couple times before, but had never really followed it. I love watching those kinds of shows but I usually just watch SVU. I had not really seen the underlying tone of the NCIS show until you had pointed them out in your presentation. Now, I find myself looking for those certain tones when I am watching the show.
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