Abstract
Although Jews have long imagined the possibility of returning to Zion, modern Zionism incorporated several competing visions of what Israel should be. Ideological, economic, and security concerns affected how these were realized, as when the focus on agricultural settlements gave way to urbanization. Still, Israeli culture has been primarily communal rather than individual, as can be seen in its Declaration of Independence and the nature of its city planning. However, with the rise of capitalism and the privatization of several spheres of Israel life, Western individualism has taken hold.