ABSTRACT

The American comedian Danny Kaye was an international star of stage and screen for more than three decades, beginning in World War II. During his career, Kaye visited the state of Israel more often than any other Hollywood celebrity. This article tracks Kaye’s trajectory from a reluctant Jew to a champion of Zionism. It looks at the Israeli government’s early efforts to incorporate popular figures like Kaye into its public diplomacy infrastructure designed to boost the country’s international image. It emphasizes the role that Kaye’s highly choreographed visits to Israel played in winning him over to Zionism and in making him such a valuable pro-Israel advocate. The article argues that Danny Kaye was a trailblazer for today’s generation of celebrity activists and points to the importance of the Hollywood-Israel relationship to the wider alliance between Israel and the United States.

摘要

从二战开始，美国喜剧演员丹尼·凯伊 (Danny Kaye) 是舞台和银幕的国际明星长达 30 多年。在他的职业生涯中，凯伊访问以色列的次数比任何其他好莱坞名人都要多。这篇文章追踪了凯伊从一个不情愿的犹太人到犹太复国主义拥护者的轨迹。它着眼于以色列政府早期将凯伊等知名人物纳入其旨在提升该国国际形象的公共外交基础设施的努力。它强调了凯伊精心安排的对以色列的访问在赢得他支持犹太复国主义并使他成为如此有价值的亲以色列倡导者方面所起的作用。