The tension between Americanism and Jewish cultural identity is manifest throughout the Krichinsky family in the 1990 film Avalon. Although the Krichinsky family is not depicted as explicitly Jewish in the film, their cultural identity is reflects in their Jewish roots, and one of the strongest aspects of that is community bonds. Judaism as a religion and as a culture focuses more strongly on the family and personal relationships than on the individual. “Much of Jewish law concerns the relationship between man and his neighbor” (Rich). In contrast, the foundation of America was created upon independence from Great Britain, and the American identity places much respect and importance on self-sufficiency. While in American culture this ability is extolled as essential, in Avalon, the characters' embrace of individualism begins to distance them from each other. American ideals of individualism and a strong sense of self serve as a catalyst to divide and ultimately lead to the isolation of the Krichinsky family in Avalon. In the opening scene of Avalon, young Sam Krichinsky arrives on the coast of Baltimore, Maryland on Independence Day. The scene is a precursor to the sense of individualism that develops and emerges towards the end of the film. The film opens with Sam's monologue: “I came to America in 1914… And then I came to Baltimore. It was the most beautiful place you had ever seen in your life. There were lights everywhere! What lights they had! It was a celebration of lights! I thought they were for me, Sam, who was in America. Sam was in America! I didn't know what party it was, but there were lights. And I walked under them. The sky exploded, people cheered, there were fireworks! What a welcome... middle of paper ...... At the beginning of the film, the Krichinsky clan can be seen as a cohesive and peaceful family, it is when the values ​​of the new world, of America: a certain combativeness arises. The families' desire to move into their own homes, Izzie's dishonesty, the cutting of the "toikey," and Sam's arrival on Independence Day are all examples where symbols and values ​​of Americanism appear to cause friction and conflict in the family in Avalon. In the end, the aforementioned American values ​​become not positive means of morality, but values ​​of devastating intrapersonal consequences for the Krichinsky unity. Works CitedRich, Tracey R. “Judaism 101: Love and Brotherhood.” Judaism 101. 2007. 16 February 2010. Avalon. Johnson, Marco. Levison, Barry. Mueller-Stahl, Armin; Jacobi, Lou; Gelt, Grant. DVD. Tristar images, 1990.