A 1980 study of the experiences of about 1,000 Israeli Jews with public administration focused on the status ofprotektzia, or the use of personal connections, both in routine bureaucratic encounters and as an alternative to universalistic redress of grievances. The results showed that Israeli Jews are strongly bicultural in their dealings with public administration, switching easily and often between universalistic and particularistic codes. This article develops the hypothesis that three main sets of factors foster biculturalism: (1) the presence of objective difficulties in obtaining benefits; (2) ethnic solidarity; and (3) illegalism. Cultural factors may be at least as important as the malfunctioning of bureaucracy in promoting biculturalism among Israeli Jews. The article concludes with a brief consideration of how the framework might be extended for a complementary study ofwaasta, or the use of intermediaries, among the Arab population.