Jewish identity in Israel

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Jewish identity in Israel
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Our plan for today

• The political-religious connection
• A map of religious groups
• Some historical landmarks of religion in Israel.
• The theological roots attitude of four main
  religious groups to Zionism and redemption
• Focus on UO sector characteristics and
  contemporary trends.
• (Radical RZ and Shas overview)
• (The secular-Religious conflict in Israel).

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Na Nach Nachma Nachman Meuman
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The commonly perceived religious/political
dichotomy
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A more accurate partition
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Each of these sub-divide too
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Demographics of Jewish Population in Israel

• 40-45 secular (5 anti-religious)
• 35 - 40 mesorati (traditional)
• (27 non religious mesorati
• 12 religious mesorati)
• 9- 12 Orthodox
• 5-10 Ultra-Orthodox

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Faith and praxis are not equivalent to sectorial
grouping
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Religious Jews and the State of Israel,
historical perspective
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timeline

• 1945 - Few UO Holocaust survivors
• 1947 - Ben Gurions Status quo with Aguda.
• 1949 - Unified religious front part of first
  government (includes Haredim)
• 1950s - First conflicts Aguda leaves government
  over women soldiers, Ben Gurion resigns over
  Yemenites religious education.
• 1962 - Legal issues Who is a Jew? Brother Daniel.

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timeline

• 1977 Religious parties caused downfall of
  government over desecration of Sabbath.
• Gradually, increased power, more political
  parties. (in current Knesset 3 umbrella parties)
• 1999 the ½ million demonstration against high
  courts anti religious bias.
• 2000 Tal Law attempt to regulate and minimize
  UO exemption from IDF service.

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The roots attitude to redemption, Messianism,
zionism
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In sum, four main religious stances to Israel are

• Extreme rejection of Zionism, demonization of
  Israel.
• Rejection of secular character of State.
• Compartmentalization
• Expansion Israelongoing redemption.

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The two extremes, radical uo and radical rz,
share the following

• Deterministic messianism
• Essentialism
• Perfectionism
• This leads both to reject the state of Israel,
  its law, and pragmatic politics.
• (Ravitzky, 1993)

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Moderate UO and moderate RZ share the following

• A commitment to Jewish Israeli peoplehood
• An attempt to direct Israel to a more religious
  path.
• (relatively) pragmatic political involvement.

However, they differ on

• The question of Zionism
• Stance towards modernity
• Stance towards the secular
• Stance towards army service, state civil religion
  and common narrative.

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The UO sector, some basic characteristics
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The UO sector, some basic characteristics

• About 600,000 people today.
• Although presented as traditional, are a modern
  phenomenon traditionalists.
• Ultra Halachically observant Orthopraxis as
  core.
• Value religious radicalism.

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The UO sector, some basic characteristics

• Enclave community.
• Learners community.
• Comprehensive religious norms govern all areas
  of life from show lace tying to agricultural
  planting.
• Hierarchical The table test.
• Overtly, still a-zionist (most) or anti-zionist
  (minority). However, many identify with Israeli
  public participate in Zionist political system.

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The UO sector, some basic characteristics

• very poor population (56 below poverty line,
  earn on average ½ of Israeli populations salary)
• Strong gender segregation
• High rate of childbirth (n6.5)
• Anti-modernity values, but not technology.
• Gradually changing in both radical and modern
  directions.
• Complex theological changes.

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Some recent trends in UO sector
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On the one hand
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Influence of radicalism
All the Great leaders of Israel have warned us
that the impurity of Zionism is the root and
source of all the troubles that are in the world,
spiritually and concretely.
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Mehadrin bus lines
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Sukkot fair men only
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Extreme modesty In beit shemesh
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Non-employement
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Increased political involvement
Answer to the soldier and the policeman
According to the laws of the Torah it is
forbidden completely to transfer Jewish land to a
non-Jew.
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Increased expressions of racism
Warning Preserve your souls! A serious
warning to the population that rides Geula taxis
between Bnei Brak and Jerusalem Beware, most of
the drivers are Arabs, avid supporters of Hamas.
Their Koran commands every single Arab to destroy
the Jews.
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And on the other hand
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Computers are becoming more common
The danger of the computer. Recently new
destructive focres that we never imagined have
caused many of us to bring into our homes through
computers poison that kills, God forbid, and
threatens to destroy the entire sanctity of the
Jewish home
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IDF Haredi units
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Materialism and consumerism increase
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Recent efforts to involve haredim in workforce
succeeding
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Western values make their way into the family
sphere
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So which trend will prevail?