SocialEthnic Challenges

1
Social-Ethnic Challenges

• Old and new

2
Immigration (Aliyah Ascent) Synopsis

• 1948-1992 2.3 Million Jewish Immigrants
• Yearly average 50,000
• Jewish population (year 2000) 5 Million
• Arab population 1.3 Million
• Total population today 7,000,000
• Emigration (YeridahDescent) 1948-1979
  318,000
  
• Four Waves
• 1948-1951 - 700,000
• 1955-1957 165,000
• 1972-1979 268,000
• 1989-1992 475,000

3
Waves of immigrationBefore 1967

• 1948-1951 700,000
• Half from Middle-Eastern Countries
• - Doubling Jewish population
• - Changing ethnic composition
• 1955-1957 165,000
• Mostly from North-Africa
• 1961-1964 228,000
• From various countries

4
1967-1977 turning point

• 1967 Immigration responding to pull factors
• Change in Immigration composition
• Growing liberalism? Pluralism
• Growing rage against former authoritarianism
• 1977 Throwing MAPAI as the symbol

5
Post 1967

• 1972-1979 268,000
• - half from Soviet union
• - Mainly from western-European
• provinces
• - Zionism and Jewish heritage
• 1980-1989 154,000
• 65 from the West
• 11 from Ethiopia (Moses Operation)
• 6 from Iran
• 1989-1992 475,000 from Former Soviet Union
• Mainly Russia, Ukraine and Asia
• 30,000 from Ethiopia (Solomon Operation)
• By year 2000 877,000 Soviet Jews immigrated to
  Israel
  
• 55,000 Ethiopian immigrants 21,000
  Israeli-born
  

6
The State

• Continuing encouragement of immigration the
  raison d'étre of the Jewish state
  
• The profound role of the state and the JA in
  absorption
  
• The transformation of government approach to
  absorption
  
• Liberalization
• Response to social criticism
• New types of immigrants

7
The challenge of former Oriental Olim

• Success
• Growing involvement in government, army,
  bureaucracy
  
• Growing presentation in academia
• Profound presentation in popular culture

• challenge
• Growing cultural-ideological demands (Arab Jews
  cultural legacy)
  
• Envy and frustration in response to Russian
  immigration
  
• Growing political self-awareness and social
  struggle (Keshet Mizrahit)
  

8
Political activity

• Political parties as channels for social,
  political, economic integration
  
• continuing legacy
• crucial ingredient in Israeli democracy
• Oriental religious (SHAS)
• Russian secular party (Israel Baaliyah)
• Crossing lines of Left and Right

9
Change and New Challenges

• The unique challenge and response to Ethiopian
  immigration
  
• The struggle between old ideas of "new Jew" and
  post-modern cultural pluralism
  
• Interaction between Political and social
  challenges Arabs, peace, religion