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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Israel
Index
Moroccan Jewish immigrant and Sephardic rabbi
THE SOCIETY OF MODERN ISRAEL has diverse sources, but the majority
of these sources stem ultimately from Judaism and the modern
political movement called Zionism. Crystallizing in the late
nineteenth century as a response to both the repression of Jews in
Eastern Europe and the non-Jewish European nationalist movements of
the time, Zionism called for the reversal of the Jewish dispersion
(Diaspora) and the "ingathering of the exiles" to their biblical
homeland. Although only small numbers of Jews had resided in
Palestine since the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans
in A.D. 70, the "new Yishuv" (as opposed to the "old Yishuv"
consisting of traditional Orthodox Jewish residents), or prestate
Jewish community in Palestine, dates from 1882 and the arrival from
Russia of a group called Hibbat Tziyyon (Lovers of Zion), intent on
settling the land as part of its fulfillment of the Zionist ideal.
As a nationalist movement, Zionism largely succeeded: much of
the Jewish Diaspora was dissolved, and the people were integrated
into the population of the State of Israel--a self-consciously
modern Jewish state. Along with this political achievement, a
cultural achievement of equal, if not greater, importance took
place. Hebrew, the ancient biblical language, was revived and
became the modern spoken and written vernacular. The revival of
Hebrew linked the new Jewish state to its Middle Eastern past and
helped to unify the people of the new state by providing them with
a common tongue that transcended the diversity of languages the
immigrants brought with them.
Despite these political and cultural achievements--achievements
that Israeli sociologist S.N. Eisenstadt sees as comprising "the
Jewish re-entry into history"--modern Israeli society is still
beset by problems, some of them profound. Among these are problems
found in all industrial and economically differentiated social
systems, including stratification by socioeconomic class,
differential prestige attached to various occupations or
professions, barriers to social mobility, and different qualities
of life in urban centers, towns, and rural localities. For example,
there are significant differences between the quality of life in
the so-called development towns and the rural localities known as
kibbutzim (sing., kibbutz--see Glossary)
and moshavim (sing.,
moshav), respectively collective and cooperative settlements that
are strongly socialist and Zionist in history and character.
Other social problems that Israel faces are unique to its own
society and culture. The role that traditional Judaism should play
in the modern state is a major source of controversy. The tension
between religious and secular influences pervades all aspects of
society. For example, religious practices influence the education
system, the way ethnic groups are dealt with, how political debate
is conducted, and there is no civil marriage in Israel.
The division between the Ashkenazim (Jews of European or
American origin) and Oriental Jews (Jews of African or Asian
origin) is another serious problem. This divisiveness results from
the extreme cultural diversity in the migratory streams that
brought Jewish immigrants to Israel between the late nineteenth
century and the late 1980s. Already-settled members of the
receiving society have had difficulty absorbing immigrants whose
cultures differ so greatly from their own and from each other.
Adding further to cultural disharmony is the problem of the place
of non-Jews in the Jewish state. In Israel non-Jews are primarily
Arabs (who are mostly Muslims, but also Christians and Druzes) a
small number are non-Arab Muslims (such as the Circassians) or
Christians (such as the Armenian residents of Jerusalem). Jewish
Israelis also distinguish between Arabs who reside within the
pre-June 1967 War boundaries of Israel and Arabs who live in the
West Bank, the Golan Heights, and the Gaza Strip--the latter group
is perceived as having no loyalty to the state.
The rift between Arabs and Jews in Israel is, of course,
related to Israel's position in the contemporary Middle East. By
Israeli count, the 1982 invasion of Lebanon was the fifth major
Arab-Israeli war since 1948. This does not count smaller military
actions or larger, more celebrated military actions, such as the
Entebbe raid of July 1976. American political scientist Bernard
Reich has written that "Israel is perhaps unique among states in
having hostile neighbors on all of its borders, with the exception,
since 1979, of Egypt." He adds that this fact has dominated all
aspects of Israeli life since 1948, when the state was established
and was invaded by Arab armies. It might be noted that security
concerns were a striking feature of life (especially after 1929 and
Arab violence against Jews) in the Yishuv as well. To the tension
caused by cleavages between Oriental and Ashkenazi Jews, between
the religious and the secularists, and between Jews and non-Jews
must be added the profound social and psychological stress of
living in a society at war with, and feeling itself to be under
siege by, its neighbors. Many Israelis would also cite the special
stress of having to serve as soldiers in areas regarded by Arab
inhabitants as "occupied territories," a situation characterized,
especially since December 1987, by increasing civil disobedience
and violence.
Data as of December 1988
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