Thursday, August 4, 2016

Religion in Israel - Culture of Israel


Religion in Israel 
Circle frame.svg
Religion in Israel (2014)[1]
  Judaism (74.9%)
  Islam (17.5%)
  Christianity (2.0%)
  Druzism (1.6%)
  other/unknown (4%)
Religion in Israel is a central feature of the country and plays a major role in shaping Israeli culture and lifestyle, and religion has played a central role in Israel's history.Israel is also the only country in the world where a majority of citizens are Jewish. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, the population in 2011 was 75.4% Jewish, 20.6% Arab, and 4.1% minority groups.[2]The religious affiliation of the Israeli population as of 2011 was 75.4% Jewish, 16.9% Muslim, 2.1%Christian, and 1.7% Druze, with the remaining 4.0% not classified by religion, and a small Baha'i community.[3] [4]
Israel does not have a constitution. While the Basic Laws of Israel that serve in place of a constitution define the country as a "Jewish state", these Basic Laws, coupled with Knesset statutes, decisions of the Supreme Court of Israel, and various elements of the common law current in Israel, offer some protection for free practice of religion in the country.[5] [6] Pew Research Center has identified Israel as one of the countries that places "high" restrictions on religion,[7] and there have been limits placed on non-Orthodox streams of Judaism.[8] Legal accommodation of the non-Jewish communities follows the pattern and practice of the Ottoman and British administrations with some important modifications. Israeli law officially recognizes five religions, all belonging to the Abrahamic family of religions: Judaism,Christianity, Islam, Druzeism and the Bahá'í Faith. Furthermore, the law formally recognizes ten separate sects of Christianity: the Roman, Armenian, Maronite, Greek,Syriac, and Chaldean Catholic Churches; the Eastern Orthodox Greek Orthodox Church; the Oriental Orthodox Syriac Orthodox Church; the Armenian Apostolic Church; and Anglicanism.[9] Relations among religious groups—between Jews and non-Jews, between Muslims and Christians, and among the different streams of Judaism, such as Orthodox, Reform and Conservative—are often strained.[5]
Religious self-definition
A Gallup survey in 2015 determined that 65 percent of Israelis say they are either "not religious" or "convinced atheists", while 30 percent say they are "religious". Israel is in the middle of the international religiosity scale, between Thailand, the world's most religious country, and China, the least religious.[10]
As of 2009, 8% of Israeli Jews defined themselves as Haredim; an additional 12% as "religious"; 13% as "religious-traditionalists" ; 25% as "non-religious-traditionalists" (not strictly adhering to Jewish law or halakha); and 42% as "secular" (Hebrew: חִלּוֹנִי,Hiloni).[11] As of 1999, 65% of Israeli Jews believed in God,[12] and 85% participate in a Passover seder.[13] However, other sources indicate that between 15% and 37% of Israelis identify themselves as either atheists or agnostics.[14] A survey conducted in 2009 showed that 80% of Israeli Jews believed in God, with 46% of them self-reporting as secular.[15] Israelis tend not to align themselves with a movement ofJudaism (such as Reform Judaism or Conservative Judaism) but instead tend to define their religious affiliation by degree of their religious practice.
Of the Arab Israelis, as of 2008, 82.7% were Muslims, 8.4% were Druze, and 8.3% were Christians.[4] Just over 80% of Christians are Arabs, and the majority of the remaining are immigrants from the former Soviet Union who immigrated with a Jewish relative. About 81% of Christian births are to Arab women.[16]
Religion and citizenship
Israel was founded to provide a national home, safe from persecution, for the Jewish people. Although Israeli law explicitly grants equal civil rights to all citizens regardless of religion, ethnicity, or other heritage,[17] it gives preferential treatment in certain aspects to individuals who fall within the criteria mandated by the Law of Return, including preferential treatment to Jews and their relatives who seek to immigrate to Israel.[18]
The Law of Return does not strictly follow the traditional Jewish religious law (halakha) in relation to the definition of who is a Jew. For example, some individuals who would be considered Jewish under halakha are excluded from the rights under the Law of Return - e.g. those who converted to another religion; while others are entitled to immigration though they are not considered Jewish under halakha, e.g. they are related by marriage to a Jew or a grandparent may have been a Jew.
Abrahamic faiths
Judaism
Most citizens in the State of Israel are Jewish.[19] As of the end of 2015, Jews made up 74.9% percent of the population.[20]
Secular-traditional spectrum
Secular-religious spectrum of Israeli Jews, 2007[21]
Secular Judaism  67%
Religious Zionism  15%
Haredi Judaism  16%
Cyclists ride down the desertedAyalon Highway in Tel Aviv on Yom Kippur
In 2007, a poll by the Israeli Democracy Institutefound that 27% of Israeli Jews say that they keep the Sabbath, while 53% said they do not keep it at all. The poll also found that 50% of the respondents would give up shopping on the Sabbath as long as public transportation were kept running and leisure activities continued to be permitted; however only 38% believed that such a compromise would reduce the tensions between the secular and religious communities.[22]
Because the terms "secular" and "traditional" are not strictly defined, published estimates of the percentage of Israeli Jews who are considered "traditional" range from 32%[23] to 55%.[24] A Gallup survey in 2015 determined that 65% of Israelis say they are either "not religious" or "convinced atheists", while 30% say they are "religious". Israel is in the middle of the international religiosity scale, between Thailand, the world's most religious country, and China, the least religious.[10] The Israeli Democracy Index commissioned in 2013 regarding religious affiliation of Israeli Jews found that 3.9 percent of respondents felt attached to Reform (Progressive) Judaism, 3.2 percent to Conservative Judaism and 26.5 percent to Orthodox Judaism. The other two thirds of respondents said they felt no connection to any denomination or declined to respond.[25]
Orthodox spectrum
"Tehillim neged Tilim" ("Psalms [recting] to counter Missiles"). A slogan initially coined during the First Gulf War, 1991, and turned into a popular slogan-sticker ever since, especially among the Israeli Religious Zionism("National Religious") community and the Haredi Judaism sector
The spectrum covered by "Orthodox" in the diaspora exists in Israel, again with some important variations.
What would be called "Orthodox" in the diaspora includes what is commonly called dati ("religious") or haredi ("ultra-Orthodox") in Israel.[26] The former term includes what is calledReligious Zionism or the "National Religious" community (and also Modern Orthodox in US terms), as well as what has become known over the past decade or so as Hardal (haredi-leumi, i.e. "ultra-Orthodox nationalist"), which combines a largely haredi lifestyle with a nationalist (i.e. pro-Zionist) ideology.
Haredi Jews
Haredi applies to a populace that can be roughly divided into three separate groups along both ethnic and ideological lines: (1) "Lithuanian" (i.e. non-hasidic) haredim ofAshkenazic (i.e. "Germanic" - European) origin; (2)Hasidic haredim of Ashkenazic (mostly ofEastern European) origin; and (3) Sephardic(including mizrahi) haredim.
There is also a growing baal teshuva (Jewish penitents) movement of secular Israelis rejecting their previously secular lifestyles and choosing to become religiously observant with many educational programs and yeshivas for them.An example is Aish HaTorah, which received open encouragement from some sectors within the Israeli establishment.
At the same time, there is also a significant movement in the opposite direction toward a secular lifestyle. There is some debate which trend is stronger at present. Recent polls show that ranks of secular Jewish minority in Israel continued to drop in 2009. Currently the secular make up only 42%.[27]
Non-Orthodox denominations of Judaism
WOW Torah Reading with Anat Hoffman looking on
Conservative Judaism and Reform Judaism are represented among Israeli Jews. According to The Israel Democracy Institute, as of 2013, approximately 8 percent of Israel’s Jewish population "identified" with Reform and Conservative Judaism, a study by Pew Research Center showed 5% did,[26] while a Midgam survey showed that one third "especially identified with Progressive Judaism", almost as many as those who especially identify with Orthodox Judaism. The Chief Rabbinate strongly opposes the Reform and Conservative movements, saying they are "uprooting Judaism", that they cause assimilation and that they have “no connection” to authentic Judaism.[28] The chief rabbinate's view does not reflect the majority viewpoint of Israeli Jews, however. A survey of Israeli Jews published in May 2016 showed that 72 percent of respondents said they disagreed with the Haredi assertions that Reform Jews are not really Jewish. The survey also showed that a third of Israeli Jews "identify" with progressive (Reform or Conservative) Judaism and almost two thirds agree that Reform Judaism should have equal rights in Israel with Orthodox Judaism.[29] The report was organized by the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism ahead of its 52nd biennial conference.
Secular–religious status quo
The religious status quo, agreed to by David Ben-Gurion with the Orthodox parties at the time of Israel's formation in 1948, is an agreement on the role that Judaism would play in Israel's government and the judicial system. The agreement was based upon a letter sent by Ben-Gurion to Agudat Israel dated 19 June 1947.[30]Under this agreement, which still operates in most respects today:
  • The Chief Rabbinate has authority over kashrut, shabbat, Jewish burial and personal status issues, such as marriage, divorce, and conversions.
  • Streets in Haredi neighborhoods are closed to traffic on the Jewish Sabbath.
  • There is no public transport on the Jewish Sabbath, and most businesses are closed. However, there is public transport in Haifa, since Haifa had a large Arab population at the time of the British Mandate.
  • Restaurants who wish to advertise themselves as kosher must be certified by the Chief Rabbinate.
  • Importation of non-kosher foods is prohibited. Despite this prohibition, a few pork farms supply establishments selling white meat, due to demand therefore among specific population sectors, particularly the Russian immigrants of the 1990s. Despite the status quo, the Supreme Court ruled in 2004 that local governments are not allowed to ban the sale of pork, although this had previously been a common by-law.
Nevertheless, some breaches of the status quo have become prevalent, such as several suburban malls remaining open during the Sabbath. Though this is contrary to the law, the government largely turns a blind eye.
Many parts of the "status quo" have been challenged by secular Israelis regarding the Chief Rabbinate's strict control over Jewish weddings, Jewish divorce proceedings, conversions, and the question of who is a Jew for the purposes of immigration.
While the state of Israel enables freedom of religion for all of its citizens, it does not enable civil marriage. The state forbids and disapproves of any civil marriages or non-religious divorces performed amongst within the country. Because of this, some Israelis choose to marry outside of Israel.
The Ministry of Education manages the secular and Orthodox school networks of various faiths in parallel, with a limited degree of independence and a common core curriculum.
In recent years, perceived frustration with the status quo among the secular population has strengthened parties such as Shinui, which advocate separation of religion and state, without much success so far.
Today the secular Israeli-Jews claim that they aren't religious and don't observe Jewish law, and that Israel as a democratic modern country should not force the observance thereof upon its citizens against their will. The Orthodox Israeli-Jews claim that the separation between state and religion will contribute to the end of Israel's Jewish identity.
Signs of the first challenge to the status quo came in 1977, with the fall of the Labor government that had been in power since independence, and the formation of a right-wing coalition under Menachem Begin. Right-wing Revisionist Zionism had always been more acceptable to the Orthodox parties, since it did not share the same history of anti-religious rhetoric that marked socialist Zionism. Furthermore, Begin needed the Haredi members of the Knesset (Israel's unicameral parliament) to form his coalition, and offered more power and benefits to their community than what they had been accustomed to receiving, including a lifting of the numerical limit on military exemptions for those engaged in full-time Torah study.
On the other hand, secular Israelis began questioning whether a "status quo" based on the conditions of the 1940s and 1950s was still relevant in the 1980s and 1990s, and reckoned that they had cultural and institutional support to enable them to change it regardless of its relevance. They challenged Orthodox control of personal affairs such as marriage and divorce, resented the lack of entertainment and transportation options on the Jewish Sabbath (then the country's only day of rest), and questioned whether the burden of military service was being shared equitably, since the 400 scholars who originally benefited from the exemption, had grown to 50,000. Finally, the Progressive and Conservative communities, though still small, began to exert themselves as an alternative to the Haredi control of religious issues. No one was happy with the "status quo"; the Orthodox used their newfound political force to attempt to extend religious control, and the non-Orthodox sought to reduce or even eliminate it.
In 2010 a report released by the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics showed that 8% of Israel's Jewish population defines itself as ultra-Orthodox, 12% as Orthodox, 13% as traditional-religious, 25% as traditional, and 42% as secular, on a descending scale of religiosity. Among the Arab population it showed that 8% define themselves as very religious, 47% as religious, 27% as not very religious, and 18% as not religious.[31]
Chief Rabbinate
Great Synagogue in Jerusalem, seat of the Chief Rabbinate
It was during the British Mandate of Palestinethat the British administration established an official dual Ashkenazi-Sephardi "Chief Rabbinate" (rabbanut harashit) that was exclusively Orthodox, as part of an effort to consolidate and organize Jewish life based on its own model in Britain, which encouraged strict loyalty to the British crown, and in order to attempt to influence the religious life of the Jews in Palestine in a similar fashion. In 1921, Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook (1864–1935) was chosen as the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi and Rabbi Jacob Meir as the first Sephardi Chief Rabbi (Rishon LeTzion). Rabbi Kook was a leading light of the religious Zionist movement, and was acknowledged by all as a great rabbi of his generation. He believed that the work of secular Jews toward creating an eventual Jewish state in Eretz Yisraelwas part of a divine plan for the settlement of the land of Israel. The return to Israel was in Kook's view not merely a political phenomenon to save Jews from persecution, but an event of extraordinary historical and theological significance.
The Kotel is under the supervision of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel
Prior to the 1917 British conquest of Palestine, the Ottomans had recognized the leading rabbis of the Old Yishuv as the official leaders of the small Jewish community that for many centuries consisted mostly of the devoutly Orthodox Jews from Eastern Europe as well as those from theLevant who had made aliyah to the Holy Land, primarily for religious reasons. The European immigrants had unified themselves in an organization initially known as the Vaad Ha'ir, which later changed its name to Edah HaChareidis.The Turks viewed the local rabbis of Palestine as extensions of their own Orthodox Hakham Bashis ("[Turkish] Chief Rabbi/s") who were loyal to the Sultan.
Thus the centrality of an Orthodox dominated Chief Rabbinate became part of the new state of Israel as well when it was established in 1948.Based in its central offices at Heichal Shlomo in Jerusalem the Israeli Chief rabbinate has continued to wield exclusive control over all the Jewish religious aspects of the secular state of Israel. Through a complex system of "advice and consent" from a variety of senior rabbis and influential politicians, each Israeli city and town also gets to elect its own local Orthodox Chief Rabbi who is looked up to by substantial regional and even national religious and even non-religious Israeli Jews.
Through a national network of Batei Din ("religious courts"), each headed only by approved Orthodox Av Beit Din judges, as well as a network of "Religious Councils" that are part of each municipality, the Israeli Chief Rabbinate retains exclusive control and has the final say in the state about virtually all matters pertaining toconversion to Judaism, the Kosher certification of foods, the status of Jewish marriages and divorces, and monitoring and acting when called upon to supervise the observance of some laws relating to Shabbat observance, Passover (particularly when issues concerning the sale or ownership of Chametz come up), theobservance of the Sabbatical year and the Jubilee year in the agricultural sphere.
The Israel Defense Forces also relies on the Chief Rabbinate's approval for its own Jewish chaplains who are exclusively Orthodox. The IDF has a number of units that cater to the unique religious requirements of the Religious Zionist yeshiva students through the Hesder program of combined alternating military service and yeshiva studies over several years.
A poll conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute in April and May 2014 of which institutions were most and least trusted by Israeli citizens showed that Israelis have little trust in the religious establishment. When asked which public institutions they most trusted, the Chief Rabbinate at 29% was one of the least trusted.[32]
Karaite Judaism
The Karaites are an ancient Jewish community that practices a form of Judaism distinct from Rabbinical Judaism, dating ostensibly to between the 7th and 9th centuries based on textual evidence,[33] [34] [35] though they claim a tradition at least as old as other forms of Judaism with some tracing their origins to the Masoretes and the Sadducees. Once making up a significant proportion of the Jewish population,[36] they are now an extreme minority compared to Rabbinical Judaism. Nearly the entirety of their population, between 30,000 and 50,000, currently live in Israel,[37] and reside mainly in Ramla, Ashdod and Beer-Sheva. There are an estimated 10,000 additional Karaites living elsewhere around the world, mainly in the United States, Turkey,[37] Poland,[38] and elsewhere in Europe.
Samaritans
Israel is home to the only significant populations of Samaritans in the world. As of November 1, 2007, there were 712 Samaritans.[39] The community lives almost exclusively in Kiryat Luza on Mount Gerizim and in Holon. Their traditional religious leader is the Samaritan High Priest, currently Aabed-El ben Asher ben Matzliach. Ancestrally, they claim descent from a group of Israelite inhabitants from the tribes of Joseph (divided between the two "half tribes" of Ephraim and Manasseh), and the priestly tribe of Levi.[40] Despite being counted separately in the census, for the purposes of citizenship, the Israeli Chief Rabbinate has classified them as Jews according to law.[41]
Christianity
9th Station of the Cross on the Via Dolorosa street in Jerusalem. TheChurch of the Holy Sepulchre in the background is venerated by Christians as the site of the Burial of Jesus.[42]
Most Christians living permanently in Israel areArabs, or have come from other countries to live and work mainly in churches or monasteries, which have long and enduring histories in the land. Nine churches are officially recognized under Israel's confessional system, for the self-regulation of status issues, such as marriage and divorce. These are the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic (Latin rite), Gregorian-Armenian,Armenian Catholic, Syriac Catholic, Chaldean,Melkite (Greek Catholic), Ethiopian Orthodox,Maronite Catholics and Syriac Orthodoxchurches, as well as Anglicanism.
Christian Arabs are one of the most educated groups in Israel. Maariv has described the Christian-Arab sector as "the most successful in the education system",[43] since Christian Arabs fared the best in terms of education in comparison to any other group receiving an education in Israel.[44] Arab Christians were also the vanguard in terms of eligibility for higher education,[44] and they have attained bachelor's and academic degrees at higher rates than Jews, Druze or Muslims in Israel.[44]
According to historical and traditional sources, Jesus lived in the Land of Israel, and died and was buried on the site of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, making the land a Holy Land for Christianity. However, few Christians now live in the area, compared to Muslims and Jews. This is because Islam displaced Christianity in almost all of the Middle East, and the rise of modern Zionism and the establishment of the State of Israel has seen millions of Jews migrate to Israel. Recently the Christian population in Israel has increased significantly with the immigration of foreign workers from a number of countries, and the immigration of accompanying non-Jewish spouses in mixed marriages. Numerous churches have opened in Tel Aviv.[45]
Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches
Russian Orthodox Church of Mary Magdalene in Jerusalem.
Most Christians in Israel belong primarily to branches of the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches that oversee a variety of church buildings, monasteries, seminaries, and religious institutions all over the land, particularly in Jerusalem.
Protestants
In modern times, one of the most vocal and active sectors of Christianity in support of Israel has come from the Protestant churches that support Evangelicalism. Each year hundreds of thousands of Christian Evangelicals come as tourists to see Israel.
Messianic Judaism
The Messianic Seal of Jerusalem, a symbol of Messianic Judaism
Messianic Judaism is a religious movement that incorporates elements of Judaism with thetenets of Christianity. They worship God the Father as one person of the Trinity. They worship Jesus, whom they call "Yeshua". Messianic Jews believe that Jesus is the Messiah.[46] They emphasise that Jesus was a Jew, as were his early followers. Most adherents in Israel reject traditional Christianity and its symbols, in favour of celebrating Jewish festivals. Although followers of Messianic Judaism are not considered Jews under Israel's Law of Return,[47]there are an estimated 10,000 adherents in the State of Israel, both Jews and other non-Arab Israelis, many of them recent immigrants from the former Soviet Union.[48] In Jerusalem, there are twelve Messianic congregations[49] . On 23 February 2007, Israel Channel 2 News released a news documentary about the growing number of Messianic Jews in Israel.[50] In Israel Jewish Christians themselves, go by the name Meshiykhiyyim (from Messiah, as found in the Franz Delitzsch Hebrew New Testament) rather than the traditional Talmudic name for Christians Notzrim (from Nazarene).[51] [52]
Islam
Foundation Stone in the Dome of the Rock
Ramadan decorations in Jerusalem
Jerusalem is a city of major religious significance for Muslims worldwide. After capturing the Old City of Jerusalem in 1967, Israel found itself in control of Mount Moriah, which was the site of both Jewish temples and Islam's third holiest site, after those in Meccaand Medina in Saudi Arabia: The Haram al Sharif(Temple Mount) from which Muslims believe that Mohammad ascended to Heaven. This mountain, which has the Dome of the Rock and the adjacent Al-Aqsa Mosque on it, is the third-holiest site in Islam (and the holiest in Judaism). Since 1967, the Israeli government has granted authority to a Waqf to administer the area. Rumors that the Israeli government are seeking to demolish the Muslim sites have angered Muslims. These beliefs are possibly related to excavations that have been taking place close to the Temple Mount, with the intention of gathering archeological remnants of the first and second temple period,[53] [54] as well as the stance of some rabbis and activists who call for its destruction to replace it with the Third Temple.[55]
Most Muslims in Israel are Sunni Arabs with a small minority of Ahmadi Arabs.[56] From 1516 to 1917, the Sunni Ottoman Turks ruled the areas that now include Israel. Their rulership reinforced and ensured the centrality and importance of Islam as the dominant religion in the region. The conquest of Palestine by the British in 1917 and the subsequentBalfour Declaration opened the gates for the arrival of large numbers of Jews in Palestine who began to tip the scales in favor of Judaism with the passing of each decade. However, the British transferred the symbolic Islamic governance of the land to the Hashemites based in Jordan, and not to the House of Saud. The Hashemites thus became the official guardians of the Islamic holy places of Jerusalem and the areas around it, particularly strong when Jordan controlled theWest Bank (1948–1967).
In 1922 the British had created the Supreme Muslim Council in the British Mandate of Palestine and appointed Amin al-Husayni (1895–1974) as the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem. The council was abolished in 1948, but the Grand Mufti continued as one of the most prominent Islamic and Arab leaders of modern times. Israeli Muslims are free to teach Islam to their children in their own schools, and there are a number of Islamic universities and colleges in Israel and the territories. Islamic law remains the law for concerns relating to, for example, marriage, divorce, inheritance and other family matters relating to Muslims, without the need for formal recognition arrangements of the kind extended to the main Christian churches. Similarly Ottoman law, in the form of the Mecelle, for a long time remained the basis of large parts of Israeli law, for example concerning land ownership.
Ahmadiyya
Ahmadiyya is a small Islamic sect in Israel. The history of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Israel begins with a tour of the Middle East in 1924 made by the second caliph of the Community Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad and a number of missionaries. However, the Community was first established in the region in 1928, in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine. The first converts to the movement belonged to the Odeh tribe who originated from Ni'lin, a small village near Jerusalem. In the 1950s they settled in Kababir, a former village which was later absorbed by the city of Haifa.[57] The neighbourhood's first mosque was built in 1931, and a larger one, called the Mahmood Mosque, in the 1980s. Israel is the only country in the Middle East where Ahmadi Muslims can openly practice their Islamic faith. As such, Kababir, a neighbourhood on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel, acts as the Middle Eastern headquarters of the Community.[58] [59] It is unknown how many Israeli Ahmadis there are, although it is estimated there are about 2,200 Ahmadis in Kababir.[60]
Druze
Druze man in Peki'in
Israel is home to about 102,000 Druze who follow their owngnostic religion. Self described as "Ahl al-Tawhid", and "al-Muwaḥḥidūn" (meaning "People of Oneness", and "Unitarians", respectively), the Druze live mainly in the Haifa area, Acre andPeki'in.[61] Since 1957, the Israeli government has also designated the Druze a distinct ethnic community, at the request of the community's leaders. Until his death in 1993, the Druze community in Israel was led by Shaykh Amin Tarif, a charismatic figure regarded by many within the Druze community internationally as the preeminent religious leader of his time.[62]
Bahá'í
The Bahá'í Arc from the International Archives building
The Bahá'í Faith has its administrative and spiritual centre in Haifa on land it has owned since Bahá'u'lláh's imprisonment in Acre in the early 1870s by the Ottoman Empire. The progress of these properties in construction projects was welcomed by the mayor of HaifaAmram Mitzna(1993–2003).[63] As far back as 1969 a presence of Bahá'ís was noted mostly centered around Haifa in Israeli publications.[64]Several newspapers in Israel since then have noted the presence of Bahá'ís in the Haifa area of some 6-700 volunteers with no salaries, getting only living allowances and housing,[65] [66] and that if an Israeli citizen were to wish to convert they would be told that "the religion does not seek or accept converts in the State of Israel"[66] [67] and that if they persist it is a personal matter between them and God and not a matter of joining a community of believers.[66] Bahá'ís generally practice a "staunch political quietism"[63] and "do not engage in any missionary activity in Israel".[63] Even Bahá'ís from outside Israel are instructed to not "teach" the religion to citizens of Israel.[68] As such, self-identifying as Bahá'ís have been noted in Israel: in 1990 World Christian Encyclopedia estimated there were 9500 Bahá'ís, in 2000 near 14,000 were reported,[69] and they continue to grow.[70] Bahá'ís from other countries, wishing to visit Israel, are required to seek written permission from the Universal House of Justice prior to their visit for Bahá'í pilgrimage,[71] although some Baha'is have ignored such notices when not seeking pilgrimage.[72]
Religious minorities
Buddhists
Israel has 6,400 Buddhists, most of whom immigrants practicing Tibetan Buddhism.
Hindus
The small Hindu community in Israel is mostly made up of representatives of theInternational Society for Krishna Consciousness. In 2002, most of the devotees lived in Katzir-Harish.[73]
Neopagans
Although the exact number of adherents are unknown (one old estimate was 150 total), primarily due to societal stigma and persecution, a growing number of young Israelis are secretly reviving the pre-Judaic polytheistic worship of ancientCanaanite gods known as Semitic neopaganism. Additionally, others worship in different neopagan traditions such as Celtic, Norse, and Wiccan.[74]
African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem
Sanctity of Jerusalem, Mount Gerizim, and Haifa/Acre
Jerusalem plays an important role in three monotheistic religions — Judaism,Christianity, and Islam - and Haifa and Acre play a role in a fourth - Baha'i. Mount Gerizim is a holy site to what can be considered a fifth - Samaritanism. The 2000 Statistical Yearbook of Jerusalem lists 1204 synagogues, 158 churches, and 73mosques within the city.[75] Despite efforts to maintain peaceful religious coexistence, some sites, such as the Temple Mount, have been a continuous source of friction and controversy. Jerusalem has been sacred to the Jews since the 10th century BC. The Western Wall, a remnant of the Second Temple, is a holy site for Jews, second only to the Temple Mount itself.[76]
Christianity reveres Jerusalem not only for its role in the Old Testament but also for its significance in the life of Jesus. The land currently occupied by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is considered one of the top candidates for Golgotha and thus has been a Christian pilgrimage site for the past two thousand years.[77] [78] In 1889, theOttoman Empire allowed the Catholic Church to re-establish its hierarchy in Palestine. Other ancient churches, such as the Greek, Armenian, Syrian, and Copticchurches are also well represented in Jerusalem.[79]
In Islam, Jerusalem is the third-holiest city, after Mecca and Medina.[80] [81] The Temple Mount is topped by two Islamic landmarks intended to commemorate the event — al-Aqsa Mosque, derived from the name mentioned in the Quran, and theDome of the Rock, which stands over the Foundation Stone, from which Muslims believe Muhammad ascended to Heaven.[82] As for the importance of Haifa and Acre in Baha'i Faith, it is related to Bahá'u'lláh, who was imprisoned in Acre and spent his final years there. Mount Gerizim is the holiest site to Samaritans, who used it as the site of their temple.
Religious relations
Within the Jewish community
The State of Israel generally respects freedom of religion. Freedom House reports: "Freedom of religion is respected. Each community has jurisdiction over its own members in matters of marriage, burial, and divorce."
Religious tensions exist between Jewish haredi and non-haredi Israeli Jews. Haredi Israeli males devote their young adulthood to full-time Talmudic studies and therefore generally get exemptions from military service in the Israel Defense Forces. Many leaders of haredi Judaism encourage these students to apply for exemptions from the mandatory army service, ostensibly to protect them from the secularizing influence of the Israeli army. Over the years, the number of exemptions has grown to about 10% of conscriptable manpower. Many secular Israelis consider these exemptions to be a systematic shirking of their patriotic duty by a large segment of society.
Political poster for Shas, featuring Eli Yishai.
Haredi Israelis are represented by haredi political parties, which like all smaller parties in a system of proportional representation may tend to wield disproportionate political power at the point when government coalitions need to be negotiated following national elections. As of June 2008, the two main Haredi parties in theKnesset are Shas, representing Sephardi andMizrahi interests, and United Torah Judaism, an alliance of Degel HaTorah(Lithuanian Haredi) and Agudath Yisrael. The Shinui party was created as a backlash to the perceived influence of the haredi parties, and to represent the interests of secular Jews that supposedly were not seen to by the other non-religious parties.
Tension also exists between the Orthodox establishment and the Conservative andReform movements. Only Orthodox Judaism is officially recognized in Israel (though conversions conducted by Conservative and Reform clergy outside of Israel may be accepted for the purposes of the Law of Return). As a result, Conservative and Reform synagogues receive minimal government funding and support. Conservative and Reform rabbis cannot officiate at religious ceremonies and any marriages, divorces, and conversions they perform are not considered valid. Conservative and Reform Jews have been prohibited from holding services at the Western Wall on the grounds that they violate Orthodox norms regarding participation of women.
Tensions exist surrounding Mehadrin bus lines, a type of bus line in Israel which mostly runs in and/or between major Haredi population centers, in which gender segregation are applied. Non-Haredi female passengers have complained of being harassed and forced to sit at the back of the bus.[83] In a ruling of January 2011, theIsraeli High Court of Justice stated the unlawfulness of gender segregation and abolished the “mehadrin” public buses. However, the court rule allowed the continuation of the gender segregation in public buses on a strictly voluntary basis for a one-year experimental period.[84]
Between Jews and Christians
Messianic Jews who are members of Messianic congregations, and separatelyJehovah's Witnesses and evangelical Christians, are among the most active missionary movements in Israel. Their proselytising has faced demonstrations and intermittent protests by the Haredi anti-missionary group Yad LeAchim, which infiltrates those movements, as well as other proselytising groups including Hare Krishna and Scientology, and maintains extensive records on their activities. Attempts by Messianic Jews to evangelize other Jews are seen by many religious Jews as incitement to "avodah zarah" (foreign worship or idolatry). Over the years there have been several arson attempts of messianic congregations.[85] There have also been attacks on Messianic Jews and hundreds of New Testaments distributed in Or Yehuda were burned.[86] While missionary activity itself is not illegal in Israel, it is illegal to offer money or other material inducements. Legislation banning missionary work outright has been attempted in the past.[87]
Orthodox Jewish communities in Israel have come under scrutiny for the negativestereotyping and scapegoating of Christian minorities in the region, including violent acts against Christian missionaries and communities.[88] A frequent complaint of Christian clergy in Israel is being spat at by Jews, often haredi yeshiva students.[89]The Anti-Defamation League has called on the chief Rabbis to speak out against interfaith assaults.[90] In January 2010, Christian leaders, Israeli Foreign ministry staff, representatives of the Jerusalem municipality and the Haredi community met to discuss the problem. The Haredi Community Tribunal of Justice published a statement condemning the practice, stating that it was a "desecration of God's name". Several events were planned in 2010 by the liberal Orthodox Yedidya congregation to show solidarity with Christians and improve relations between the Haredi and Christian communities of Jerusalem.
Marriage and divorce
Currently, Israeli marriage licenses if performed under an official religious authority (whether it be Orthodox Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Druze, etc.) only between a man and a woman of the same religion. Civil marriages were officially sanctioned only if performed abroad, but 2010 changes in Israeli law allow secular marriage in Israel for people that have proven to lack any religion also.[91] [92] This is a major issue among secular groups, as well as adherents to non-Orthodox streams of Judaism. There is fear that civil marriage will divide the Jewish people in Israel between those who can marry Jews and those who cannot, leading to concerns over retaining the character of the Jewish state.
Relative sizes of the religious communities in Israel
Religion in Israel
Pictogram voting info.svg Note: Until 1995, figures for Christians also included Others.[93]
The census results are in thousands.[1] [94]
YearDruzeChristiansMuslimsJewsTotal
194914.534111.51,013.91,173.9
196023.349.6166.31,911.32,150.4
197035.975.5328.62,5823,022.1
198050.789.9498.33,282.73,921.7
199082.6114.7677.73,946.74,821.7
2000103.8135.1970.04,955.46,369.3
2010127.5153.41,320.55,802.47,695.1
2011129.8155.11,354.35,907.57,836.6
2012131.5158.41,387.55,999.67,984.5
2013133.4160.91,420.36,104.58,134.5
2014135.4163.51,453.86,219.28,296.9
In the 2011 census, non-Arab Christians, estimated to number 25,000, were counted as "Jews and others".[95]
See also
References
  1. "Statistical Abstract of Israel 2015".
  2. Haaretz Service (16-09-2009). "Israel on eve of Rosh Hoshanah: Population hits 7.5m, 75.4% Jewish". Haaretz.http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1115060.html. Retrieved 2009-12-26.
  3. Fazel, Seena (2012). THE BAHA’IS OF IRAN: Socio-Historical Studies. p. 223.
  4. "Table 2.1 — Population, by Religion and Population. As of may 2011 estimate the population was 76.0 Jewish. Group" (PDF). Statistical Abstract of Israel 2006 (No. 57). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 2006.
  5. "Israel and the Occupied Territories". U.S. Department of State.
  6. "Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty".
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  8. "U.S. Department of State: 2012 Report on International Religious Freedom: Israel and The Occupied Territories (May 20, 2013)"http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2012/nea/208392.htm
  9. Sheetrit, Shimon (2001-08-20). "Freedom of Religion in Israel". Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Archived from the original on 6 February 2013. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
  10. Who are the most religious people in the world? Haaretz, 14 April 2015
  11. [1] (in Hebrew)
  12. "A Portrait of Israeli Jewry: Beliefs, Observances, and Values among Israeli Jews 2000" (PDF). The Israel Democracy Institute and The AVI CHAI Foundation. 2002. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 June 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-28.
  13. Ib. p.11
  14. "Top 50 Countries With Highest Proportion of Atheists / Agnostics". Adherents.com. 27 March 2005.
  15. "Survey: Record Number of Israeli Jews Believe in God". Haaretz.com.
  16. Moti Bassok (25 December 2007). "Central Bureau of Statistics: 2.1% of state's population is Christian". HAARETZ.com. Retrieved 2008-01-29.
  17. "Proclamation of Independence". 14 May 1948. it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex
  18. Prof. Raphael Cohen-Almagor. "Israel and International Human Rights" (PDF). The Center for Democratic Studies at the University of Haifa.
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  21. Characterization of the Jewish Population by Level of Religiosity Based on Linkage to Educational Institutions, page 20. Israel Central Bureau of Statistics
  22. "Sabbath Poll", Dateline World Jewry, World Jewish Congress, September 2007
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  24. Daniel J. Elazar. "How Religious are Israeli Jews?". Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. Retrieved 2008-01-28.
  25. Poll: 7.1 percent of Israeli Jews define themselves as Reform or ConservativeHaaretz, 11 June 2013
  26. Lipka, Michael (March 15, 2016). "Unlike U.S., few Jews in Israel identify as Reform or Conservative". Pew Research Center.
  27. "Poll Shows Ranks of Secular Jewish Minority in Israel Continued to Drop in 2009". Haaretz.com.
  28. By JEREMY SHARON, SAM SOKOL (February 25, 2016). "Chief Rabbinate in fierce attack on Reform, Conservative movements". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved April 27,2016.
  29. Survey: Majority of Israeli Jews support equality for Reform movement JTA, May 27, 2016.
  30. The Status Quo Letter (DOC) (Hebrew) English translation in Israel in the Middle East: Documents and Readings on Society, Politics, and Foreign Relations, Pre-1948 to the Present, editors Itamar Rabinovich and Jehuda Reinharz. ISBN 978-0-87451-962-4
  31. "Israel 2010: 42% of Jews are secular". ynet.
  32. "Tamar Pileggi 'Jews and Arabs proud to be Israeli, distrust government: Poll conducted before war shows marked rise in support for state among Arabs; religious establishment scores low on trust' (4 Jan 2015) The Times of Israel"http://www.timesofisrael.com/jews-and-arabs-proud-to-be-israeli-distrust-government/
  33. Mourad El-Kodsi, The Karaite Jews of Egypt, 1987.
  34. Ash-Shubban Al-Qarra’in 4, 2 June 1937, p. 8.
  35. Oesterley, W. O. E. & Box, G. H. (1920) A Short Survey of the Literature of Rabbinical and Mediæval Judaism, Burt Franklin:New York.
  36. A. J. Jacobs, The Year of Living Biblically, p. 69.
  37. Isabel Kershner, "New Generation of Jewish Sect Takes Up Struggle to Protect Place in Modern Israel", The New York Times, 4 September 2013.
  38. "Charakterystyka mniejszości narodowych i etnicznych w Polsce" (in Polish). Warsaw: Ministerstwo Spraw Wewnętrznych (Polish Interior Ministry). Retrieved 7 April 2012.
  39. "Developed Community", A.B. The Samaritan News Bi-Weekly Magazine, November 1, 2007
  40. David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Bible Dictionary, 5:941 (New York: Doubleday, 1996, c1992)
  41. Shulamit Sela, The Head of the Rabbanite, Karaite and Samaritan Jews: On the History of a Title, Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, Vol. 57, No. 2 (1994), pp. 255-267
  42. Wikisource-logo.svg McMahon, Arthur. L. (1913). "Holy Sepulchre". In Herbermann, Charles. Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  43. "חדשות - בארץ nrg - ...המגזר הערבי נוצרי הכי מצליח במערכת".
  44. "Christians in Israel: Strong in education". ynet.
  45. Adriana Kemp & Rebeca Raijman, "Christian Zionists in the Holy Land: Evangelical Churches, Labor Migrants, and the Jewish State", Identities: Global Studies in Power and Culture, 10:3, 295-318
  46. Steiner, Rudolf; George E. Berkley (1997). Jews. Branden Books. p. 129. ISBN 0-8283-2027-6. A more rapidly growing organization is the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America, whose congregations assemble on Friday evening and Saturday morning, recite Hebrew prayers, and sometimes wear talliot (prayer shawls). They worship Jesus, whom they call Yeshua.
  47. Daphna Berman. "Aliyah with a cat, a dog and Jesus". WorldWide Religious News citing & quoting "Haaretz," 10 June 2006. Retrieved 2008-01-28.
  48. Larry Derfner and Ksenia Svetlova. "Messianic Jews in Israel claim 10,000". rickcross.com, citing & quoting Jerusalem Post 29 April 2005. Retrieved 2008-01-28.
  49. "Messianic perspectives for Today". leeds Messianic fellowship. Retrieved 2008-01-28.
  50. "Israel Channel 2 News - 23 February 200...". video.google.com. 8 April 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-28. (9 minute video, Hebrew audio, English subtitles)
  51. Avner Falk Franks and Saracens: Reality and Fantasy in the Crusades p4 2010 - 225 "Nonetheless, the Talmudic Hebrew name (as well as the modern Hebrew name) for Christians is not meshikhiyim (messianic) but notsrim (people from Nazareth), referring to the fact that Jesus came from Nazareth."
  52. example: The Christian Church, Jaffa Tel-Aviv website article in Hebrew יהודים משיחיים - יהודים או נוצרים?
  53. "Southern Temple Mount".
  54. "The Destruction of the Temple Mount Antiquities, by Mark Ami-El".
  55. "J’lem posters call for 3rd Temple". The Jerusalem Post - JPost.com.
  56. Ori Stendel. The Arabs in Israel. Sussex Academic Press. p. 45. ISBN 1898723249. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  57. Emanuela C. Del Re (March 3, 2014). "Approaching conflict the Ahmadiyya way: The alternative way to conflict resolution of the Ahmadiyya community in Haifa, Israel". Springer: 116.
  58. "Kababir and Central Carmel – Multiculturalism on the Carmel". RetrievedFebruary 17, 2015.
  59. "Visit Haifa". Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  60. "Kababir". Israel and You. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  61. Identity Repertoires among Arabs in Israel, Muhammad Amara and Izhak Schnell; Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Vol. 30, 2004
  62. Pace, Eric (1993-10-05). "Sheik Amin Tarif, Arab Druse Leader In Israel, Dies at 95". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-03-29.
  63. Adam Berry (September 22, 2004). "The Bahá'í Faith and its relationship to Islam, Christianity, and Judaism: A brief history". International Social Science Review.ISSN 0278-2308. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  64. Zev Vilnay; Karṭa (Firm). The new Israel atlas: Bible to present day. Israel Universities Press. p. 38.
  65. * Nechemia Meyers (1995). "Peace to all nations - Baha'is Establish Israel's Second Holy Mountain". The World & I. Retrieved Mar 5, 2015.
  66. Donald H. Harrison (April 3, 1998). "The Fourth Faith". Jewish Sightseeing (Haifa, Israel). Retrieved Mar 5, 2015.
  67. Universal House of Justice (Jan 13, 2015). "Humanitarian Responses to Global Conflicts". Letters from the Universal House of Justice. Bahai-Library.com. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  68. "Teaching the Faith in Israel". Bahá'í Library Online. 1995-06-23. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
  69. David B. Barrett, World Christian Encyclopedia (2001)
  70. Global Institutions of Religion, page 88, Katherine Marshall - 2013
  71. "Other visits to the Holy Land". Bahá'í World Centre. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
  72. The Middle East and North Africa 2003 - Page 151, Eur
  73. "Waves of Devotion". Waves of Devotion.
  74. http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/paganism-returns-to-the-holy-land-1.272627
  75. Guinn, David E. (2006-10-02). Protecting Jerusalem's Holy Sites: A Strategy for Negotiating a Sacred Peace (1st ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 142. ISBN 0-521-86662-6.
  76. "What is the Western Wall?". The Kotel. Retrieved 2007-03-06.
  77. Ray, Stephen K. (October 2002). St. John's Gospel: A Bible Study Guide and Commentary for Individuals and Groups. San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press. p. 340. ISBN 0-89870-821-4.
  78. O'Reilly, Sean; James O'Reilly (2000-11-30). PilgrFile: Adventures of the Spirit (1st ed.). Travelers' Tales. p. 14. ISBN 1-885211-56-2. The general consensus is that the Church of the Holy Sepulchre marks the hill called Golgotha, and that the site of the Crucifixion and the last five Stations of the Cross are located under its large black domes.
  79. Preserving Identity in the Holy City
  80. Third-holiest city in Islam:
    • Esposito, John L. (2 November 2002). What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam. Oxford University Press. p. 157. ISBN 0-19-515713-3. The Night Journey made Jerusalem the third holiest city in Islam
    • Brown, Leon Carl (15 September 2000). "Setting the Stage: Islam and Muslims". Religion and State: The Muslim Approach to Politics. Columbia University Press. p. 11. ISBN 0-231-12038-9. The third holiest city of Islam—Jerusalem—is also very much in the center...
    • Hoppe, Leslie J. (August 2000). The Holy City: Jerusalem in the Theology of the Old Testament. Michael Glazier Books. p. 14. ISBN 0-8146-5081-3.Jerusalem has always enjoyed a prominent place in Islam. Jerusalem is often referred to as the third holiest city in Islam...
  81. Middle East peace plans by Willard A. Beling: "The Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount is the third holiest site in Sunni Islam after Mecca and Medina".
  82. "The Early Arab Period - 638-1099". Jerusalem: Life Throughout the Ages in a Holy City. Bar-Ilan University Ingeborg Rennert Center for Jerusalem Studies. March 1997. Retrieved 2007-04-24.
  83. "Egged launches 11 'mehadrin' bus lines". Jerusalem Post. December 1, 2006. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  84. Izenberg, Dan; Mandel, Jonah (January 6, 2011). "Court scraps ‘mehadrin’ buses". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  85. Elaine Ruth Fletcher (26 June 2000). "Orthodox Suspected in Jerusalem Conservative Synagogue, Church Attacks". beliefnet.com. Retrieved 2007-01-28.
  86. "Orthodox Jewish youths burn New Testaments in Or Yehuda", HaAretz(Associated Press), 20 May 2008
  87. Larry Derfner (29 April 2005). "A matter of faith". The Jerusalem Post.
  88. Persecution of Christians in Israel: The New Inquisition, Journal of Palestine Studies, Vol. 8, No. 1 (Autumn, 1978), pp. 135–140
  89. Barkat, Amiram (2009-06-27). "Christians in Jerusalem want Jews to stop spitting on them". Haaretz.
  90. "ADL Calls On Chief Rabbis to Speak Out Against Interfaith Assaults In Old City". 2004-10-17.
  91. "Israeli couple become first to be wed in civil union". The Jerusalem Post - JPost.com.
  92. Fleet, Josh (2010-11-04). "Israel To Allow Civil Marriages". Huffington Post.
  93. "Population, by Religion". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  94. "Statistical Abstract of Israel 2014 - No. 65 Subject 2 - Table No. 2".
  95. Juni Mansur (2012) Arab Christians in Israel. Facts, Figures and Trends. Dyar. ISBN 978-9950-376-14-4. pp.13,20
Notes
  1. The Jerusalem Law states that "Jerusalem, complete and united, is the capital of Israel" and the city serves as the seat of the government, home to the President's residence, government offices, supreme court, and parliament.United Nations Security Council Resolution 478 (20 August 1980; 14–0, U.S. abstaining) declared the Jerusalem Law "null and void" and called on member states to withdraw their diplomatic missions from Jerusalem. The United Nations and all member nations refuse to accept the Jerusalem Law (see Kellerman 1993, p. 140) and maintain their embassies in other cities such as Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, and Herzliya (see the CIA Factbook and Map of Israel). The U.S. Congress subsequently adopted the Jerusalem Embassy Act, which said that the U.S. embassy should be relocated to Jerusalem and that it should be recognized as the capital of Israel. However, the US Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel concluded that the provisions of the act "invade exclusive presidential authorities in the field of foreign affairs and are unconstitutional". Since passage of the act, all Presidents serving in office have determined that moving forward with the relocation would be detrimental to U.S. national security concerns and opted to issue waivers suspending any action on this front. The Palestinian Authority sees East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state. The city's final status awaits future negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (see "Negotiating Jerusalem," Palestine–Israel Journal). See Positions on Jerusalem for more information.
Bibliography
  • Leibman, Charles S. Religious and Secular: Conflict and Accommodation Between Jews in Israel. AVICHAI, 1990
  • Leibman, Charles S. and Elihu Katz, eds. The Jewishness of Israelis: Responses to the Guttman Report. SUNY Press, 1997
  • Mazie, Steven V. Israel's Higher Law: Religion and Liberal Democracy in the Jewish State. Lexington Books, 2006
External links

Culture of Israel 
The roots of the culture of Israel developed long before the foundation of the State of Israel in 1948, and reflect Jewish history in the diaspora, Jewish culture, the ideology of the Zionist movement that developed in the late 19th century, as well as the history and traditions of the Arab Israeli population and ethnic minorities that live in Israel, among them Druze, Circassians, Armenians and more.
Tel Aviv and Jerusalem are considered the main cultural hubs of Israel. The New York Times has described Tel Aviv as the "capital of Mediterranean cool," Lonely Planet ranked it as a top ten city for nightlife, and National Geographic named it one of the top ten beach cities.[1]
With over 200 museums, Israel has the highest number of museums per capita in the world, with millions of visitors annually.[2] Major art museums operate in Tel Aviv,Jerusalem, Haifa and Herzliya, as well as in many towns and Kibbutzim. The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra plays at venues throughout the country and abroad, and almost every city has its own orchestras, many of the musicians hailing from the former Soviet Union. Folkdancing is popular in Israel, and Israeli modern dance companies, among them the Batsheva Dance Company, are highly acclaimed in the dance world. The national theatre, Habima was established in 1917. Israeli filmmakers[3] and actors[4] have won awards at international film festivals in recent years.[5] Since the 1980's, Israeli literature has been widely translated, and several Israeli writers have achieved international recognition.[6]
History
With a diverse population of immigrants from five continents and more than 100 countries, and significant subcultures like the Mizrahim, Arabs, Russian Jews,Ethiopian Jews and the Ultra Orthodox, each with its own cultural networks, Israeli culture is extremely varied. It follows cultural trends and changes across the globe as well as expressing a unique spirit of its own. At the same time, Israel is a family-oriented society with a strong sense of community.[7]
'Melting pot' approach
With the waves of Jewish aliyah in the 19th and 20th centuries, the existing culture was supplemented by the culture and traditions of the immigrant population.Zionism links the Jewish people to the Land of Israel, the homeland of the Jews between around 1200 BCE and 70 CE (end of the Second Temple era). However, modern Zionism evolved both politically and religiously.[8] Though Zionist groups were first competing with other Jewish political movements, Zionism became an equivalent to political Judaism during and after the Holocaust.
The first Israeli prime minister, David Ben Gurion, led a trend to blend the many immigrants who, in the first years of the state, had arrived from Europe, North Africa, and Asia, into one 'melting pot' that would not differentiate between the older residents of the country and the new immigrants. The original purpose was to unify the newer immigrants with the veteran Israelis for the creation of a common Hebrew culture, and to build a new nation in the country.
Two central tools employed for this purpose were the Israel Defense Forces, and the education system. The Israel Defense Forces, by means of its transformation to a national army, would constitute a common ground between all civilians of the country, wherever they are. The education system, having been unified under Israeli law, enabled different students from different sectors to study together at the same schools. Gradually, Israeli society became more pluralistic, and the 'melting pot' declined over the years.
Some critics of the 'melting pot' consider it to have been a necessity in the first years of the state, in order to build a mutual society, but now claim that there is no longer a need for it. They instead see a need for Israeli society to enable people to express the differences and the exclusivity of every stream and sector. Others, mainly Mizrahi Jews who are more Shomer Masoret and the Holocaust survivors, have criticized the early 'melting pot' process. According to them, they were forced to give up or conceal their Jewish Masoret and their diaspora heritage and culture, which they brought from their diaspora countries, and to adopt the new secular "Sabra" culture.
Today the cultural diversity is being celebrated; many speak several languages, continue to eat food from their cutural origins, and have mixed outlooks.[9] Also the Anti-religious tendency exists less.
Language
Hebrew ulpan in Dimona, 1955
While Hebrew and Arabic are the official languages of the State of Israel, over 83 languages are spoken in the country.[10]
As new immigrants arrived, Hebrew language instruction was important. Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, who founded the Hebrew Language Committee, coined thousands of new words and concepts based on Biblical, Talmudic and other sources, to cope with the needs and demands of life in the 20th century. Learning Hebrew became a national goal, employing the slogan "Yehudi, daber Ivrit" ("Jew - speak Hebrew"). Special schools for Hebrew language learning, ulpanim, were set up all over the country.[11]
Hebraizing family names was common in the pre-state period and became more widespread in the 1950s. In the early years of the state, a pamphlet was published on how to choose a Hebrew name. The prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, urged anyone who represented the state in a formal capacity to adopt a Hebrew surname.[12]
Education
In 2012, Israel was named the second most educated country in the world according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's Education at a Glance report, released in 2012. The report found that 78% of the money invested in education is from public funds and 45% of the population has a university or college diploma.[13]
Literature
Hebrew Book Week 2005, Israel Museum, Jerusalem
The first works of Hebrew literature in Israel were written by immigrant authors rooted in the world and traditions of European Jewry. Yosef Haim Brenner (1881–1921) and Shmuel Yosef Agnon (1888–1970), are considered by many to be the fathers of modern Hebrew literature.[6]Brenner, torn between hope and despair, struggled with the reality of the Zionist enterprise in the Land of Israel. Agnon, Brenner's contemporary, fused his knowledge of Jewish heritage with the influence of 19th and early 20th century European literature. He produced fiction dealing with the disintegration of traditional ways of life, loss of faith, and the subsequent loss of identity. In 1966, Agnon was co-recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature.[6]
Native-born writers who published their work in the 1940s and 1950s, often called the "War of Independence generation," brought a sabra mentality and culture to their writing. S. Yizhar, Moshe Shamir, Hanoch Bartov and Benjamin Tammuz vacillated between individualism and commitment to society and state. In the early 1960s, A.B. Yehoshua, Amos Oz, and Yaakov Shabtai broke away from ideologies to focus on the world of the individual, experimenting with narrative forms and writing styles such as psychological realism, allegory, and symbolism.
Since the 1980s and early 1990s, Israeli literature has been widely translated, and several Israeli writers have achieved international recognition.[6]
Visual arts
Tiles in the Bezalel style, 1920s
From the beginning of the 20th century, visual arts in Israel have shown a creative orientation, influenced both by the West and East, as well as by the land itself, its development, the character of the cities, and stylistic trends emanating from art centers abroad. In painting, sculpture, photography, and other art forms, the country's varied landscape is the protagonist: the hill terraces and ridges produce special dynamics of line and shape; the foothills of the Negev, the prevailing grayish-green vegetation, and the clear luminous light result in distinctive color effects; and the sea and sand affect surfaces. On the whole, local landscapes, concerns, and politics lie at the center of Israeli art, and ensure its uniqueness.[14]
The earliest Israeli art movement was the Bezalel school of the Ottoman and early Mandate period, when artists portrayed both Biblical and Zionist subjects in a style influenced by the European Art Nouveau movement, symbolism, and traditional Persian, Jewish, and Syrian artistry.
Music
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, 2006
Classical music in Israel has been vibrant since the 1930s, when hundreds of music teachers and students, composers, instrumentalists and singers, as well as thousands of music lovers, streamed into the country, driven by the threat of Nazism in Europe. Israel is also home to several world-class classical music ensembles, such as the Israel Philharmonic and the New Israeli Opera. The founding of The Palestine Philharmonic Orchestra (today the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra) in 1936 marked the beginning of Israel's classical music scene. In the early 1980s, the New Israeli Opera began staging productions, reviving public enthusiasm for operatic works. Russian immigration in the 1990s boosted the classical music arena with new talents and music lovers.
The contemporary music scene in Israel is hugely varied, dynamic and eclectic. It spans the spectrum of musical genres, and often fuses many musical influences, ranging from Ethiopian, Middle-Eastern soul, rock, jazz, hip-hop, electronic, Arabic, pop and mainstream. Israeli music is versatile, and combines elements of both western and eastern music. It tends to be very eclectic, and contains a wide variety of influences from the Diaspora, as well as more modern cultural importations:Hassidic songs, Asian pop, Arab folk (especially by Yemenite singers), and Israeli hip hop or heavy metal. Also popular are various forms of electronic music, includingtrance, Hard trance, and Goa trance. Notable artists from Israel in this field are few, but include the psychedelic trance duo Infected Mushroom.
Dance
Batsheva Dance Company co-founded by Martha Graham and Baroness Batsheva De Rothschild in 1964
Traditional folk dances of Israel include the Horaand dances incorporating the Yemenite step.Israeli folk dancing today is choreographed for recreational and performance dance groups.
Modern dance in Israel has won international acclaim. Israeli choreographers, among themOhad Naharin and Barak Marshall, are considered among the most versatile and original international creators working today. Notable Israeli dance companies include theBatsheva Dance Company, the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company,[15] the Inbal Pinto & Avshalom Pollak Dance Company and the Kamea Dance Company. People come from all over Israel and many other nations for the annual dance festival in Karmiel, held in July. First held in 1988, the Karmiel Dance Festival is the largest celebration of dance in Israel, featuring three or four days and nights of dancing, with 5,000 or more dancers and a quarter of a million spectators in the capital of Galilee.[16] [17] Begun as an Israeli folk dance event, the festivities now include performances, workshops, and open dance sessions for a variety of dance forms and nationalities.[18] Choreographer Yonatan Karmon created the Karmiel Dance Festival to continue the tradition of Gurit Kadman's Dalia Festival of Israeli dance, which ended in the 1960s.[19] [20]
Famous companies and choreographers from all over the world have come to Israel to perform and give master classes. In July 2010, Mikhail Baryshnikov came to perform in Israel.[21]
Museums
Shrine of the Book, Israel Museum,Jerusalem
With over 200 museums, Israel has the highest number of museums per capita in the world, with millions of visitors annually.[2]
Jerusalem's Israel Museum has a special pavilion showcasing the Dead Sea scrolls and a large collection of Jewish religious art, Israeli art, sculptures and Old Masters paintings. Newspapers appear in dozens of languages, and every city and town publishes a local newsletter.
Theatre
Habimah Theater in Tel Aviv
The emergence of Hebrew theatre predated the state by nearly 50 years. The first amateur Hebrew theatre group was active in Palestine from 1904 to 1914. The first professional Hebrew theatre, Habimah, was founded in Moscow in 1917, and moved to Palestine in 1931, where it became the country's national theatre.[22] The Ohel Theater was founded in 1925 as a workers' theatre that explored socialist and biblical themes. The first Hebrew plays revolved around pioneering.
After 1948, two major motifs were the Holocaust and the Arab-Israeli conflict. Moshe Shamir's He Walked in the Fields in 1949 was the first produced by a sabra writing about sabras in idiomatic and contemporary Hebrew. In the 1950s, dramatists portrayed the gap between pre-state dreams and disillusionment. Other plays pitted native Israelis against Holocaust survivors.[22] Beginning in the 1960s, Hanoch Levinwrote 56 plays and political satires. During the 1970s, Israeli theatre became more critical, contrasting extreme images of Israeli identity, such as the muscleman and the spiritual Jew. In the 1980s, Yehoshua Sobol explored Israeli-Jewish identity issues. Today, Israeli theatre is extremely diverse in content and style, and half of all plays are local productions.[22]
Other major theatre companies include the Cameri Theatre, Beit Lessin Theater,Gesher Theater (which performs in Hebrew and Russian), Haifa Theatre andBeersheba Theater.
Founded in 1980, The Acco Festival of Alternative Israeli Theatre is a four-day performing arts festival held annually in early autumn at the city of Acre. the festival became a symbol of coexistence between the city's Jewish and Arab inhabitants.
Cinema
Tel Aviv Cinematheque
Filmmaking in Israel has undergone major developments since its inception in the 1950s. The first features produced and directed by Israelis, such as "Hill 24 Doesn't Answer" and "They Were Ten", tended, like Israeli literature of the period, to be cast in the heroic mold. Some recent films remain deeply rooted in the Israeli experience, dealing with such subjects asHolocaust survivors and their children (Gila Almagor's "The Summer of Aviya" and its sequel, "Under the Domim Tree") and the travails of new immigrants ("Sh'hur", directed by Hannah Azoulai and Shmuel Hasfari, "Late Marriage" directed by Dover Koshashvili).
Others deal with issues of modern-day Israeli life, such as the Israeli-Arab conflict(Eran Riklis's "The Lemon Tree", Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani's "Ajami") and military service (Joseph Cedar's "Beaufort", Samuel Maoz's "Lebanon", Eytan Fox's "Yossi and Jagger"). Some are set in the context of a universalist, alienated, and hedonistic society (Eytan Fox's "A Siren's Song" and "The Bubble", Ayelet Menahemi and Nirit Yaron's "Tel Aviv Stories").
The Israeli film industry continues to gain worldwide recognition through International awards nominations. For three years consecutively, Israeli films ("Beaufort" (2008), "Waltz with Bashir" (2009) and "Ajami" (2010)) were nominated for Academy Awards. The Spielberg Film Archive at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is the world's largest repository of film material on Jewish themes as well as on Jewish and Israeli life.[23]
The main international film festivals in Israel are the Jerusalem Film Festival andHaifa Film Festival.
Cuisine
Israeli breakfast
The heterogeneous nature of culture in Israel is also manifested in Israeli cuisine, a diverse combination of local ingredients and dishes, with diasporic dishes from around the world.[24]An Israeli fusion cuisine has developed, with the adoption and continued adaption of elements of various Jewish styles of cuisine includingMizrahi, Sephardic, Yemeni Jewish andAshkenazi,[25] and many foods traditionally eaten in the Middle East.[26] [27] Israeli cuisine is also influenced by geography, giving prominence to foods common in the Mediterranean region such as olives, chickpeas, dairy products, fish, and fresh fruits and vegetables. The main meal is usually lunch rather than dinner. Jewish holidays influence the cuisine, with many traditional foods served at holiday times. Shabbat dinner, eaten on Friday night, is a significant meal in a large proportion of Israeli homes. While not all Jews in Israel keep kosher, the observance of kashrut influences the menu in homes, public institutions and many restaurants.[24]
In 2013, an Israeli cookbook, "Seafoodpedia," won "Best in World" in its category at the Gourmand World Cookbook Award in Paris, and "Jerusalem, A Cookbook," published by the Israeli-Palestinian team of Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, won "Best in the World" for Mediterranean Cuisine.[28]
Fashion
Israel has become an international center of fashion and design.[29] Tel Aviv has been called the “next hot destination” for fashion.[30] Israeli designers, such as swimwear company Gottex, show their collections at leading fashion shows, including New York’s Bryant Park fashion show.[31] In 2011, Tel Aviv hosted its first Fashion Week since the 1980s, with Italian designer Roberto Cavalli as a guest of honor.[32]
Sports
Gal Fridman, winner of Israel's first Olympic gold medal
Physical fitness received a boost in the 19th century from the physical culture campaign ofMax Nordau. The Maccabiah Games, an Olympic-style event for Jewish athletes, was inaugurated in the 1930s, and has been held in Israel every four years since then.
In 1964, Israel hosted and won the AFC Asian Cup; in 1970, the Israel national football teammanaged to qualify to the FIFA World Cup, which is still considered the biggest achievement in Israeli football. Israel was excluded from the 1978 Asian Games due to Arab pressure, and since 1994 all Israeli sporting organizations now compete in Europe.
Football (soccer) and basketball are the most popular sports in Israel. The Israeli Premier League is the country's Premier Soccer League, and Ligat ha'Al is the premier basketball league. Maccabi Haifa, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Hapoel Tel Aviv andBeitar Jerusalem are the largest sports clubs. Maccabi Tel Aviv, Maccabi Haifa, and Hapoel Tel Aviv have competed in the UEFA Champions League, and Hapoel Tel Aviv reached the Quarterfinal in the UEFA Cup. Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. has won theEuropean Championship in basketball six times. Israeli tennis champion Shahar Pe'erpeaked at 11th on the WTA rank list, a national record. Beersheba has become a national chess center; as a result of Soviet immigration, it is home to the largest number of chess grandmasters of any city in the world. The city hosted the World Team Chess Championship in 2005. Israeli chess teams won the silver medal at the2008 Chess Olympiad and the bronze medal at the 2010 Chess Olympiad.[33] Israeli Grandmaster Boris Gelfand won the Chess World Cup 2009,[34] and played for the World Champion title in the World Chess Championship 2012.[35]
To date, Israel has won seven Olympic medals since its first win in 1992, including a gold medal in windsurfing at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Israel has won over 100 gold medals in the Paralympic Games, and is ranked about 15th in the All-time Paralympic Games medal table. The 1968 Summer Paralympics were hosted by Israel.
Youth movements
Tzofim Israeli scout movement fire ceremony in Tel Aviv
Youth movements were an important feature of Israel from its earliest days. In the 1950s, these movements were categorized in three groups: Zionist youth groups promoting social ideals and the importance of agricultural and communal settlement; working youth promoting educational goals and occupational advancement; and recreational groups with a strong emphasis on sports and leisure-time activities.[36]
Outdoor and vacation culture
Hiking near Lake Kinneret
Camping and hiking are an integral part of Israeli culture. National parks and nature reserves across Israel register some 6.5 million visits a year. Schools and youth groups are taken on annual hiking trips throughout the country, raising children with an affinity for hiking and other outdoor activities. Consequently, many young Israelis take several months to a year off to travel the world, primarily to hike and experience the outdoors in remote, mountainous areas, such as Nepal, India, China, Chile, and Peru.
Along the 190 kilometres (120 mi) of the Israeli Mediterranean coast, two thirds are accessible to bathing activities. Israel has 100 surf bathing beaches, guarded by professional lifeguards.[37] Matkot is a popular paddle ball game similar to beach tennis, often referred to as the country's national sport.[38]
Wedding customs
Yemenite Jewish bride at her henna party, 1958
All marriages between Jews in Israel are registered with the Chief Rabbinate, and the ceremony follows traditional Jewish practice.[39]Civil ceremonies are not performed in Israel,[40]although a growing number of secular couples circumvent this by traveling to nearby locations such as Cyprus.[41] While some Jews in Israel have adopted Western styles of dress, traditional clothing and jewelry are sometimes brought out for pre-wedding rituals, including the Night of the Henna that is very customary practice among Mizrahi Jews.[42]
See also
References
  1. Absolut bottle dedicated to Tel Aviv
  2. "Science & Technology". Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles. Archived from the original on 2007-04-16. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
  3. Israeli film wins award in Cannes Film Festival
  4. Israeli wins best actress at Venice Film Festival
  5. Another Israeli film awarded in Berlin
  6. Focus on Israel: Language and Literature in Israel
  7. Break dancing across the Green Line
  8. Dr. Sergey Zagraevsky. The Past, the Present and the Future of the Jewish nation
  9. Lisa Owings, Israel, 2013, ABDO Publishing Company.
  10. Diverse cultures of Israel on screen
  11. Culture in Israel
  12. In the name of Zionism, change your name, Haaretz
  13. Israel ranked second most educated country in the world, study shows
  14. CultureIL- Art - Everything about Israeli Culture and more
  15. Israeli Dance
  16. "Galilee - Culture". Galilee Development Authority. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
  17. "Karmiel Dance Festival". ACTCOM-Active Communication Ltd. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
  18. "Karmiel Dance Festival". Karmiel Dance Festival. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
  19. "In Israel, Still Dancing After All These Years". Forward Association, inc. 2004-04-16. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-08-23.
  20. "Gurit Kadman". PhantomRanch.net. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
  21. Mikhail Baryshnikov and Ana Laguna to Perform in Israel
  22. Israeli Theatre: A culmination of foreign and native influences
  23. Israeli Culture: Cinema
  24. Characteristics of Israeli Cuisine
  25. A region's tastes commingle
  26. Roden, The Book of Jewish Food, pp 202-207
  27. Gur,The Book of New Israeli Food
  28. Israeli cuisince is having a moment
  29. What’s New in Tel Aviv, by David Kaufman, March 2008.
  30. Promoting Israel in a Downturn, David Saranga, 17 December 2008
  31. Fashion Week: Gottex, 9 September 2008.
  32. Merle Ginsberg (2011-11-21). "Roberto Cavalli Shows Spring 2012 Collection at First Ever Tel Aviv Fashion Week". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
  33. http://www.olimpbase.org/index.html?http%3A%2F%2Fwww.olimpbase.org%2Folympiads%2Fmen_results.html
  34. "World Cup final: Gelfand beats Ponomariov to win the Cup". ChessBase News. 14 December 2009. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  35. "WCh Tiebreak: Anand draws final game, retains title!". ChessBase News. 30 May 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  36. Youth, Culture and Social Structure in Israel, S. N. Eisenstadt
  37. Beach Safety Management
  38. Fogelman, Shay (2009-07-12). "Beach Paddle Battle". Haaretz.
  39. All about Marriage and Weddings in Judaism
  40. Israelis seeking alternatives to traditional wedding ceremonies
  41. Israelis turn to secular weddingsad
  42. "Dress Codes: Revealing the Jewish Wardrobe", An exhibition focusing on this collection was presented at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem March 11, 2014-October 18, 2014
External links
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