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Shalom Freedman is an American-born writer on Jewish subjects who has lived and worked in Israel for many years. His book, , was recently been published by Urim Books.
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By Shalom Freedman
November 19, 2002
The threat to the Jewish character of the Jewish state is growing more and more severe. This is first and above all because of the much higher (two and one half times higher) birth rate of the Arab population. But it is also because of three other factors which have only come into play in recent years. One is the large number of guest workers who are choosing to make Israel their permanent home. A second reason is the large number of non-Jews who have been part of the wave of immigration from the Soviet Union. A third factor is the illegal residence in Israel of a large number of Arabs from across the Green Line, including many who have moved from the Hebron area into Jerusalem.
If in 1960 Jews constituted eighty-nine percent of the state, today they constitute only seventy-eight percent. And this official number does not include the large number of unregistered foreign workers or Arabs residing illegally in Israel.
A considerable part of Israel's Muslim population has rejected its own minority status and refuses to consider itself part of the Jewish state. A great share of Israeli Arabs are, in their own eyes, Palestinians who believe the demographic factor will lead to the day when the state becomes not a Jewish state, but a "state of all its citizens." This is for them a stage toward the eventual transformation of the country into a part of the larger Arab world, i.e. making it into yet another Arab state.
As for the large group of non-Jews, estimated at between three hundred and five hundred thousand, who came with the wave of aliyah from the former Soviet Union, it is clear that the great majority of them will make no serious effort at Halachic conversion. A certain number of these non-Jewish immigrants are actually believing Christians who are crowding Israel's Orthodox Christian churches on Sundays more than ever before.
As for the guest workers, the same reality applies here as has been seen in most countries of Western Europe. The workers first come temporarily, but tempted by the higher standard of living, they extend their stay and eventually begin bringing their families over. There is a growing population of young people among this group who will in time have Israeli citizenship, but will not be Jewish.
At present there is no sign of the non-Jewish populations cooperating politically. But should they do so, it is likely that the first item in their platform will be to detach Israel from the Jewish people, and make it the 'state of all its citizens' that the Arab minority so desperately wants.
There is another alarming sense in which Israel is becoming less Jewish. The extreme polarization between the religious and the secular has resulted in secular Jews moving farther and farther away from Jewish tradition. The unfortunate efforts at religious coercion on the part of the ultra-Orthodox have led to a backlash in the larger secular society. The grandchildren of many of those secular Jews who were founding fathers of Israel are often simply ignorant of Judaism.
It appears that the broad, moderate, Masorti, or traditional center of the Jewish people is being reduced from both sides. Therefore, a broad consensus around a few basic principles of Jewish and Israeli identity is becoming less and less likely. This is reflected in the increasing numbers of young people who, for one reason or another, do not serve in the army. Already forty-five percent of those of enlistment age, including religious youths who opt for yeshiva studies as well as others, find their way out of it.
Countering this process of diminishing Jewishness is likely to be more difficult than it has been in the past. Aliyah, the traditional answer, is more and more problematic as assimilation increases in the Diaspora. Aliyah from the former Soviet Union is a good example of this. Perhaps a large infusion of religious Jewish immigrants might help, but it may well be that the numbers are not large enough to make a vital difference.
Certainly efforts to facilitate conversion of Israel's non-Jewish immigrant population, without sacrificing authenticity, should be increased. Until now, the numbers of converted immigrants have been small, and most have managed to live without it. The non-Jewish population of Israel is already so large that it can show some contempt for the majority's institutions.
Still another suggested remedy for the problem is the bringing to Israel of large numbers of crypto-Jews from various parts of the world. This idea of mass immigration of communities that identify themselves as being lost members of the Children of Israel makes certain sense but may too be Utopian, as there are no signs that those masses are on their way here.
One additional possible answer is through peace negotiations, in which the Arab party to the conflict is ceded certain heavily populated areas within Israel. An agreement, in which the Arabs become part of an Arab political entity, leaving Jews as the outright majority of a Jewish one, is a diplomatic possibility. But it is one which may have insurmountable security difficulties.
A more fundamental improvement of the situation would come from a massive overhaul of the school systems within Israel. This would involve an emphasis on more serious teaching of Judaism and Jewish history in the secular school system, and a wholly revamped program in various Haredi institutions which would connect them to the historical life of their own people. The goal of this fundamental change would be an increased involvement of larger segments of the Jewish population in the activities of the Jewish state in order to strengthen its Jewish character.
Most importantly, Israeli political leaders must become more aware of the increasing threat to the Jewish character of Israel. They must begin seeking ways to ensure that an enterprise created through the sacrifice and effort of generations will not be carelessly dissipated through an apathetic resignation to the extension of present trends.
Views expressed by the author do not
necessarily reflect those of israelinsider.
 
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