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Israel is the only country in which Judaism is the Religion of the majority of citizens. According to the country's Central Bureau Of Statistics , in 2005 the population was 76.1% Jewish, 16.2% Muslim , 2.1% Christian , and 1.6% Druze , with the remaining 3.9% (mainly immigrants from the former Soviet Union ) not classified by religion.1 As of 2007, 7% of Israeli Jews defined themselves as 2005 . Israelis tend not to align themselves with a movement of Judaism (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 2005, 82.7% were Muslims, 8.4% were Druze, and 8.3% were Christians. RELIGION AND CITIZENSHIP Israel was founded to provide a national home, safe from persecution, to the Jewish people. Although Israeli law explicitly grants equal civil rights to all citizens regardless of religion, ethnicity, or other heritage, it gives preferential treatment in certain aspects to individuals who fall within the criteria mandated by the Law Of Return . Preferential treatment is given to Jews who seek to immigrate to Israel as part of a governmental policy to increase the Jewish population. The criteria set forth by the Law of Return are controversial. The Law of Return differs from Jewish religious law in that it disqualifies individuals who are Jewish but who converted to another religion, and also in that it grants immigrant status to individuals who are not Jewish but are related to Jews. JUDAISM IN ISRAEL Most citizens in the State Of Israel are Jew ish, and most Israeli Jews practice Judaism in some form. In the last two centuries the largest Jewish community in the world, in the United States , has divided into a number of Jewish Denominations . The largest and most influential of these denominations are Orthodox Judaism , Reform Judaism , and Conservative Judaism . All of the above denominations exist, to varying degrees, in the State of Israel. Nevertheless, Israelis tend to classify Jewish identity in ways that are strikingly different from American Jewry. The secular-traditional spectrum Most Jewish Israelis classify themselves as "secular" (''hiloni'') or as "traditional" (''masorati''). The former term is more popular among Israeli families of European origin, and the latter term among Israeli families of Oriental origin (i.e. Middle East, Central Asia and North Africa). The latter term, as commonly used, has nothing to do with the official "Masorti" (Conservative Judaism) movement in the State of Israel. There is ambiguity in the ways these two terms are used. They often overlap, and they cover an extremely wide range of ideologies and levels of observance. Many Jewish Israelis feel that being Israeli (living among Jews, speaking Hebrew , in the Land Of Israel ) is in itself a sufficient expression of Judaism without any religious observances. This conforms to some classical secular- Zionist ideologies of Israeli-style civil religion. While many in the Jewish Diaspora who otherwise consider themselves as secular will attend a Synagogue or at least fast on Yom Kippur (the holiest Jewish Holiday ), this is not as common among secular Israelis. Because the terms "secular" and "traditional" not are strictly defined, published estimates of the percentage of Israeli Jews who are considered "traditional" range from 32% to 55%[http://www.jcpa.org/dje/articles2/howrelisr.htm . Estimates of the percentage of "secular" Jews vary even more widely: from 20% to 80%[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40424-2004Jul10.html of the Israeli population. The Orthodox spectrum The spectrum covered by "Orthodox" in the diaspora exists in Israel, again with some important variations. The Orthodox spectrum in Israel includes a far greater percentage of the Jewish population than in the diaspora, though ''how much'' greater is hotly debated. Various ways of measuring this percentage, each with its pros and cons, include the proportion of religiously observant Knesset members (about 25 out of 120), the proportion of Jewish children enrolled in religious schools, and statistical studies on "identity". What would be called "Orthodox" in the diaspora includes what is commonly called ''dati'' ("religious") or '' Haredi '' ("ultra-Orthodox") in Israel. The former term includes what is called Religious 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 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'' of Ashkenazi c (i.e "Germanic" - European) origin; (2) Hasidic ''haredim'' of Ashkenazic (mostly of Eastern Europe an) origin; and (3) Sephardic (including Mizrahi ) ''haredim''. The third group has the largest political representation in Israel's parliament (the Knesset ), and has been the most politically active since the early 1990s , represented by the Shas party. There is also a growing Baal Teshuva ("returnees") movement of secular Israelis rejecting their previously secular lifestyles and choosing to become religiously observant with many educational programs and Yeshiva s for them. An example is Aish HaTorah , which received open encouragement from some sectors within the Israeli establishment. The Israeli government gave Aish HaTorah the real estate rights to its massive new campus opposite the Western Wall because of its proven ability to attract all manner of secular Jews to learn more about Judaism. In many instances after visiting from foreign countries, students decide to make Israel their permanent home by making Aliyah . Other notable organizations involved in these efforts are the Chabad and Breslov Hasidic movements who manage to have an ever-growing appeal, the popularity of Rabbi Amnon Yitzhak 's organization and the Arachim organization that offer a variety of frequent free "introduction to Judaism" seminars to secular Jews, the Lev LeAchim organization that sends out senior yeshiva and Kollel students to recruit Israeli children for religious elementary schools and Yad LeAchim which runs Counter Missionary programs. At the same time, there is also a significant movement in the opposite direction towards a secular lifestyle. There is some debate which trend is stronger at present. The secular-religious ''Status Quo'' The religious Status Quo , agreed upon by David Ben-Gurion with the religious parties at the time of the declaration of independence in 1948 is an agreement on the religious Jewish role in government and the judicical system of Israel. Under this agreement, which is still mostly held today:
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. The relationship between Judaism and the state has always been a controversial and unstable one. There have been many problems brought forth by secular Israelis regarding the Chief Rabbinate's strict control over Jewish weddings, Jewish divorce proceedings, conversions, and who counts as Jewish for the purposes of immigration. The state of Israel enables freedom of religion for all its citizens but does not enable freedom of religion - The state of Israel forbids and does not approve of any civil marriages or non-religious divorces performed amongst the secular Israeli Jews within the country. Because of this many Israelis choose to marry outside of Israel. The Ministry Of Education manages the secular (largest) and religious streams of various faiths in parallel, with a limited degree independence and a common core Curriculum. In recent years, perceived frustration among some members of the secular sector with the ''Status Quo'' has strengthened parties such as Shinui , which advocate separation of religion from the state, without much success so far. Today the secular Israeli-Jews claim that they aren't religious and don't follow the Jewish rules and that Israel as a democratic modern country should not force the old outdated religious rules upon its citizens against their will. The religious 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 ruled Israel since independence and the formation of a rightwing coalition under Menachem Begin . Right-wing Revisionist Zionism had always been more acceptable to the religious parties, since it did not share the same history of antireligious 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 were accustomed to receiving, including a lifting of the numerical limit on military exemptions. On the other hand, secular (nonreligious) Israelis ( Reform Judaism and Conservative Judaism have always had a negligible presence in Israel), began questioning whether a "status quo" based on the conditions of the 1940s and 1950s was still relevant in the 1980s and 1990s , and perceived 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 Sabbath (then the country's only day of rest), and questioned whether the burden of military service was being shared equally, since the 400 scholars, who originally benefited from the exemption, had grown to 50,000 . Finally, the Progressive ( Reform ) and Masorti (Conservative) communities, though still minuscule, 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 new-found political force to attempt to extend religious control, and the non-Orthodox sought to reduce or even eliminate it. Role of the Chief Rabbinate first Chief Rabbi of the British Mandate Of Palestine .]] It was during the British Mandate Of Palestine that 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 Yaakov 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 towards creating an eventual Jewish state in Eretz Yisrael was 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. Prior to the 1917 British conquest of Palestine, the Ottoman s had recognized the leading Talmud ic rabbis of the old ''yishuv'' (" settlement") 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 the Levant 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 Bashi s ("[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. former Sephardi Chief Rabbi and spiritual leader the Shas party.]] 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 to Conversion 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), the Observance Of The Sabbatical Year and the Jubilee Year in the agricultural sphere. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) 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. Challenges from the left and right The Chief Rabbinate is nevertheless under constant criticism and pressure from both the "left" and "right" wings of Judaism and Jewish groups. Many secular Israelis dislike the fact that their private lives are subject to the rulings of a religious court, albeit a Jewish one. The Reform and Conservative movements based in the United States resent that they are locked out of Israel's religious establishment and remain unrecognized as official Jewish religious bodies in Israel. They have established offices and synagogues in Israel to propagate their views. Simultaneously, the Haredi population, including many Hasidic groups, view the Chief Rabbinate as "too lenient", "too Zionistic", and of being the "lackeys" of the Israeli political establishment, since, for example, even members of the Knesset who are not religious, are allowed to be part of the electoral college that elects each new set of Chief Rabbis every ten years. & Olive Branch es, Western Wall background]] ISLAM IN ISRAEL See Also: Islam in Israel Israel lies adjacent to '' ( Temple Mount ) from which Muslims believe that Muhammad ascended to Heaven. This belief, not only by Israeli Muslims, but by all Muslims, raises the importance of the Dome Of The Rock and the adjacent Al-Aqsa Mosque . Most Muslims are angered by rumors that the Israeli government are trying to demolish the shrines, replacing them with the Third Temple . These beliefs are unfounded; in 1967, the Government of Israel acknowledged the authority of the Waqf to administer Muslim holy sites. Israel has always protected the Haram Al Sharif and even forbids Jews from saying prayers at the site of the Holy Of Holies . on the Temple Mount , Jerusalem.]] Most Muslims in Israel are Sunni Arab s. 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 subsequent Balfour 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 Hashemite s 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 the West 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 notorious Islamic and Arab leaders of modern times, often inciting Muslims against Jews wherever he went. 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 of the land as concerns, for example, the marriages of 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. CHRISTIANITY IN ISRAEL See Also: Christianity in Israel Christians are presently the smallest religious group and denomination of the Abrahamic Religion s in Israel. Most Christians living permanently in Israel are Arab s or have come from other countries to live and work mainly in Church es or Monasteries with long histories in the land. A great paradox about the areas of Israel and its surroundings is that even though according to Christian teachings it is where and beyond, and (2) since the rise of modern Zionism , including changes in the Geopolitical balance between the world's powers, millions of Jews have flocked to the newly-established State of Israel. Nevertheless, Christianity in Israel reveals the vestiges of the land's past and present interaction with Christian powers. Most Christians in Israel belong primarily to branches of the Eastern Orthodox Church es that oversee a variety of churches, monasteries, seminaries, and religious institutions all over the land, particularly in Jerusalem , because it was the Byzantine Empire (known as the ''Eastern Roman Empire'') that controlled most of the Middle East from the Fourth Century until the 1400s , and it was that empire which embraced and nurtured the denomination of Christianity known as ''Eastern Orthodoxy'' following the East-West Schism of 1054 , until its rule was broken first by the Mamluk s in 1291 , and then for all time by the Islamic Ottoman Turks . In the nineteenth century the Russian Empire constituted itself the guardian of the interests of Christians living in the Holy Land, and even today large amounts of Jerusalem real estate (including the site of the Knesset building) are owned by the Russian Orthodox Church . In March 2000 The Head Of The Roman Catholic Church Visited Israel . In an ongoing attempt to put an end to the centuries-old hostility between the Catholic Church and the Jews, Pope John Paul II visited Yad Vashem , (the Israeli national Holocaust memorial) and later touched one of the holiest sites in Judaism, the Western Wall in Jerusalem . 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 . In the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century they were very influential in Great Britain , and some believe that this was one reason why Arthur Balfour (1848-1930) assisted with the Balfour Declaration of 1917 whereby Britain promised the Jews a homeland in Palestine. In the latter part of the twentieth century until the present it has been Evangelical groups in the United States that have favored and lobbied for the Jews' right to have their homeland in Israel. The Evangelicals preach a Biblically-oriented faith, and firmly believe in the Hebrew Bible 's prophecies about the Jewish people's return to Zion (Israel) which they further believe is an absolute prerequisite for the Second Coming of Jesus . Each year hundreds of thousands of Christian Evangelicals come as Tourists on private and organized trips to see Israel for themselves, to be inspired by "the land of the Bible", and in the process greatly enriching the local economy as well. There are some modern Messianic congregations in Israel where Jews who believe that Jesus is the Messiah openly meet together. There is also friction with the Israeli Jewish religious establishment as Messianic Jews have many centers all over Israel, inviting Israelis to investigate Jesus' messianic claims for themselves. There are nine officially recognised churches, for example for the purposes of marriage and divorce. These are the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic (Latin rite), Gregorian-Armenian, Armenian Catholic, Syrian Catholic, Chaldean (Uniate), Melkite (Greek Catholic), Maronite and Syrian Orthodox churches. There are more informal arrangements with other churches such as the Anglican Church. MESSIANIC JEWS IN ISRAEL |
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