FREE ESSAY ON ISRAEL: POLITICAL, CULTURAL, AND RELIGIOUS DESCRIPTION

ISRAEL: POLITICAL, CULTURAL, AND RELIGIOUS DESCRIPTION

ISRAEL A Political, Cultural, and Religious Description of the Current Atmosphere As
Exists in Israel Israel, in the 1990's, is in a continual state of political, cultural
and religious flux. Religion continues to play a central factor in the difficulties which
the state has been and continues to experience. This unique country is characterized by
an amalgam of cultural and ethnic diversity. This historical and cultural fact ensures
that the difficulties the state has been experiencing in realizing self-adjustment will
continue. At the same time, there exist mostly positive and persistent facets of the
culture which continue unabated as will be discussed. Israel is characterized by many
religious groups including Greek Orthodox, Muslim, Palestinians, Jews, Arabs and others.
Similarly, the Labor Ruling Party is integrally linked to religious orientation and has
been embroiled in domestic controversy and flagellation from many sides in recent years.
OVERVIEW Statehood in Israel was attained some three thousand years ago, and has served
as the home of the Jewish people who are credited with giving the world the Bible. As
mentioned, however, this land is comprised of many different groups. The Jewish people
constitute 81.8%, and Muslims represent 14.1%. The Christians comprise 2.4% and the Druze
and others make up 1.4%. Some five million people from different ethnic, cultural and
religious backgrounds live in Israel today. It is a country of immigration, and in the
decades prior to the establishment of the state, the majority of newcomers came from
Europe, joining Jews whose families had lived in the land for generations. Immediately
following independence, (1948), Israel's population doubled with a mass immigration of
holocaust survivors and Jewish refugees from Arab lands. Recently, hundreds of thousands
of Jews from the former Soviet Union and other Eastern European countries, as well as
most members of the ancient Jewish community of Ethiopia, have arrived to make their
homes in Israel. Throughout the years, groups, families and individuals have chosen to
come from all parts of the free world, in greater or lesser numbers, to take part in
building the country. With a population which has increased more than seven-fold since
1948, and with people still coming from all over the world bringing varied languages,
traditions, educational standards, and social outlooks, Israel continues to seek ways to
meet the challenge of developing a modern, democratic society. In a certain sense, Israel
is not unlike the United States of America, in that it is a land which is comprised of
many people from varied backgrounds. It is both urban and rural where some 89.9% of the
land is made up of cities and the remaining rural area is comprised of villages,
Kibbutzim, and Moshavim. Moshav or Kibbutz comprises about 10% of the population in rural
areas and agricultural settlements. The Kibbutz is a social and economic unit (property
and means of conduction are communally owned) in which decisions are made by the General
Assembly of its members. Meals, prepared in a central kitchen, are served in a communal
dining hall. Clothing and linens are washed, mended and distributed by a central laundry;
and children grow up together in organized frameworks. Members work in various sections
of the Kibbutz economy, while dining hall, kitchen and other duties are filled on a
rotation basis. The Moshav is an agricultural village in which each family maintains its
own farm and household. Originally, cooperation extended to purchasing, marketing and the
provision of community services; today Moshav farmers have chosen to be more independent
economically. The culture of Israel is thriving, however. It is as reach and diverse as
is its history, and this is reflected in the arts, theatre, music, literature, etc. To a
large part, this is an effect of Zionism ingathering of the exiles, and had contributed
much to the preservation of a singular and rich culture and tradition. The holocaust
itself, is never to be forgotten, and this fact is evidence within contemporary Jewish
culture. The continuance of a normal life and tradition is one which, albeit interrupted,
is for that very reason that Judaism and the people of Israel persist with a renewed
sense of motivation and determination. The innumerous languages and translations of
Hebrew writings which have emanated from the Institute of Translation of Hebrew
Literature (1962) continue to infuse Hebrew writings, poetry, children' literature and
fine arts into its own society as well as peoples world wide. CONTEMPORARY ISRAEL In his
book, A History of Israel, Howard Sachar discussed the development of Israel from the
rise of Zionism to our time. Currently, Israel's president is elected by the Knesset and
he may preside over a legislative body of 120 members for a maximum of two five-year
terms. The Israeli form of government may be considered a democratic one and, like the
United States, citizenship is determined by birth, residence or nationalization. The
state of Parliament and the government is essential in understanding the development and
evolution of Israel in contemporary times. Israel's democracy has experienced
difficulties in terms of its parties, historically, where it represented one of the
critical weaknesses of the emerging Israeli state; a politicization, not less tenacious
or all-embracing than in the days of the Yishuv. It is recalled that this legacy could be
traced to the non-indigenous origins of Israeli's parties. They were born and nurtured in
the diaspora. This European inspired ideological commitment survived for nearly a decade
after the birth of Israel, and in its relentless purism, ensured that none of the various
factions were willing to compromise on issues of dogma, much less on the question of self
liquidation. Government by coalition and demagoguery have characterized the political
evolution of Israel and its government. The Arab minorities have impacted the historical
and political evolution of Israel and its various parties and minorities, particularly
the Arab minorities, which is seen in both the citizenry as well as military government.
It is only in relatively recent times that Israel had been acknowledged to be a player in
the common market. Its participation has been only luke warm, while its geo-political
influences are certainly world-wide, and in this age of a shrinking global marketplace,
this is no small factor. Additionally, in recent times, we have seen an increase of what
is referred to as the Arab intelligencia. The long-standing support it has enjoyed from
the United States has been crucial to its survival, and this is seen with geo-political
relations with the Middle East, Israel and the United States. Things did not particularly
improve during the Bush administration. In fact, during his administration, relations
between Washington and Jerusalem were strained. The Bush administration's decision to
support two United Nations moves -- one condemning Israel's deportation of four
Palestinians, the other backing an international peace conference on the Middle East --
cast things into the deep freeze. The administration was unhappy with Israel's failure to
move ahead on the peace process and with shootings by Israeli soldiers in the occupied
territories. In a meeting with Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, Secretary of State James
Baker raised both issues, and according to transcripts, even suggested an alternative to
shooting as being, Couldn't you possibly use water canons? Israeli officials see things
differently. They believe the United States is moving away from its long-time ally in the
region just to keep Arab states in the coalition against Iraq. This and other incidents
raised critical issues, and these issues were further explored by U.S. and Israeli
critical analysts. For instance, it is known that the influx of hundreds of thousands of
Israeli Jews could drastically reshape Israeli politics throughout the 1990's. Should
immigrants capture a solid bloc of 10-15 parliamentary seats, as expected, they could
break a long-time labor Likud deadlock, and reduce the inordinate influence of tiny and
fanatical ultra-religious parties. In fact, it was speculated by many that one was
prompted to wise crack, Things are going to get a lot worse before they get worse, which
sounds depressingly credible. The scene is gloomy; economic and social strains are
growing, Palestinian terrorism is rising, ties with Washington are fraying, and there are
gnawing fears of an Iraqi missile attack on Israel. Yet, some Israelis seen opportunities
in the current tribulations. Israel's low profile in the Gulf persists. Many Israeli's
are worried about chemical attacks from Iraq as Saddam Hussein still represents a threat.
Soviet immigrants continue to inundate Israel and its economy, which in 1993 is being
taxed to the maximum. Housing is a difficult problem, and Israel is forced to borrow
billions of dollars from abroad, and reliance upon the United States is probably at an
all-time high. At this writing, there appears to be no let-up in sight.
BibliographySachar, Howard M. A History of Israel From the Rise of Zionism to our
Time.Yalowitz, Gerson, U.S. News and World Report, How Bad Can it Get? December 10, 1990,
Vol. 109.____________, A Letter From Israel, Halva, Jerusalem (1992).__________________,
Israel Today, Halva Press, Jerusalem (1992)._______________, U.S. News and World Report,
A Chilling Effect With Israel, (December 31, 1990), Vol. 109, p. 14.
BibliographySachar, Howard M. A History of Israel From the Rise of Zionism to our
Time.Yalowitz, Gerson, U.S. News and World Report, How Bad Can it Get? December 10, 1990,
Vol. 109.____________, A Letter From Israel, Halva, Jerusalem (1992).__________________,
Israel Today, Halva Press, Jerusalem (1992)._______________, U.S. News and World Report,
A Chilling Effect With Israel, (December 31, 1990), Vol. 109, p. 14.