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Israel’s Religiously Divided Society
Large divide among Jews on whether halakha should be state law
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- Israel’s Religiously Divided Society
- Israel’s diverse religious landscape
- Israeli Jews see democracy as compatible with Jewish state but are divided on whether democratic princes or religious law should take priority
- Most Arabs say Israel cannot be both a democracy and Jewish state
- Mutual doubts about sincerity of leaders in the peace process
- Nearly unanimous share agree all Jews should have the right to citizenship in Israel
- Most Jews say Israel necessary for long-term survival of the Jewish people
- Most Jews say Israel should give preferential treatment to Jews
- Large divide among Jews on whether halakha should be state law
- Jewish groups disagree on key public policy issues
- Majorities of Haredim, Datim agree Arabs should be expelled
- Israeli Jews largely identify their political ideology with center or right
- In 2014-2015, roughly three-in-ten Jews felt closest to Netanyahu’s Likud party
- Haredim see being Jewish as a matter of religion; Hilonim see it as a matter of culture and/or identity
- Most Hilonim see themselves as ‘Israeli first’; most Haredim say ‘Jewish first’
- Most Haredim do not see themselves as ‘Zionists’
- No significant differences in religious observance among older and younger Jews
- More Arabs than Jews say religion ‘very important’
- Few Haredim, Hilonim have close friends from outside their group
- Haredim and Hilonim strongly opposed to intermarriage with each other
- Muslims, Christians, Druze, Jews frown upon intermarriage between their communities
- Vast majority of Arabs see ‘a lot’ of discrimination against Muslims
- Roughly one-third of Muslims report having experienced at least one incident of discrimination in the past 12 months
- Fewer Arabs over time say peaceful coexistence between Israel and independent Palestinian state is possible
- Most Jews on the political right skeptical about two-state solution
- More Jews say settlements help than hurt Israel’s security
- Most residents of West Bank say Israeli government sincere in its effort toward peace
- Orthodox settlers more likely than non-Orthodox to say Arabs should be expelled
- Large differences in religious observance among Jews of different backgrounds
- Change over time in Israel’s religious landscape
- Jewish categories over time
- Haredim have significantly more children than other Jews
- Hilonim make up a bigger share of older Jews than of younger Jews
- Recent decline in share of Jews who say they observe ‘some’ of the religious tradition
- Change over time in Israel’s religious landscape
- Jewish categories over time
- Haredim have significantly more children than other Jews
- Hilonim make up a bigger share of older Jews than of younger Jews
- Recent decline in share of Jews who say they observe ‘some’ of the religious tradition
- Large differences in religious observance among Jews of different backgrounds
- Change over time in Israel’s religious landscape
- Most Jews on the political right skeptical about two-state solution
- More Jews say settlements help than hurt Israel’s security