Abstract

Calvin Goldscheider is an original thinker and I have found his previous work on American Jewry to be intellectually adventurous and consistently compelling. I opened his new book on Israeli society with high expectations, and was not disappointed. The first section of the book establishes the role of demography in the foundation and background of Israeli society. The second section discusses urbanization, religion, and gender roles as structural and cultural factors that are key ingredients shaping social change and inequality. The third section provides an analysis of ‘‘inequalities based on gender, ethnic, and religious characteristics.’’ It includes a discussion of the structure of social class in Israel and the generational transmission of social class inequalities. The final section looks at marriage and family formation. The final chapter on ‘‘emergent Israeli society’’ reviews three ‘‘externals’’ that enhance ‘‘the understanding of internal developments in Israel’s changing society:’’ the relationship of Jewish communities outside of Israel, the ‘‘Palestinian question’’ (the relationship of Israel to the territories it administers), and the impact of the Palestinian Diaspora. Most of what is written about Israeli society tends to be passionate. Ari Shavit’s widely read My Promised Land: the Triumph and Tragedy of Israel is a case in point. Goldscheider, by contrast, takes a straightforward, dispassionate approach, and this is one of the book’s great strengths. His discussion of Arabs is one example. First of all, he refers to them as Arab Israelis, not Israeli Arabs. Where others argue about whether or not Israel is an ‘‘apartheid’’ state, Golscheider provides a detailed, factual, and nuanced discussion of the sources of inequality for Arab Israelis and its

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