Israel: Sociological Analyses of Religion in the Jewish State

Abstract

The sociology of religion does not have a high profile in Israeli sociology, but the historical circumstances of the Israeli state provide a challenging opportunity for studying the convergence between the religion of a diaspora people and a modern nationalist movement. The picture is complicated by the fact that Judaism is not a state church or a formal state religion and that Israelis display widely differing patterns of religiosity. But research shows that ethnic and generational differences divide Israelis into numerous categories, and instead of becoming more privatized, Judaism has recently been acquiring greater prominence in public life. The power of Orthodox and Ultraorthodox groups has also been growing, but new religious movements have achieved little success. As a result, Judaism in Israel falls into three main currents: the dominant Ashkenazim pattern; a characteristically Asian and North African pattern; and a minority Ashkenazim pattern which tends to be indifferent toward Zionism and the religious meaning of the state.