Some Intergenerational Comparisons in Two Ethnic Communities in Israel

Abstract

This article reports the responses of 30 fathers and 30 sons in two ethnic communities in Israel on matters pertaining to the sons' education, future occupation, marriage, religious and political commitments and plans for involvement in the life of the community. The two communities are urban Israeli Arabs (i.e., Arabs who have lived in Israel at least since the establishment of the state) and ultra-Orthodox Jews, whose families came originally from Eastern Europe. For different reasons, members of both communities have remained outside the mainstream of Israeli society. The major purpose of this research was to make some prognosis concerning the future integration of these communities vis-a-vis the larger society. The findings show that Arab adolescents are more motivated to integrate themselves into some aspects of Israeli society, mainly the educational and occupational spheres, and are critical of their fathers on these matters. Among the orthodox Jews the adolescents show little interest in extending...