Israeli Society Research Articles

Targeted genotyping for recurring variants in cancer susceptibility genes in non-Ashkenazi Jewish patients with breast cancer diagnosed ≥50 years.

Several recurring pathogenic variants (PVs) in BRCA1/BRCA2 and additional cancer susceptibility genes are described in the ethnically diverse Israeli population. Since 2019, testing for these recurring PVs is reimbursed unselectively for all patients with breast cancer (BC) in Israel. The aim was to evaluate the yield of genotyping for these PVs in non-Ashkenazi Jewish (AJ) patients with BC diagnosed ≥age 50 years. Clinical and genotyping data of all patients with BC undergoing oncogenetic counseling at the Oncology Institute at Sheba Medical Center from June 2017 to December 2023 were reviewed. Of 2706 patients with BC (mean age at diagnosis, 54 years; range, 20-92 years) counseled, 515 patients of non-AJ (all four grandparents) descent, diagnosed ≥age 50 years of age were genotyped, 55 with triple-negative BC (TNBC) and 460 with non-TNBC. One of the recurring PVs in BRCA1/BRCA2 were detected in 12.7% (7/55) of TNBC patients and 0.65% (3/460) of non-TNBC. One patient with non-TNBC had PMS2 PV. Low-penetrance variants were found in 2.5% of genotyped TNBC and in 3.7% of patients with non-TNBC, including CHEK2 c.499G>A (n=3), APC c.3920T>A (n=4), and heterozygous MUTYH c.1187G>A (n=5). Following first-pass genotyping, 146 patients performed multigene panel testing, none carried a BRCA1/BRCA2 PV, and only 5/127 non-TNBC (3.9%) harbored PVs in CHEK2 (n=2, c.846+1G>C and c.592+3A>T), ATM c.103C>T (n=2), and NBN c.966C>G (n=1). The observed low rates of PV detection in non-AJ non-TNBC cases ≥age 50 years at diagnosis, mostly for clinically insignificant variants, questions the justification of unselected genotyping in this subset of patients.

THE CONTRIBUTION OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND RELIGIOSITY IN PREDICTING PSYCHOLOGICAL RESILIENCE AMONG ISRAELI PALESTINIAN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

<p>Previous studies have revealed that emotional intelligence and religiosity may be protective factors for psychological resilience; however, this study is unique since it is the first to explore the relationships among the Palestinian minority in Israel. The purpose of the current study was to examine emotional intelligence and religiosity as predictors of psychological resilience among Palestinian high school students. A cross-sectional and descriptive design study was carried out with a convenience sample consisting of 512 high school students. Three scales administered were: The Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS), the Religiosity Scale and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10). Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation coefficient tests were used to analyse the data. Linear regression analysis was performed to check the prediction of emotional intelligence and religiosity on psychological resilience. The findings revealed positive correlations between emotional intelligence and religiosity with psychological resilience respectively (r=.73, p<.01), (r=.41, p<.01). The main contribution of the present study is its approach in examining the relationship between emotional intelligence and religiosity to psychological resilience among high school students, specifically within the context of Palestinian society in Israel.</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/lit/0757/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Severity of gambling behaviors: exploring associations with venues, legality, and substance use

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has been linked to an increase in gambling behaviors, potentially leading to Gambling Disorder (GD) and adverse health and social consequences. Problematic gambling has received little research attention over the years in Israeli society and the issue of gambling is not high on the list of priorities of Israeli policymakers. The present study examined gambling behavior in Israel on a continuum of severity and its association with venues where the gambling occurs, legality, attitude toward the legalization of casinos and poker, and substance use.MethodsThe study questionnaires were distributed to approximately 15,000 Jewish-Israeli adults via internet panel. From 3,088 Israeli adults who answered the questionnaire, 1,251 (40.5%) reported gambling in the last year and were included in the analyses.ResultsBased on the Problem Gambling Severity Index, 60% of participants were classified as non-problem gamblers, 25% as at low-risk for a gambling problem, 11% as at moderate risk, and 4% as having a gambling problem. Most online gambling was practiced by non-problem gamblers (40%) and most illegal gambling was by low-risk gamblers (34%). The more severe the gambling behavior was on the continuum, the more it was associated with illegal substance use and positive attitudes toward legalized casinos in Israel. Logistic regression showed the odds of developing moderate and problem gambling were 3.8 times higher for online gamblers (OR = 3.8; CI 2.6–5.4; p < 0.000) and 3.3 times higher for illegal gamblers (OR = 3.3; CI 2.2–4.9; p < 0.000).ConclusionThough more research attention should be paid to gambling behaviors, harm reduction gambling interventions should be made available to all categories on the continuum of severity of gambling behaviors. The present study provides evidence-based information to promote health policies that aim to prevent and reduce harm for Israeli gamblers.

Development and validation of the MY-VEG-FFQ: A modular web-based food-frequency questionnaire for vegetarians and vegans.

The adoption of plant-based diets in recent years has increased the need for accurate assessments of dietary intake among vegans, vegetarians, semi-vegetarians, and omnivores. This study aimed at developing and validating a modular web-based food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ), the MY-VEG-FFQ. This FFQ was based on the original FFQ (O-FFQ) designed for the Israeli population and incorporates a skip algorithm tailored for different dietary patterns. A convenience sample of 101 participants, recruited via social media, completed the MY-VEG FFQ, as well as a three-day food records, which served as the gold standard for this research. Relative validity of the new FFQ was evaluated by comparing nutrients with those in the three-day food records, using Pearson correlation coefficients, Bland-Altman plots, and cross-classification. The results were compared with 90 O-FFQs that previously had been completed by vegans. The validation analysis showed that nutrient-intake estimates were generally higher for the MY-VEG-FFQ than those of the three-day food records. Pearson correlation coefficients ranged between 0.25-0.63, indicating an acceptable agreement between the two tools. The proportion of participants with exact or adjacent quartile agreement was between 73%-82%. The Bland-Altman analysis revealed overestimation of nutrient intake via the MY-VEG-FFQ. Compared to the O-FFQ, vegans who completed the MY-VEG-FFQ reported consumption of more food items. Additionally, the MY-VEG-FFQ showed a significantly higher intake of most macro- and micronutrients. The My-VEG-FFQ demonstrated reasonable validity in assessing dietary intake among people who followed a plant-based diet. However, it tended to overestimate nutrient intake compared to the three-day food records. The development of a modular web-based FFQ with a skip algorithm tailored for specific dietary patterns, fills a crucial gap in accurately assessing the dietary intake of these populations. The MY-VEG-FFQ offers a practical and cost-effective tool for evaluating long-term dietary consumption among people who follow different dietary patterns.

Genetic diagnosis and detection rates using C9orf72 repeat expansion and a multi-gene panel in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. It is mostly sporadic, with the C9orf72 repeat expansion being the most common genetic cause. While the prevalence of C9orf72-ALS in patients from different populations has been studied, data regarding the yield of C9orf72 compared to an ALS gene panel testing is limited.We aimed to explore the application of C9orf72 versus a gene panel in the general Israeli population. A total of 140 ALS patients attended our Neurogenetics Clinic throughout 2018-2023. Disease onset was between ages 60 and 69years for most patients (34%); however, a quarter had an early-onset disease (< 50years). Overall, 119 patients (85%) were genetically evaluated: 116 (97%) were tested for the C9orf72 repeat expansion and 64 (54%) underwent gene panel testing. The C9orf72 repeat expansion had a prevalence of 21% among Ashkenazi Jewish patients compared to 5.7% in non-Ashkenazi patients, while the gene panel had a higher yield in non-Ashkenazi patients with 14% disease-causing variants compared to 5.7% in Ashkenazi Jews. Among early-onset ALS patients, panel testing was positive in 12% compared to 2.9% for C9orf72.We suggest a testing strategy for the Israeli ALS patients: C9orf72 should be the first-tier test in Ashkenazi Jewish patients, while a gene panel should be considered as the first step in non-Ashkenazi and early-onset patients. Tiered testing has important implications for patient management, including prognosis, ongoing clinical trials, and prevention in future generations. Similar studies should be implemented worldwide to uncover the diverse ALS genetic architecture and facilitate tailored care.

Understanding posthumous sperm retrieval during war through a terror management theory perspective

Terror Management Theory (Tmt, solomon et al., 1991) claims that individuals use three anxiety buffer mechanisms to regulate their death awareness – cultural worldviews, self-esteem, and proximity seeking. In this article, we use these three TMT anxiety buffers to explain the phenomenon of posthumous sperm retrieval, requested by spouses or parents, usually of young soldiers who died during their military service. Whereas this phenomenon has been known for some time, it increased dramatically in the initial days following the massacre conducted by the Hamas terrorist organization in Israel on October 7, 2023. We claim that this was an immediate reaction to this terror event, which posed a direct, existential threat to those who were exposed to the massacre and the soldiers who defended the country, but also to the entire Israeli society, as well as for Jews around the globe. We use interpretive phenomenology to qualitatively examine the phenomenon of retrieving sperm from dead young men, analyzing the requests to retrieve sperm posthumously as a sign of the need to provide these young men with symbolic immortality, on both personal and national levels. We integrate this explanation with the military ethos and the tendency of Israeli society to endorse familyist and pronatalist values to expand our understanding of this contemporary phenomenon in Israel.

Genetic backgrounds and clinical characteristics of congenital neutropenias in Israel.

Congenital neutropenias are characterized by severe infections and a high risk of myeloid transformation; the causative genes vary across ethnicities. The Israeli population is characterized by an ethnically diverse population with a high rate of consanguinity. To evaluate the clinical and genetic spectrum of congenital neutropenias in Israel. We included individuals with congenital neutropenias listed in the Israeli Inherited Bone Marrow Failure Registry. Sanger sequencing was performed for ELANE or G6PC3, and patients with wild-type ELANE/G6PC3 were referred for next-generation sequencing. Sixty-five patients with neutropenia were included. Of 51 patients with severe congenital neutropenia, 34 were genetically diagnosed, most commonly with variants in ELANE (15 patients). Nine patients had biallelic variants in G6PC3, all of consanguineous Muslim Arab origin. Other genes involved were SRP54, JAGN1, TAZ, and SLC37A4. Seven patients had cyclic neutropenia, all with pathogenic variants in ELANE, and seven had Shwachman-Diamond syndrome caused by biallelic SBDS variants. Eight patients (12%) developed myeloid transformation, including six patients with an unknown underlying genetic cause. Nineteen (29%) patients underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, mostly due to insufficient response to treatment with granulocyte-colony stimulating factor or due to myeloid transformation. The genetic spectrum of congenital neutropenias in Israel is characterized by a high prevalence of G6PC3 variants and an absence of HAX1 mutations. Similar to other registries, for 26% of the patients, a molecular diagnosis was not achieved. However, myeloid transformation was common in this group, emphasizing the need for close follow-up.

“Almost a mother tongue”

Abstract Passage of Israel’s Jewish nationality law in 2018 shined more than usual light on the Druze citizens of Israel. It put into painful question their integration into Israeli society. Key to that integration is Druze mastery of the Jewish State’s official language; hence the question, “How do Israeli Druze learn Hebrew?” The answer is multivariable: pedagogy, gender, bilingualism, technology, religion, conscription, and socialization are all factors. Druze mastery of Hebrew through the IDF is being replaced by formal language education. This is reinforced through growing participation of Druze females in Israeli institutions. Arabic being the maternal tongue of Druze, unlike among the nation’s Jewish majority Hebrew surpasses English as their second language. Increasing use of social/digital media in Hebrew, particularly among the young, reinforces the bilingual identity of Israeli Druze. So do Hebrew language textbooks, which “Israelize” Druze by teaching about Judaism and emphasizing similarities between Jewish and Druze traditions.

Arab teacher educators and the moral work of teaching in Israel

ABSTRACT This qualitative study explores how 14 Arab teacher educators perceive the moral preparation of teachers for Arab schools in Israel. The first theme highlights the contingent (institutional) factors that influence and may restrain the teacher educators’ mission of moral preparation. It highlights the importance of an organisational culture that supports student teachers’ learning to provide moral education, of empowering and unsilencing of student teachers, and of promoting morally oriented reflective practice in students’ clinical experiences. The second theme illustrates the teacher educators’ psychological assumptions about morality as represented by the possibilities and constraints of role modelling in preparing moral teachers. The third theme addresses the teacher educators’ socio-educational (universal, counter-hegemonic, and liberal) assumptions about the moral purposes of schooling. These assumptions are influenced by the asymmetrical structure of Arab-Jewish power relationships, as well as by the transitional status of Arab society in Israel.

Familial vs sporadic multiple sclerosis in the Israeli population: Differences in ethnicity distribution and disease progression, with anticipation in successive generations

BackgroundMultiple Sclerosis (MS) may cluster in families, an entity known as familial MS (FMS), possibly due to aggregation of genetic and environmental factors. Though previous studies have characterized FMS in different populations, no study to the best of our knowledge has yet characterized FMS in the unique Israeli population, which is comprised of relatively endogamous ethnicities. Our goal in this study was to compare demographic and clinical characteristics between FMS and sporadic MS (SMS), and to search for intra-familial patterns. MethodsIn a retrospective study of 101 FMS patients and 508 SMS patients, ethnicity and sex distribution was assessed. Clinical aspects were compared between 172 paired FMS and SMS patients, matched for sex, age and ethnicity, and between generations of the FMS cohort. ResultsFemales comprised 75.3 % of FMS and 67.5 % of SMS patients (p = 0.1). Ethnic distribution was significantly different between FMS and SMS (p = 0.014), with the former comprising a higher proportion of Christian-Arabs (15.4% vs. 5.1 %, p = 0.004) and lower proportion of Jews (60% vs. 74.2 %, p = 0.016). Age at disease onset or diagnosis, frequency of positive Oligoclonal bands and comorbidity of other autoimmune/inflammatory disease or chronic diseases was comparable between FMS and SMS, yet motor symptoms at onset were more prevalent in FMS (34% vs. 20 %, p = 0.02). Annualized relapse rates throughout 10 years from onset were comparable. Among FMS, mean Expanded-Disability-Status-Scale (EDSS) and slope of deterioration in EDSS over 20 years from diagnosis were higher (p = 0.0004 and p = 0.023, respectively), time to EDSS ≥ 3 was shorter (7.1 vs. 12.1 years, HR 1.6, p = 0.036) and MS-Severity-Score (MSSS) was higher (3.84 vs. 2.95, p = 0.04), compared to SMS. Following adjustment for smoking, which tended to be higher among FMS patients (P = 0.06), mean EDSS and slope of deterioration in EDSS over 20 years remained significantly higher (p = 0.0006 and p = 0.025, respectively) in FMS, time to EDSS ≥ 3 tended to be higher (HR 1.5, p = 0.06), while MSSS was comparable. An inter-generational analysis of the total FMS cohort, as well as an intra-familial analysis, both adjusted for year of diagnosis, revealed significantly earlier age of onset (p < 0.0001 and p < 0.0001) and diagnosis (p = 0.001 and p < 0.0001) in the younger compared to the older generations, respectively. ConclusionIn this Israeli cohort, the proportions of specific ethnicities differ between FMS and SMS, indicating that FMS has a population-specific prevalence pattern, and that further investigation for susceptibility genes is warranted. Disease progression is faster in FMS patients and anticipation is observed in families with multiple cases of MS. Closer surveillance and application of a pro-active induction or early highly-effective therapeutic strategy for FMS patients should be considered, to reduce high disease activity and fast disability progression.

Role of Grassroots Public Health Leadership in Bedouin Society in Israel in Reducing Health Disparities.

Negev Bedouin settlements suffer from poor infrastructure, and the population's health status is low across all indicators. While it is difficult for Bedouin citizens of Israel to integrate into the Israeli employment market, integrating this population into the health system is far-reaching. The aim of this study is to analyze the barriers and motivational factors experienced by Bedouin doctors to promote public health in the Bedouin community in southern Israel and to examine the perceptions these doctors have around the concept of leadership in a public health setting. We conducted semi-structured interviews with Bedouin doctors from the Negev Bedouin community and analyzed them using thematic analysis. Most interviewees saw themselves as leaders whose role was to improve public health in their community. They stressed the need for health leadership in Negev Bedouin society, and their desire to lead change in the community from within. All interviewees had grown used to a different way of life and a higher standard of living, and as a result, had difficulty returning home. Interviewees presented that trust in the health system is a critical factor for the success of health promotion programs. However, they noted the evolving trends of general mistrust in the government and its institutions that form the infrastructure for mistrust in the health system. Lack of time and workload were barriers to exercising leadership. Interviewees reported their perception of how socioeconomic status, the standard of living, and lack of infrastructure, education, and training affect health outcomes and collaboration potential. This study presents a unique perspective on the views of doctors from the Negev Bedouin population on their involvement with grassroots leadership as a strategy to reduce health disparities in this community.

The young and the hawkish: Generational differences in conflict attitudes in Israel

How do generational patterns affect public opinion in prolonged conflicts? While considerable research has addressed the effects of conflicts on children and adolescents, understanding the broader generational divides in public attitudes towards conflict resolution remains an area with both theoretical and empirical gaps. Such understanding is crucial, given its potential to significantly shape aggregate public opinion and the trajectory of conflicts. This paper focuses on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, examining how support for conflict resolution varies across Israeli–Jewish cohorts. It employs longitudinal survey data (1981–2019), using both descriptive methods and age-period-cohort (APC) regression models. The findings indicate that generational differences in public opinion were relatively small until the early 2000s. Post this period, younger Israelis have increasingly displayed more hawkish attitudes than older generations, coupled with a stronger inclination towards right-wing identification. These trends pose important questions about the changing nature of support for compromise within Israeli society and its implications for the future of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. The factors driving these emerging generational gaps are complex and merit in-depth exploration. While this article touches upon potential explanations, including demographic shifts and hope for peace, they do not entirely clarify the observed generational differences, highlighting the need for further research.

Settler Colonialism and Decolonization

Abstract This essay makes two arguments. First, it argues that the analytical frame of settler colonialism is very productive in order to understand, describe, and at times even predict certain future trends of the Israeli state and society, while putting aside questions of legitimation or justification. On the other hand, this analytical frame is underdetermined when it comes to offering possible solutions for the future of Palestine-Israel. From the mere fact that Israel is a settler colonial project no particular future normative solution could be deduced logically. Future situations are political, not logical, and as such they are subject to different kinds of considerations including ethical and practical ones. Furthermore, we bear certain responsibility for political decisions that we do not while making logical judgments, and this different must be kept.

The impact of 24/7 news coverage on the mental health of Israelis in the 'Iron Swords' War: A cross-sectional analysis among television audience.

This study aims to assess the impact of continuous 24/7 news broadcasting on the mental well-being of Jewish Israelis during the 'Iron Swords' War and compare it to findings from the 2014 Conflict. An internet-based cross-sectional panel survey was conducted on 11-12 October 2023, during the 'Iron Swords' War. The study focused on Israel's adult Jewish population, enabling comparisons with a previous 2014 study. Participants reported news consumption changes, attitudes towards newscasts (burdensome, relaxing, stressful, addictive, Fear Of Missing Out [FOMO], avoidance), opinions on 24/7 news, and anxiety symptoms. Among 802 adult Jewish participants in Israel, 83.8% increased news consumption. While more than 70% of respondents found the newscast stressing at least a medium level, more than 40% said they do not try to avoid them at all. Nearly 24% found it much addictive. Women and younger individuals reported more FOMO, stress, and addiction. More than 70% reported experiencing at least one anxiety symptom, and 21% of all four. Linear regression explained 42.9% of the variance of reported anxiety, with gender, age, news stress, addiction, and FOMO as predictors. The current study results show an increase in all measurements compared to a separate study conducted using the same tools in 2014. Jewish Israelis struggled with news consumption during the recent war, harming mental health. Heightened anxiety was observed, compared to 2014, and affected all demographics.

The educator’s role in democratic and multicultural societies: student perceptions at a teacher training college in Israel

PurposeEducators are recognized as key agents of social change, responsible for shaping future citizens. Beyond imparting knowledge, teachers are crucial in addressing societal challenges such as sustainability, democracy and social equality. This study aims to investigate the attitudes of Jewish and Arab students toward democratic values and how they perceive their role as educators in a multicultural society.Design/methodology/approachThis study explores the attitudes of majority and minority group students in an Israeli teacher training college towards realizing democratic values and promoting shared citizenship. The sample included 382 Jewish and Arab students, who answered a questionnaire about attitudes regarding education for democracy and shared society, and their perception of their role in promoting this education.FindingsThe investigation delves into students’ civic perceptions, shedding light on the moderate and pluralistic stances held by both Jewish and Arab students. They advocate for cross-cultural exposure and interaction, with Jewish students demonstrating slightly more moderate views than the prevailing norms in Israeli society. Interestingly, Jewish students exhibited a willingness to engage in discussions on conflictual topics, whereas Arab students tended to avoid them.Social implicationsThis study underscores the potential of teacher training colleges in shaping the upcoming generation of educators as advocates of tolerance, and democracy, and promoters of a shared society.Originality/valueThis research gains heightened relevance in a contemporary landscape where numerous nations, especially those comprising diverse cultures, grapple with surges of nationalism that threaten democratic values. Teacher training colleges hold the key to forging a more harmonious future by becoming beacons of transformative pedagogy. These institutions can shape a new generation of educators who are poised to catalyze authentic social change.

Navigating in Insecure Territory: Attitudes among Islamic Movement Female Activists toward the Israeli Authorities and Culture

This article deals with female activists of the Islamic movement in Israel and their attitudes toward the Israeli authorities and culture. It looks at the complex Muslim existence in Israel, leading to such questions as: What is their opinion about the Israeli space and how do they live as Muslims in a non-Islamic space? And what strategies do they use to bridge the gap between their religious and civic identities? The article presents three main positions of the women activists in relation to the Israeli space: the majority who want to integrate into Israeli society, the minority who reject Israeli society and want to seclude themselves in a community of an Islamic nature, and a group which takes the humanistic position where the emphasis is on the person and not their religious identity, i.e., they prefer not to emphasize their religious identity in the Israeli space, partly because they fear expressing criticism towards Israeli society, assuming that it will lead to persecution and conflicts. Female Muslim activists give a religious interpretation and act according to Fiqh al-waqi’a (a religious interpretation according to the understanding of reality) in a subjective, personal way, without any top-down guidance from the (male) leaders of the movement.

Are You Our Sisters? Resistance, Belonging, and Recognition in Israeli Reform Jewish Female Converts

The religious conversion process is a significant expression of an individual’s intention to gain a new religious identity and be included in a particular religious community. Those who wish to join the Jewish people undergo giyur (conversion), which includes observing rituals and religious practices. While previous research on Jewish conversions in Israel focused on the experiences of persons who converted under Orthodox auspices, this study analyzes the experiences of female immigrants from the former Soviet Union (FSU) and the Philippines who chose to convert through the Reform Movement in Israel. Based on qualitative research, we discovered that the non-Orthodox process, which is based on liberal values, not only grants converts under the aegis of Reform entry to the Jewish people, but promotes their affiliation with the Reform Movement and advances their acculturation into Jewish Israeli society. Their choice is a political decision, an act of resistance against an Orthodox Israeli religious monopoly, and an expression of spiritual motivations. The converts become social agents who strengthen the Reform Movement’s socio-political position in Israel, where it struggles against discrimination. Furthermore, since most converts are women, new intersections between religion, gender, and nationality are exposed.

Criminal Behaviors Among Minorities: A Social Resistance Perspective

The social resistance framework offers an explanation for high-risk and criminal behaviors among non-dominant minority groups. The study explores the generalizability of the framework to minority groups which are marginalized for different reasons, such as immigration, and deep historical national conflicts, and across several criminal behaviors, by surveying a representative sample of more than 1,000 participants from Israel's majority population and four minority groups—Muslims, Jews of Ethiopian origin, immigrants from the former Soviet Union, and ultra-Orthodox Jews. Negative binomial regressions show that social resistance is positively associated with criminal behaviors, controlling for exposure, demographic characteristics, and previous explanations. Additionally, both levels of social resistance and its association with criminal behaviors vary between the different non-dominant minority groups. The study supports the premises of the framework, showing that social resistance plays a role in criminal behaviors among minority groups which are marginalized for different historical reasons.

Refusal to serve in the Israel Defense Forces reserves in an era of anti-democratic judicial reform

ABSTRACT In Israel, most citizens are obligated to serve in the military for a mandatory period and subsequently in the reserve forces for about 21–45 days per year up to the age of 44. Many veterans continue to serve in the reserves for even longer periods. However, uncharacteristically, during 2023, reservists were linked to the social protest in Israel. The ever-widening public protest in Israel was unprecedented. Every Saturday night, from January 2023 until the War of October 7th began, 5–10% of the Israeli population headed out to demonstrate in the streets of various cities and regions against the anti-democratic legislation that was under consideration or had been passed. Among the protesters were many citizens serving in the reserve forces. These opponents of government policy voiced their protest, saying loud and clear that if the legislation continued, they would not serve, unless a war would erupt; indeed, many of them had already quit the reserves only to rejoin when the October War started. And thus, without intending to do so, the army has become a political player in the political struggle currently taking place in Israel. The wide-ranging protest in Israel and the massive number of reservists who had voiced a decision not to show up for reserve duty are indications of an unprecedented social phenomenon that is worthy of scholarly attention. How do we, as critical scholars, put an identity on the military? How do we interpret situations in which the military is more democratic than the government?

The Legitimation Process of the Hilltop Youth

Abstract Over the years, the ‘hilltop youth’ have acted in opposition to both Israeli state authorities and the settler leadership. Israeli society viewed them as a group acting to realize an extremist religious ideology while violating Israeli law and ignoring the state's decisions. However, after coming to feel that their social position was making it difficult for them to realize their vision, they embarked upon a process of trying to gain political legitimacy. By turning to mass media and by disseminating messages with which the public at large could identify, they have worked to move closer to Israeli consensus opinion. We identify the steps through which this was carried out and trace its success. The process reached a significant point in 2023 when politicians identified with the hilltop youth took up important ministerial positions in government, marking their transition from actors who opposed the state to ones responsible for its decisions.