Tradition, Innovation, Conflict: Jewishness and Judaism in Contemporary Israel

328 Pages·1991·15.502 MB·English

by  Zvi Sobel, Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi

Tradition, Innovation,
Conflict
SUNY Series in IsraeU Studies
Russell Stone, Editor
Tradition, Innovation,
Conflict
Jewishness and Judaism in Contemporary Israel
Edited by
Zvi Sobel
and
Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS
Production by Ruth East
Marketing by Fran Keneston
Published by
State University of New York Press, Albany
©1991 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced
in any manner whatsoever without written permission
except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
critical articles and reviews.
For information, address State University of New York
Press, State University Plaza, Albany, N.Y. 12246
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Tradition, innovation, conflict : Jewishness and Judaism in contemporary
Israel/ edited by Zvi Sobel and Benjamin Beit·Hallahmi.
P. em.-(SUNY series in Israeli studies)
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-7914·0554·0 (alk. paper).- ISBN 0-7914·0555·9 (pbk.:
alk. paper)
1. Judaism-Israel. 2. Zionism and Judaism. I. Sobel, Zvi.
II. Beit-Hallahmi, Benjamin. III. Series.
BM390T73 1991
306.6'095694-dc20 90-35232
CIP
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Preface vii
Introduction 1
Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi and Zvi Sobel
Part I. The Communal Dimension
1. Conflict and Communitas: The Interplay of
Religion, Ethnicity, and Community in a
Galilee Village 25
Zvi Sobel
2. Personal Motivation and Social Meaning in the
Revival of Hagiolatric Traditions among
Moroccan Jews in Israel 47
Yoram Bilu
3. The Jerusalem Funeral as a Microcosm of the
'Mismeeting' between Religious and
Secular Israelis 71
Henry Abramovitch
4. Tradition and Innovation in Jewish
Religious Education in Israel 101
Mordecai Bar-Lev
vi Contents
Part II. Dissent and Religious Alternatives
5. The Identity Dilemma of Non-Orthodox
Religious Movements: Reform and
Conservative Judaism in Israel 135
Ephraim Tabory
6. Back to the Fold: The Return to Judaism 153
Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi
7. Conversion Experiences: Newcomers to and
Defectors from Orthodox Judaism
(horzim betshuvah and hozrim beshe'elah) 173
William Shaffir
8. Judaism and the New Religions in Israel:
1970-1990 203
Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi
Part III. The Religiosity Factor
9. Effects of Religiosity on Attitudes and Behavior 227
Leonard Weller
10. Dimensions of Jewish Religiosity in Israel 251
PeriKedem
11. Religious, Ethnic, and Class Divisions in Israel:
Convergent or Cross Cutting? 279
Hanna Ayalon, Eliezer Ben-Rafael, Stephen Sharot
About the Contributors 305
Index 309
Preface
With the passage of time it becomes more and more evident that
religion as an institution and as a force plays an increasingly central
role in Israeli society. In the course of the governmental crisis which
shook the country in the spring of 1990 a number of"truths" about the
workings of the Israeli polity were revealed in stark relief. Two of these
are of particular interest in the context of the present volume and
they are the extent to which parties whose raison d'etre is the protec
tion and extension of the perceived interests of religious orthodoxy in
the society hold the balance of power though representing only a
small minority of the population and, of no less interest, the seeming
willingness of the majority of non-orthodox citizens to accept this
state of affairs as perhaps onerous but nonetheless legitimate. It would
appear that the majority of Israelis are either remarkably passive, or
perhaps, less overwhelmingly "secular" than many observers have
claimed. It might also, however, suggest that in dealing with religion in
Israeli society we are dealing with a highly complex phenomenon
which cannot be understood through resort to clearly demarcated
categories or labels such as "secular", "religious", or even the ultimately
flexible catch-all "traditional".
The essays and research reports in the present volume are an
effort to deal with what Isrealis believe and how they behave in the
religious context. The collection was organized from the ground up, or
from the field up, so to speak Contributors were asked to write pieces
reflecting the state of their knowledge and their interests rather than
to follow preconceived notions of the editors about where the research
should lead. The final version, presented here, is the outcome of a col
laborative process between contributors and editors where the
attempt has been made to always give priority to the realities of the
field and the research process. The result, we believe, reflects the
viii Preface
current religious situation in Israel in its complexity and richness. It
also reflects a variety of theoretical and research disciplines, ranging
from the phenomenological to the large-scale population survey.
Clearly, however, not every aspect or dimension of religion or reli
gious life in Israel is treated in the present volume. The very attempt
would be presumptuous. This is a beginning which of necessity remains
partial and unfmished but will, we hope, result in the publication of
follow-up works explicating this very central concern oflsraeli society.
In carrying out our task as editors, we have enjoyed the invalu
able help of the Research Authority at our home institution, the Uni
versity of Haifa. Betty Rozen, who teaches English here, applied some
polish to our English style, and was most helpful in other ways.
Danielle Friedlander has served as an untiring and unflapable typist
helping to save the integrity of the text from the ravages of an
unpredictable computer system. We are thankful.