Israel’s Diverse Population

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Episode 48 Israel’s Diverse Population

 

Total  9.1 Million

 

79 % Jewish

17% Muslim

2% Christians

2% Mosaic of religions – Bahai – Druze – Samartins etc

 

Secular Jew

They hold on to their identity as a Jewish culture mixed in with modern society, without the faith of their ancestors. Jews who partake in modern secular society and are not religious

Makeup over 40% of the Jewish population.

 

Ultra-Orthodox Jew

Jews that are pro-religious and emphasize studying the Torah and Talmud. Called in Hebrew Haredi Jews, they regard themselves as the most religiously authentic group of Jews. (13% of Israel's population)

They have a high birth rate, the Haredi population is growing rapidly

Some of them do not recognize the State of Israel as legitimate and do not join the IDF.

   They mostly are located in the following Four religious cities in Israel. Safed, Jerusalem, Hebron and Tibereas.

 

National Religious Jew

Recognize the modern state as a legitimate entity yet still desire for Israel to become a religious state. is an ideology that combines Zionism and Orthodox Judaism. the two main ultra-Orthodox parties in the parliament  are the Sephardic Shas Party and United Torah Judaism.

 

Immigrant Jews

Jews from all over the world who made Aliyah to Israel, 37% of the population. Aliyah is the immigration of Jews from all over the world to the modern State of Israel.  Also defined as "the act of going up"—that is, towards Jerusalem—"making aliyah" by moving to the Land of Israel.

 

Palestinian Jew

Jews that lived in the land before the foundation of the State of Israel and speak Arabic fluently. After the establishment of Israel in 1948, the Jews of Mandatory Palestine became Israeli citizens, and the term "Palestinian Jews" has largely fallen into disuse and is somewhat defunct, in favor of the term Israeli Jews.

 

 

Muslims Population

Arab Muslim

17% of the population in Israel. Sunni Muslim is by far the largest branch of Islam, followed by almost 90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word Sunnah, referring to the behaviour of Muhammad or in others words following the directions of the profit, and According to Sunni traditions, Muhammad designated Abu Bakr as his successor (the first caliph).

 

But in contrasts the Shiaa view is different    , which holds that Muhammad announced his son-in-law and cousin Ali ibn Abi Talib as his successor and according to shiaa view that the successor should be from the family and blood line of Mouhamad and not through his successors like the chaliph

 

 

Arab Israelis

Arabs who own an Israeli ID. Most self-designate themselves as Palestinians by nationality and Israeli by citizenship, while others prefer “Israeli Arab.” This name refers to the fact that after the Nakba, these are the Palestinians that remained within Israel's 1948 borders. Many have family ties to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as well as to Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.

The Arabs living in East Jerusalem and the Druze in the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel in the Six-Day War of 1967 and later annexed, were offered Israeli citizenship, but most have refused, not wanting to recognize Israel's claim to sovereignty. They became permanent residents instead. They have the right to apply for citizenship, are entitled to municipal services and have municipal voting rights.

 

Minorities in Israel

Arab Christian less than 2%

Around 175,000 Arab Christians live in Israel. They are from a variety of denominational back- grounds such as Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Melchite, Anglican, and others.

 

Some 42% of all Christians are affiliated with the Melkite Greek Church, and 30% with the Orthodox Church; smaller numbers are split between Latin Rite Catholics with 13% of Christians, we have Less than 10,000 Maronites lives in Israel belongs to the Maronite Catholic Church, who reside in Israel and some of whom self-identify as Arameans.

1,000 Assyrians belongs to the Assyrian Churches, also known as Arameans or Chaldeans are an ethnic group indigenous to the Middle East. They are speakers of the Aramaic branch of Semitic languages.

 

Coptic community of around 1,000 Copts, Coptic Christians trace their founding to the apostle St. Mark. Tradition holds that Mark brought Christianity to Egypt and founded the Coptic church during the first century. It is one of the oldest Christian churches in the Middle East and was the first founded in Africa.

 

We have small branches of Protestants, evangelical Christian churches mostly Baptist denomination.  

 

Armenians

Part of the Armenian Diaspora, around 400 Armenian families live in the Armenian quarter of the Old City and 10,000 in Israel.

 

Other minorities Such as:

Bedouin

are nomadic Arab Tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Middle East. followers of Islam. Traditionally they live in tents, or Shakes or even houses the modern ones they used to move with their herds across vast areas of arid land in search of grazing areas. Bedouin society is patrilineal. They are renowned for their hospitality, honesty and fierce independence. 200,000 is the population of the Bedouins.

 

 

Samaritans

Israel’s smallest religious minority and own an Israeli ID. 731 Samartains

Samaritans claim descent from the tribe of Ephraim and tribe of Manasseh (two sons of Joseph).

Assimilated descendant of the Assyrians and residents of the district of Samaria who consider themselves the original Jews and recognize their own version of the Pentateuch plus the book of Joshua.

 

The present-day population has been consistently divided between the West Bank and Israel. Samaritans in the West Bank live in Mount Gerizim area, while those in Israel are concentrated in the city of Holon, just outside Tel Aviv.

 

 

Druze

is a monotheistic and Abrahamic religion based on the teachings of the Fatimid caliph, al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, and Ancient Greek philosophers.

 

An offshoot of Islam whose people have a secret religion and are loyal to the State of Israel. Jethro of Midian is considered an ancestor of the Druze, who revere him as their spiritual founder and chief prophet.

 

105,000 in population, most in northern Israel.