Atheists in Israel – My God!

If true! 2.0 million Jews (about 33% of the Jewish population) identify as secular

Polls have shown that Israel, the Holy Land, has one of the highest proportions of non-believers in the world. Zuckerman in a 1995 survey found a figure between 15 and 37%; Greely and Jagodinsky found around 26% in 1991.

Extrapolating these figures to the present, it yields a figure of around 2.0 million. The non-Jewish population of Israel was included in the surveys, but this is misleading.

While some Christians may be secret non-believers, this is highly unlikely to be true of Muslims. Consequently, the actual percentage, for Jews only, is higher. For the purposes of this article, the quoted percentages will suffice.

What is Jewish atheism?

“Jewish atheism is practiced by atheists who are ethnically, and to some extent culturally, Jewish. Because Judaism encompasses ethnic and religious components, the term” Jewish atheism “does not necessarily imply any contradiction. Based on the emphasis of Jewish Law In Of Matrilineal Ascendancy, Orthodox Jewish authorities would accept as fully Jewish an atheist born of a Jewish mother.

A high percentage of Israelis identify as secular, rejecting the practice of the Jewish religion. While some non-believers of Jewish descent do not consider themselves Jewish and prefer to define themselves solely as atheists, it can be said that Judaism is the paradigmatic example of the evolution of a culture and tradition that one can embrace without religious faith. “

Simply put, Judaism is more about actions; less about faith.

How does atheism exist in Israel, in what many consider a fundamentalist religious society?

The short answer is that it seems to exist very well. Contrary to the widely accepted concept, Orthodox Jews are a very small proportion of the population.

As of 2009:

• 8% of Israeli Jews defined themselves as Haredim (ultra-Orthodox)
• 12% as “religious”
• 13% as “religious-traditionalists
• 25% as “non-religious traditionalists” (not strictly adhering to Jewish law)
• and 42% as “secular”

However, due to the vagaries of the political system of proportional representation, few coalition governments have been formed without the participation of religious parties.

Consequently, they exert a political and social influence disproportionate to their numerical strength in the population. For example, until recently, civil marriage in Israel was not possible. Everything related to marriage, divorce and other family matters had to go through the religious authorities. A law was recently passed allowing civil marriage, but ONLY between couples who could prove they did not belong to any religion.

In practice, this is almost impossible. Whether this difficulty will be alleviated in the future depends on how the courts handle the new situation created by the famous writer Yoram Kanuik:

“In May 2011, Kaniuk petitioned the Israeli Interior Ministry to change her religious status from” Jewish “to” no religion. “She cited the fact that her son and grandson, being descendants of a mixed marriage, are not legally religion of any kind, and his desire not to belong to a “Jewish Iran” or “what is now called the religion of Israel.” In October 2011, a district court judge approved his petition, which means that Kaniuk is now considered Jewish by nationality, but not by religion. Hundreds of other Israelis intend to do the same; a new verb, lehitkaniuk (for Kaniuk himself) was coined. “

What effect do atheists have on the structure of this society?

Despite the best efforts of Orthodox Jews, Israel remains, essentially, an open, liberal, and pluralistic society. In the fields of women’s equality and gay rights, Israel is not only unique in the entire Middle East, it is on par with any country in the world. Gay pride events are held annually in major cities, INCLUDING Jerusalem. LGBT societies are active and Tel Aviv is an internationally promoted center for gay tourism. A considerable number of gays are secular.

Naked in the Holy Land

A major event that took place in September 2011 was a photoshoot organized by well-known American photographer and artist, Spencer Tunick, involving 1,200 Israelis who volunteered to be photographed naked at the Dead Sea.

The Dead Sea was nominated as one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. This activity was designed to kickstart your application. The resulting international publicity was massive. Since the event took place on a Saturday morning (the Jewish Saturday) and involved traveling to and from the venue by bus, it is safe to assume that none of the participants were religious. (full disclosure: I was one of them!). Of course, the other aspect of the event was that it could take place. Again, in this area of ​​the world, such an openness is ONLY possible in Israel.

Israel is said to be one of the few countries in the world where an atheist can be elected president or prime minister. Could this happen, for example, in the United States? It already happened here.

Prime Minister Golda Meir, when she insisted on her belief in God, skirted the issue by saying, “I believe in the Jewish people; and the Jewish people believe in God.”

The founder of modern Zionism, Theodor Herzl, was an atheist, as were many of Israel’s “founding fathers”, including its first prime minister, David Ben Gurion. In fact, it would be true to say that, had it not been for a substantial number of non-believing Jews, the State of Israel would not have existed.

Now, is that a paradox or what?