The Jewishness of Israelis: Responses to the Guttman Report

1. Beliefs, Observances and Social Interaction Among Israeli Jews

1 Beliefs, Observances and Social Interaction Among Israeli Jews The Guttman Institute Report SHLOMIT LEVY, HANNA LEVINSOHN, AND ELIHU KATZ This is a study of religious observance, social interaction, and beliefs and values of Jews in Israel. Specifically, it explores the actual observance of mitzvot,I social and demographic differences in religious behavior, the role of religion in public life, Jewish identification, Jewish beliefs and values as well as general social values, and issues of interaction among social groups that differ in the character of their religious observance and ethnic origin. The present research is the most comprehensive that has been conducted on the topic of religious behavior ofJews in Israel, with respect both to the representativeness of the sample population and the range of topics covered. The Samples and Fieldwork The research population consists ofJewish adults2 twenty years of age and over, residing in all types of communities in Israel.~ Two samples, each of which comprised about 1,200 respondents (1,195 and 1,204), were selected to ensure proper representation of the population and coverage of a broad range of issues. Different questionnaires were designed for the two samples, one focusing primarily on Jewish religious behavior and social values, and the other focusing primarily on social interaction among Jews. There were eighty-five common questions asked of both samples. 1 2 Levy, Levinsohn, and Katz Fieldwork was conducted between October 20 and December 16, 1991. The respondents were interviewed in their homes by interviewers of the Louis Guttman Institute of Applied Social Research, who were especially trained for this purpose, under the supervision of the institute's field supervisors. In addition, certain supplementary questions were asked of respondents in fieldwork from February 14 to March 22, 1993. These questions were designed to examine prevailing images of religious beliefs and behaviors so that they might be contrasted with the actual beliefs and behaviors revealed in the main study. The following are selected findings described in the various chapters of the monograph, which is available upon request.' These Highlights , naturally, are not a substitute for the full monograph of 145 pages of analysis, plus bibliography and appendices, which include the complete text of the questionnaires and 149 pages of cross-tabulations. Like the monograph, these Highlights divide into: Observances, Social Interaction , Religion in Public Life, and Beliefs and Values. OBSERVANCES Fourteen percent of Israeli Jews define themselves as strictly observant, and 24 percent more say they are observant to a great extent. Approximately 40 percent report themselves somewhat observant, and about 20 percent totally nonobservant [Figure 1.1]. This distribution of religious observance has remained essentially unchanged over the past twenty-five years. It extends also to specific observances ; for example, the proportion of synagogue attendance corresponds , by and large, to Guttman Institute observations since 1969.5 Nevertheless, when asked to estimate the proportion of Israelis that observe the religious tradition in the same way that you do, respondents at each level of religiosity overestimate the number of others who behave as they do. The majority are not well acquainted with the facts regarding religious observance of the Israeli public and at each level of religiosity overestimate the proportion of Israelis that observe the religious tradition in the same way that they do. In other words, regardless of the extent of their observance, Israelis feel well supported in their positions. This sense of support rises with the decline in observance; that is, the less observant feel that there are even more of them. When asked about affiliation with a particular religious trend, nearly half reported no affiliation. Only in recent years has the Israeli public become aware of the existence of denominations in religious affiliation." Beliefs, Observances and Social Interaction Fig. 1.1. Self-Defined Religiosity (percent of respondents) Strictly observant Somewhat observant Totally non-observant Observance By Background Traits 3 Self-defined religious observance does not vary much among different age groups, between men and women, and between old-time residents and newcomers [Figure 1.2]. Ethnic origin makes a difference, both in observance and in some attitudes. Those from Eastern ethnic backgrounds (Asian-African, known as Sephardim) are, in general, more sympathetic to religious tradition, while those from Western ethnic backgrounds (Ashkenazim) are, in general, less sympathetic. There is a high concentration (70%) ofJews of Eastern origin in the category, "observant to a great extent," just as there is a high concentration of Western Jews among...