About Us Isrealis - Facts Vs. Slander

Our voyage into the process of understanding Israelis, beyond the labels and stigmas, must make as its first stop at the "statistics, facts and figures" station. With these in mind, we can then stop at the other stations along the way equipped with the information needed to form adequate conclusions. 

According to the last official registry, conducted in 2010, the number of Israelis living within the boundaries of the country that covers 22,072 square kilometers (8,522 Square Miles) called Israel is 7,465,500. Out of them, 5,634,300 are Jewish, 1,513,200 are Arabs, 140,000 are Christians, 102,000 are Druze and the rest are other minorities.

What is evident from these figures is that, even before we consider internal ethnic, political, social and economic differences, Israelis are far from being a homogenous group; so, any use of generalization to describe them is futile from the start.

And yet, I'm far from being naïve. It is obvious that generalizations leading to the labeling of Israelis negatively are aimed specifically at Israelis of the Jewish faith. The connection to the darker eras of humanity's long history, when Jews were pinpointed and differentiated from other ethnic populations, is quite obvious, isn't it? But we will dive into that in future articles.

Instead, let's dig deeper into the facts. Israel is a state that, by definition, and from its creation, has constantly absorbed Jewish immigrants. It is a key principle in its essence, deriving from centuries of atrocities committed against stateless Jews, almost everywhere around the world – culminating in the Holocaust. Us Israelis, bearing on our shoulders the burden of Jewish history, see this as a crucial component in our national identity and our country's purpose. No amount of international criticism thrown our way for our immigration policy will move us an inch on the matter.

With time, this policy had brought millions of Jews into Israel from all over the globe. These immigrants came from different cultures and brought with them different traditions and customs, having only one thing in common with their fellow senior Israelis – being Jewish. The direct result was social diversity that often enough translated into diverse political affiliations.

This was clearly the case during the state election of 1977, when the Likud party won political power and took control of the country from the hands of the historic Labor party. This manifestation of political change in Israeli politics based on an ethnic vote, was the first of several since, adding complexity to an already multifaceted political scene comprised of political parties from the right, the center, the left, the Zionist-religious, the ultra-religious, the communist, the socialist, senior-citizens, Gays, Arabs etc.

In summation, using generalizations to describe Israelis is futile. Israelis are very diverse. They are comprised of a Jewish majority, but include other considerable minorities. The Jewish majority is very diverse, ethnically, socially, economically and religiously. This translates into diverse political views.

So, when you encounter some nasty generalizations about the people of Israel, let the facts, not the slander, affect your judgment about us Israelis