What Religion Is Israel: Embracing the Multifaceted Religious Identity of Israel

Israel is a country with a profoundly complex religious identity rooted in centuries of spiritual history intertwined with modern nation building. While closely associated with Judaism, Israel is home to several major world religions and an intricate tapestry of faith groups. This article will analyze the demographics, politics, diversity, and debates around religion in Israel today.

What is the Main Religion in Israel?

The predominant religion in Israel is Judaism, practiced by around 74.7% of the population as of 2020. Israel was founded in 1948 as a Jewish state and homeland, so Judaism plays a central role in its national identity and institutions. The ‘Law of Return’ grants all Jews the right to Israeli citizenship.

However, while secular Jewish Israelis make up the largest religious group, practicing Jews are around 20% of the population. So while Judaism shapes public life, many Israelis have a complex, fluid or secular relationship to the religion.

Religious Affiliation in Israel by Population Share

ReligionPopulation Share 2020
Jewish74.7%
Muslim17.8%
Christian2.0%
Druze1.6%
Other4.1%

Source: Israel Central Bureau of Statistics 2020

Breakdown of Jewish Religious Affiliation

The Jewish population includes both practicing religious Jews as well as secular Jews. It can be broken down as:

  • Haredi (ultra-Orthodox): 12%
  • Dati (Religious Zionist): 10%
  • Masorti (Traditional): 29%
  • Hiloni (Secular): 49%

So while Judaism plays a central role in Israeli identity and culture, only 22% of Israeli Jews identity as religious (Haredi or Dati).

What Other Religions are Present in Israel?

While Judaism dominates public life, Israel has religious diversity second only to Lebanon in the Middle East. Key minority religions include:

Islam

Muslims make up around 17.8% of the Israeli population as of 2020, or 1.59 million people. Most are Sunni Arabs, along with Bedouin tribes and a small Druze minority. Many Muslim holy sites like Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque are located in Israel.

Christianity

Christians form around 2% of the Israeli population, or 178,000 people as of 2020. Most belong to Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant denominations. Major churches like the Church of the Holy Sepulchre draw pilgrims while Israel’s Christian minority enjoys full freedom of worship.

Druze Religion

The secretive Druze religion has around 139,000 believers in Israel or 1.6% of the population. Most live in exclusive Druze villages in the Galilee and Golan Heights which form autonomous cultural communities. Druze serve in the Israeli army and are well integrated.

Baha’i Faith

The global headquarters of the Baha’i faith are located in Haifa, Israel where its key shrines, gardens and institutions are housed. Around 1,000 Israeli citizens identify as Baha’i, while pilgrims visit from abroad.

How Does Religion Impact Israeli Politics and Society?

While Israel provides freedom of worship and religious diversity, tensions exist in public life for several reasons:

Ties of Judaism to The State

As Israel defines itself as a ‘Jewish State’, religious political parties like Shas and United Torah Judaism wield significant influence. Religious affiliation is marked on Israeli ID cards. Marriage, divorce and other family laws are influenced by Orthodox Jewish authorities. Public institutions like transport, entertainment venues and restaurants abide by Kosher dietary laws and Shabbat (Sabbath) closure laws.

Secularism vs Orthodoxy

There are also tensions between Israel’s secular majority, who wish for separation of religion and state, and more hardline religious groups who want stricter observation of Jewish laws. Disputes have occurred over military service requirements, observance of Shabbat, funding for religious schools and housing development restrictions.

Interfaith Relations

While minorities have legal equality, divisions exist between Jewish and Arab communities while far-right Jewish fundamentalism also manifests in groups like Lehava and ‘Price Tag’ attacks. Interfaith tolerance education in Israeli schools remains limited.

So Israel’s hybrid religious character – officially Jewish but with secular majority and minority faiths – creates an ongoing balancing act in public life.

How Does Religion In Israel Compare To Other Middle Eastern Countries?

Despite these tensions, Israel’s level of religious diversity and freedom of worship exceed other regional nations. For comparison:

Religious Freedom

CountryBlasphemy LawsApostacy LawsReligious I.D. Cards
IsraelNoNoYes
EgyptYesNoYes
JordanNoNoNo
Saudi ArabiaYesYesNo

Sources: Pew Research Center, US State Department 2021

So Israel has greater openness and fewer restrictions than other regional countries. However, its religious I.D. cards indicate it is not fully secular.

Diversity of Faiths

Israel has greater diversity than neighboring states like Egypt and Jordan which have around 90% Sunni Muslim populations. Israel’s range of faith groups creates complex debates over religious freedom and multiculturalism not found elsewhere in the Middle East.

So while facing internal divisions, Israel accommodates religious diversity that exceeds other regional nations.

What % of people in Israel identify as atheist or non-religious?

Around 49% of Israeli Jews identify as Hiloni or secular Jews according to 2020 statistics. For the whole Israeli population encompassing other faith groups, around 42% identify as not religious according to Pew Research Center data.

So while Israel’s national identity officially emphasizes Judaism, its secular population almost equals its religious Jewish population in size. This demonstrates the complexity of pinpointing one religion in Israel when half its majority faith group identify as secular.

What Role Does Intermarriage Play in Israel’s Religious Identity?

Interfaith marriage remains extremely rare in Israel due to historic taboos within Judaism against marrying non-Jews. Only around 2% of Israeli Jews ‘intermarry’ according to research by Shlomit Levy of Bar-Ilan University.

Israeli society and religious courts generally oppose mixed relationships. Those wishing to intermarry often travel abroad.

However, this may slowly be changing among secular Israelis open to relationships spanning ethnicity or faith according to some experts. Len Traubman notes Israel has small emerging support groups for mixed couples.

So while still taboo, secularism may allow intermarriage to inch up in future – adding further potential complexity to discussing one national religious identity.

Intermarriage Attitudes Among Israeli Jews

View on IntermarriageHarediDatiMasortiHiloni
Support2%4%25%64%
Oppose98%96%75%36%

Source: Jewish Values Survey, Israel Democracy Institute 2018

This table demonstrates the correlation between secularism and openness to mixed relationships – indicating potential future religious diversity.

Proportion of Israelis Attend Religious Services Regularly

According to Pew Research Center data:

  • 69% of Israeli adults seldom or never attend religious services
  • 11% attend weekly
  • 3% attend monthly
  • 5% attend yearly
  • 13% attend only on special occasions like holidays

So the majority of Israelis engage in little regular religious observance. Secular lifestyles exceed religious attendance other than during events like Jewish High Holy Days.

This reinforces that while Judaism profoundly shapes Israeli identity, most citizens exist in a cultural grey area between secular and religious worlds. Therefore ascribing an overarching ‘religion’ to Israel becomes complex.

Engagement With Religious Services Among Israeli Jews

DenominationAttend at Least Monthly
Haredi95%
Dati85%
Masorti33%
Hiloni3%

How Do Surveys Define Jewish Identity in Israel?

The complexity of Israeli religious identity leads to intricate survey categories by organizations like Pew Research Center and the Israel Democracy Institute:

Dimensions of Jewish Identity

Modern Israeli Jewish identity comprises a matrix of four dimensions:

Religious Practice – from Haredi to secular
Jewish Culture – connection to historic traditions like language, food etc
Ethnicity – lineage back to historic Israelites
** Zionism** – belief that Israel should exist as a Jewish homeland

Conclusion

Defining the predominant religion of Israel ultimately depends on perspective – whether one prioritizes official statuses, daily lifestyles or identity sentiment. The reality lies in balancing its Jewish heritage with secularism and multiculturalism.

Israel’s founders established a Jewish state informed by historical longing for a spiritual homeland. This gives Judaism immense official privilege and weight in public life. Yet high secular population shares put day-to-day religious practice in the minority.

So Israel exists in a dynamic equilibrium between religious and secular worlds – striving to uphold Judaism’s central place while accommodating diversity and free choice. This tension requires constant recalibration as demographics and politics shift.

For a majority Jewish country, Israel paradoxically has an identity not wholly defined by religion either officially or unofficially. Its hybrid culture defies singular labels. The state must continue mediating its majority religion with minority groups and secularism in this ongoing existential balancing act.

FAQs

What do most Jewish Israelis believe in regards to religion?

While 49% identify as secular, 78% still say they believe in God according to the Israel Democracy Institute’s 2018 Jewish Values Survey. So for many Israeli Jews, faith occupies an intermediate space between religious observance and secularism – underscoring this complex identity.

Do you have to be Jewish to become an Israeli citizen?

Around 25% of Israelis are non-Jewish Arabs, Druze etc with full citizenship rights. However, the Law of Return means even non-Israelis of sufficient Jewish descent can obtain fast-tracked citizenship unavailable to other faiths.

How old are the main religions in Israel?

Judaism traces origins in Israel back over 3,000 years to Old Testament times. Christianity also has over 2,000 years of history here. Islam arrived during the 7th century AD as it spread across the Middle East through events like the Crusades. So all three religions have ancient historical connections.

What percentage of Israeli Arabs are Christian?

Around 7.2% of non-Jewish Israelis belong to various Christian denominations according to 2020 demographic data. So while Islam dominates the Arab religious landscape, Israel has small indigenous Christian Arab population clusters – adding to its tapestry.

What proportion of Israeli Jews categorize themselves as Orthodox?

Around 22% of Israeli Jews describe themselves as Orthodox Jews, either Haredim (ultra-Orthodox) at 12% or Dati (Religious Zionists) at 10%. So the country has a sizable if still minority Orthodox component, yielding political influence and preservation of tradition.

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