Apr 15, 2018

Haredi Zionists

According to some sort of survey and polling done in advance of the 70th Yom Haatzmaut, while 95% of the Dati Leumi community considers itself Zionistic, 45% of the Haredi community considers itself Zionistic. Of the total Israeli population, 86% considers itself Zionistic.

I don't know if 45% is an increase or decrease from previous years, but I have a feeling it is a sharp increase. I looked around a little bit via Google searches for results from previous years and it looks like the numbers were much smaller, but it is really hard to compare as the descriptions of the survey are not exactly the same, and with surveys and polls everything depends on the precise wording of the question posed to people.

I think the results of the poll point to increased integration into Israeli society. More than pointing to feelings of actual Zionism, in the Zionist movement sense of the word, it probably points more to patriotic feelings for the country they grew up in and live in. There is probably some actual Zionism as well. The definition of Zionism is totally non-threatening, so as long as it isnt referred to in the political and ideological sense, more and more can feel comfortable describing themselves as Zionistic.

Zi·on·ist
ˈzīənəst/
noun
  1. 1.
    a supporter of Zionism; a person who believes in the development and protection of a Jewish nation in what is now Israel.

As I like to say, Moshe Rabbeinu was also a Zionist





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5 comments:

  1. BatyaApril 15, 2018 10:32 PM

    Could part of the support be a growing pragmatism?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Michael SedleyApril 16, 2018 8:31 AM

    Is that 86% of Israelis or 86% of Jewish Israelis who consider themselves Zionist. If that figure includes the more than 20% of Israelis who are not Jewish, the story is not the number of Charedim who regard themselves as Zionist but the number of Arabs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rafi G.April 16, 2018 8:42 AM

      I was wondering as well, but since I did not see the original and only other reports about it and dont know what was actually asked and included, I decided that is something I could not comment on, just due to lack of information.

      Delete
  3. NeshamaApril 16, 2018 8:38 AM

    What about the Russian Olim?

    ReplyDelete
  4. ehwhyApril 16, 2018 12:41 PM

    When I made Aliyah my Settler friend told me a I was a 'confused Zionist'. Real Zionist want to make Aliayah and buy Israeli bonds instead. Of course he isn't really a settler. He is a Haredi and happens to live in a Haredi community over the Green Line.

    Labels are so confusing, especially when it means different things to different people.

    ReplyDelete