Jews in Israel: Contemporary Social and Cultural Patterns (Tauber Institute for the Study of European Jewry) - Tapa blanda

"Scholars will find useful case studies in comparative/historical sociology of ethnicity, immigration and gender."--Multicultural Review "The accessibility and informative nature of the contributions makes the book a candidate for an introductory volume."--Contemporary Sociology

The State of Israel has long passed the initial stages of nation-building and has become, in many respects, a Western, technological society. Today Israel is a society in transition, in which different sets of values can increase group tensions and challenge social cohesion. A collection of 20 essays, this volume systematically explores the challenges and contradictions of Israel as a modern, heterogeneous society. Focusing on the behaviours of people, rather than institutions and organizations, its approach is largely interdisciplinary, with an overriding sociological perspective. The volume begins with two broadly conceived essays - a social history of Jews in Israel over the 20th century, and a survey of major demographic trends among Israelis in the 1990s. Topics of other essays include: the processes of absorption and the integration of new immigrants such as Soviet and Ethiopian Jews; the significance of gender in an evolving society; the influence of major religious political parties; the Holocaust and other paradigms of Jewish identity; and the relationship between Israelis and Diaspora Jews. The editors address challenges facing Israeli Jewry in the 21st century, emphasizing the tension between the desire to maintain the unique character of the Jewish state and the values of a modern democratic society.