ABSTRACT
Israel’s multiethnic and multinational population of about 8 million is approximately 75% (6 million) Jewish, about 20% (1.5 million) Arab, around 2% (160,000) Druze and Circassians and the remaining 3% (240,000) migrants and foreign workers. The Jewish population of Israel may be described as one of immigrants with almost 90% of the population stemming from families that immigrated to Israel since the founding of the modern Zionist movement in the 1880s. Thus the Israeli Jewish population is particularly heterogeneous and comprises individuals who have different cultural and religious backgrounds. Approximately half of the Jewish population are of oriental origin and cherish a richly developed culture significantly influenced by Middle Eastern and North African attributes, while the remaining half of the Jewish population are of mainly European origin, maintaining a culture influenced by Eastern European traditions. In addition, about 20% of the Jewish population may be described as religiously observant, with about one-third of those following an ultra-orthodox lifestyle and two-thirds adhering to a modern orthodox way of life; 60% of the Jewish population can be described as traditional Jews, who believe in the Jewish religion without strictly observing religious rituals; and the remaining 20% perceive themselves as totally secular without any affinity to Jewish religious traditions.
