I have never taken much interest in the Middle East or Israel before, but that has changed literally just in the past week. I am suddenly fascinated by what is going on there in the news and in the country's culture.
Here are a few bullet points of what I've learned:
The original Jewish founders of Israel (in 1948) were secular/atheist, though they used the Bible as a justification for many things https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/zionist-bible/introduction/EA6EC83FC6D9BBD244E5FC5D72AC8B8C
There is a difference between being culturally and ethnically Jewish and practicing Judaism as a religion. Most Jews are culturally Jewish only, and do not believe in God. 65% of Israel is secular, though they follow many Jewish traditions. An American parallel would be faithfully celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas as cultural traditions without ascribing any religious significance to them
The Ultra Orthodox Haredim, who devote themselves almost exclusively to prayer and religious studies, are the obvious exception. The closest American equivalent we have would be the Amish. They keep separate from the rest of the culture, live in their own communities, wear distinctive, old fashioned clothing, and are culturally extremely conservative.
The Haredim make up 13% of Israel. There were just 40,000 of them in 1948. Today there are over a million, and they comprise 30% of the population in Jerusalem. One in four Israel schoolchildren are now Haredi, and at current rates, their population will double by 2040.
Haredim believe that their studies, prayer, and devotion to God are what keeps Israel safe.
400 Haredim were exempted from compulsory military service in 1948, which did not have much of an impact on the country. With the subsequent explosive growth of their population however (the average Haredi family has 6.6 children), their exemption from the military has become a sore point for the rest of Israel, so the government recently removed their military exemption, sparking intense Haredi opposition. They refuse to comply, and the issue has become so heated (think riots, jail sentences, etc.) that it threatens to take down Netanyahu's government.
https://thejewishindependent.com.au/israel-2048-a-ticking-haredi-time-bomb
I will be discussing all of this on today's show, June 11, 2025.