Contours of Israeli Politics: Jewish Ethnicity, Religious Nationalism, and Democracy

There is no single Jewish ethnicity, and no single Jewish ethnic group constitutes a clear majority of Jewish Israelis. These intra-Jewish differences permit a social hierarchy within the “in-group” – Jewish Israelis – that privileges the Ashkenazi Jews of European descent over Mizrahi/Sephardi Jews of Middle Eastern backgrounds.

The timely Contours of Israeli Politics focuses on the socio-political ramifications of this hierarchy within the upper stratum of Israeli society. Using public opinion studies and qualitative data, Hannah Ridge examines the effects of this social hierarchy to address attitudes on Israeli ethnicity and religious majoritarianism, support for Israeli democracy, and preference for an expanded territorial state and peace with its neighbors.

As various Jewish ethnic groups face greater pressure to assert their in-group membership (their Jewishness), they are more likely to protect the status privileges of that group. This can strengthen their ideas about identity, nationalism, democratic values, and conflict attitudes. Ridge’s findings reveal the ways in which Jewish ethnicity continues to influence the politics of Israel, a Jewish ethno-religious state.

Hannah M. Ridge is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Chapman University and the author of Defining Democracy: Democratic Commitment in the Arab World.