Jerusalem's Clashing Values and Changing Face
Today marks the 40th Anniversary of the beginning of the Six Day War, a war that has impacted the world in many different ways. Although many Israeli's rejoiced at the unification of Jerusalem in 1967, the past 40 years have been a challenge, many never foresaw.
Today's LA Times piece written by Richard Boudreaux takes a look at the demographics of contemporary Jerusalem. Ironically today a unified Jerusalem is less Jewish than a divided one ways 4 decades ago. Whereas in 1967 75% of Jerusalem was Jewish, today its around 66% and that number is changing rapidly. But the divide between Israeli Jew and Palestinian isn't the only divide. Boudreaux's article lifts up another divide -- that between ultra orthodox Jews and secular and modern orthodox Jews. The former now make up about 20% of the population, they have large families (averaging around 7 children) and most men spend their days studying Torah and Talmud, living largely off the state. They are by and large living in poverty and tend to be intolerant of their less devout brothers and sisters. They are aided, however, by an Ultra-orthodox mayor who has supported their cause. This has resulted in an increasing exodus of non-ultra's to other parts of Israel.
This reality is complicated by the fact that if current trends continue, before too long Jerusalem will have a Palestinian majority (most of whom are disenfranchised -- by choice or not depends on your perspective). There are choices to be made, but it is quite possible that the Jewish state's capital could have a non-Jewish majority and so what to do? Do you exclude them from voting and undermine democracy or share power and lose Jewish supremacy. Such is the dilemma faced by Israel and by Jerusalem.
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