Overcoming the Siege Mentality

Although the State of Israel is the only democracy within the Middle East, the nation is faced daily with the challenge to uphold the democratic nature upon which the state was founded. Tolerance, equality, and civil rights are at times exchanged for the sake of preserving the homogeneity of the Jewish people driven by a constant fear of extinction and reinforced by the pervasive ultra-religious establishment in Israeli society.

Last month, several Russian-Israeli families were prohibited from purchasing homes in Nokdim, a small settlement near Bethlehem, on the basis that at least one family member is not considered Jewish according to halacha or religious law. Although the settlement’s population consists of both religious and secular, Russian and native Israelis, the Nokdim secretariat ruled against the entry of these families after holding several meetings. Fear of demographic change, assimilation, and contact with anyone close to that of a non-Jew drove them to this conclusion.

"The biggest problem is that if you accept 10 families in which the mother isn't Jewish, then soon there will be 30 children, and tomorrow your son could fall in love with the good-looking girl next door. It's a real problem," said Yossi Heiman, Nokdim’s secretary, in a recent Haaratz article.

"We have to separate ourselves from the gentiles in commerce and everything else - particularly when it comes to living with them,” said another Nokdim resident. “It could lead to assimilation or idol worship; it opens the door to all kinds of trouble. They might lead us into committing offenses that Jews normally don't do, like idolatry and incest and all kinds of other perversions. That's why we have no place for them here," he said.

Under Siege

Sadly, this exaggerated response reflects an all too common mentality that pervades Israeli society and embedded within the Jewish consciousness worldwide. The “siege mentality,” a term developed by Israeli academia, is a shared feeling of victimization and a collective state of mind in which one believes they are under constant attack, oppression, or isolation.  It overshadows thought, reasoning, behavior, perception, and treatment of those that pose any possible threat to oneself or one's community. The siege mentality is a phenomenon present within societies and people groups historically wrought with persecution and under constant threat of extinction. It thus produces the effect of feeling under constant siege. Israel’s long history of persecution, anti-Semitism, and current realities in the world today have caused this phenomenon to root itself in the Israeli and Jewish consciousness.

As a result, alternative streams of Judaism, other religious movements, or foreigners are considered a direct threat to the preservation and continuity of the Jewish people and Judaism in the State of Israel. Even more, ultra-orthodox Jewish organizations play upon this mentality by disseminating propaganda full of misinformation and exaggeration to evoke an even greater fear within society.

In the case of the Russian-Israeli families, their declined entry into the Nokdim settlement reflects the siege mentality at work within the common Israeli consciousness. Simply due to the fact that one member of the family was not Jewish according to halacha, it was regarded as an immediate threat to the preservation of Judaism and the homogeneity of the community, which often supercedes adherence to core democratic values. The siege mentality thus ultimately leads to illegal discrimination and the denial of basic civil rights.

The families mentioned above faithfully fulfill all of their obligations as citizens of the State of Israel, including mandatory IDF service and paying taxes like every other upstanding citizen. Furthermore, they have clear Jewish heritage, with at least one parent being Jewish. For these reasons alone, they should be entitled to live anywhere in the State of Israel.

Combating Injustice

JIJ actively works to combat civil discrimination resulting from the siege mentality and to safeguard the democratic nature of the State of Israel. With a court system that upholds democracy and the rule of law, JIJ and other civil rights and social justice advocacy organizations are able to fight discrimination such as this. Over the past five years, JIJ has handled over 370 cases of discrimination including 17 Supreme Court victories dealing with citizenship and residency rights, freedom of worship, and the equal application of basic civil rights to all men regardless of religious affiliation or nationality.

We will continue to fight the battle for equality for all citizens of the State of Israel without regard to religion, ethniticity, or gender until this nation fulfills the vision of its founding fathers as expressed in Israel's Declaration of Independence.

The Nokdim settlement in Gush Etzion

"The biggest problem is that if you accept 10 families in which the mother isn't Jewish, then soon there will be 30 children, and tomorrow your son could fall in love with the good-looking girl next door. It's a real problem."

With a court system that upholds democracy and the rule of law, JIJ is able to fight cases of discrimination and safeguard the democratic nature of the State of Israel