History of Israeli Nationality - Jewish Nationality and Identity

Jewish Nationality and Identity

Since the Israeli State was founded as a Jewish State in the land of Israel, it becomes difficult to separate Jewish from Israeli nationality. In fact, the Knesset, or parliamentary assembly of Israel, enacts laws with religious underpinnings. Such laws include; ‘observance of the Sabbath, provision of kosher food to the army, abortion, and forbid, among other things, flights by the national airline El Al on Sabbath and festival days, the sale of bread during the Passover, raising pigs and selling pork, and "indecent" advertisements’. Thus, even though Judaism is not the official religion of the state, religious rules have integrated themselves into the public sphere.

The 1950 enactment of the Law of Return gives every Jew, residing in any country, the right to immigrate to Israel, and automatically claim citizenship. The primary aim of the Law of Return was to unite a dispersed and persecuted Jewish people after the holocaust. This relates back to earlier Zionist goals of ‘ingathering the exiles’, or uniting the Jewish Diaspora. This raises a problem, namely, what is Jewishness? And who is considered to be Jewish?

In Judaism, religion is passed on through the mother. However, until 1970, children of Jewish fathers could be registered as Jews based on ethno-national origin, known as leom. In 1970, conversion was acceptable grounds for claiming recognition of Jewishness. However, this raised similar issues to the marriage debate. Could someone be registered as Jewish, according to the Ministry of the Interior, if they were converted by the less strict sects of Conservatives or Reforms in the Diaspora? The Supreme Court, to the dismay of the Orthodox monopoly, ruled that such persons could be registered as Jews.

Having Jewish identity entitles those holders to significant rights. Every Jew who settles in Israel ‘is allowed generous tax relief during the first years, loans at reduced interest, and various other kinds of help to facilitate integration’.

While being Jewish may serve to provide a common feeling among a dispersed people, it is not enough to awaken a real national consciousness. Two institutions, set up by the State, are responsible for raising this national awareness: the school and the army.