Christianity in Israel

9th Station of the Cross on the Via Dolorosa procession route in Jerusalem. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the background is venerated by Christians as the site of the Burial of Jesus.[1]
Arab Christian cemetery in Haifa

Christianity is one of the recognized religions in Israel and was practised, as of December 2013, by more than 161,000 Israeli citizens[2] (about 1.9% of population). They include 127,000 Arab Christians (mostly adherents of the Greek-Catholic (Melkite) Church (about 60% of Israeli Christians),[2] Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, as well as Latin Catholics, with small numbers of Maronites, Arameans, Copts and Protestants), about 25,000 Orthodox Christians from the former Soviet Union (Russian Orthodox) and smaller minorities of Assyrians and Armenians. A certain number of Israelis also practice Messianic Judaism—usually considered a syncretist form of Christianity, with estimates of several thousands, but exact numbers of such are not available.

About 80% of Christian residents of Israel are Arab Christians, who are historically bound with neighbouring Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian Christians. A community of 1,000 Coptic Christians also exists in Israel, being registered as "Arab Christians", though their Arab identity is disputed. Christian Arabs are one of the most educated groups in Israel. Maariv has described the Christian Arabs sector as "the most successful in the education system",[3] since Christian Arabs fared the best in terms of education in comparison to any other group receiving an education in Israel.[4] Some 25,000 (the majority of the remaining) are immigrants from the former Soviet Union, who immigrated with Jewish relatives due to mixed marriages; there are also smaller ethnoreligious affiliations of about 7,000 Maronites (some of whom are recorded in Israel as "Arab Christians" and others as "Aramean Christians") and 1,000 Assyrians.

There are approximately 300 Christians who have converted from Islam according to one 2014 estimate, and most of these belong to various Protestant and evangelical churches.[5]

Ten churches are officially recognized under Israel's confessional system, for the self-regulation of status issues, such as marriage and divorce. These are the Greek Orthodox, Melkite (Greek Catholic), Roman Catholic (Latin rite), Armenian Orthodox, Armenian Catholic, Maronite, Syrian Catholic, Syriac Orthodox churches and Anglican.[6] The practice of religion is however free, and there is no limitation for other forms of Christianity as well as other faiths.

History

Yardenit, Jordan River baptismal site

According to historical and traditional sources, Jesus lived in Roman Judea, and died and was buried on the site of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City Jerusalem making the area a Holy Land for Christianity. However, few Christians now live in the region, compared to Muslims and Jews. This is mainly because Islam displaced Christianity throughout the Middle East, and the rise of modern Zionism and the establishment of the State of Israel has seen millions of Jews emigrate to Israel.

The Christian population in Israel has increased significantly with the immigration of many mixed families from the former Soviet Union (1989-late 1990s) and by the influx of some 10,000 Christian Maronites from Lebanon in 2000. Recently a further increase in Christianity came with arrival of many foreign workers and asylum seekers, some of Christian background (for instance from the Philippines and South Sudan). As a result, numerous churches have opened in Tel Aviv.[7]

Affiliations

As of December 2013, about 161,000 Israeli citizens practiced Christianity, together comprising about 2% of the total population.[2] The largest group consists of Melkites (about 60% of Israel's Christians), followed by the Greek Orthodox (about 30%), with the remaining ca. 10% spread between the Roman Catholic (Latin), Maronite, Anglican, Lutheran, Armenian, Syriac, Ethiopian, Coptic and other denominations.[2]

Eastern Orthodox

Orthodox Church of Mary Magdalene in Jerusalem.

A large portion of Christians in Israel belong to branches of the Eastern Orthodox Churches oversee a variety of churches, monasteries, seminaries, and religious institutions all over the land, particularly in Jerusalem. Most notably this is the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem and to a lesser degree the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch.

Catholic Church

Most Christian citizens of Israel belong to the Catholic and affiliated Eastern Churches. The most numerous denominations are the Greek Catholic Church (Melkite; about 60% of Israel's Christians in 2014), Roman Catholic Church proper (Latin Church), and Maronite Church.[2] About 500 Israeli Christians also belong to the Syrian Catholic Church.

Protestants

There has been a small Protestant community in Israel since its inception in 1948, based on either Christian Arabs who had changed their religious affiliation to Protestant teachings or European residents moving to the area.

Some of the earliest Protestant church buildings are Christ Church (Anglican) inside the Jaffa Gate of the contested Old City of Jerusalem, and Christ Church (Anglican) in Nazareth. Both were built during the Ottoman period.[8]

Jewish Christians

Main article: Jewish Christian

Jewish Christians are not considered bona-fide Jews under Israel's Law of Return[9] (see Oswald Rufeisen).

Hebrew Christian movement

The Hebrew Christian movement of the 19th and early 20th centuries consisted of Jews who converted to Christianity as a result of Protestant missionary activity. It was incorporated into the later parallel Messianic Jewish movement in the late 1960s.

Messianic Jews

Main article: Messianic Judaism

There are an estimated 10,000 adherents in the State of Israel, both Jews and other non-Arab Israelis, many of whom are expatriates or immigrants from the former Soviet Union.[10]

In Jerusalem, there are twelve Messianic congregations[11]. On 23 February 2007, Israel Channel 2 News released a news documentary about the growing number of Messianic Jews in Israel.[12]

Relations with other religions

Christian-Jewish relations

Hebrew-speakers call Christians as Notzri (also romanized Notsri), which means Nazarene (originated from Nazareth).[13] The word is cognate to the Arabic Nasrani.

History

Israel's Declaration of Independence, issued in 1948, describes the country as a Jewish state but clearly extends religious freedoms to all of its inhabitants by stating that the State of Israel will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions.[6]

During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the fate of the Christian Palestinians was similar to that of the Muslims, in term of military administration and land confiscations.[14] However, Christian churches generally avoided destruction or defilement during the 1948/1949 Arab-Israeli War. Aware of the international attention to the conflict, David Ben-Gurion is said to have expressly forbidden to loot or defile Holy Places.[14] For the same reason, Israeli authorities have a more lenient attitude to the right of return of the Christian refugees.[14]

According to Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, since the reunification of Jerusalem, the Christian and well as Jewish and Islamic holy sites were opened for multinational pilgrims by the Israeli authorities,[6] for the first time since 1948, when the Kingdom of Jordan took over the Eastern half of the city.

Tensions

Further information: Price tag policy

Some ultra-Orthodox Jews were blamed to have a decades-old practice of cursing and spitting on Christian clergymen in Jerusalem,[15] and there have been cases where churches and cemeteries were defaced by price taggers.[16][17][18][19] When the doors of the Latrun Trappist monastery were set aflame and the phrase "Jesus was a monkey" was painted on its walls, the Vatican reacted with a rare official complaint against the Israeli government's inaction.[20] In June 2015, the Church of the Multiplication was significantly damaged by an arson attack and defaced by Hebrew graffiti, with the words "the false gods will be eliminated" (quoted from the Aleinu prayer).[21][22] This attack was labelled as "terrorism" by Israeli officials.[23]

Prosperity of Christian community

Gabriel Naddaf argues that Israel is the only country in which Christian communities have been able to thrive in the Middle East.[24] However, there has also been criticism by Palestinian Christians of this claim, with such statements being called a "manipulation" of the facts.[25] Members of the Palestinian Christian community claim that such statements attempt to hide the discrimination that Arab Christians face within Israel due to alleged discrimination against Arabs as well as the effect of the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza on the Christian population in these areas.[26]

Sons of the New Testament Party

Recently, there has been a steady undercurrent of Christian Arabs who seek deeper integration into Israeli society. Under the leadership of Greek Orthodox priest Gabriel Naddaf, the "Sons of the New Testament" is a political party that advocates Christian enlistment in the IDF and a more distinct societal separation of Christians from Muslims.[27] This separation is partly based on the purported fact that Christians in Israel are not technically Arabs, seeing as they were present in the holy land long before the Arab conquest, hallmarked by the Siege of Jerusalem. This distinction is in the process of being formalized into law, as the Likud government is currently drafting legislation to grant this request.[28]

This new attitude is founded largely by the perception by some that only in Israel the Christian population is growing due to natural increase and no state persecution, seeing the entire Middle East, except Lebanon, as where Christianity is and has been rapidly on the decline. In addition, increasing numbers of Christian leaders and community members are pointing to Muslim violence as a threat to their way of life in Arab majority cities and towns.[29] Sons of the New Testament as a party and a national movement has been met with wide admiration from the Jews of Israel, harshly negative scorn from the Muslim Arabs, and mixed reactions from the Christians themselves. Because of Israel's parliamentary system where each party must attain at least 2% of the popular vote, Sons of the New Testament must be supported by non-Christians to enter the Knesset.

Christian-Muslim relations

A recent survey indicated that Christians in Israel are prosperous and well-educated - but some fear that Muslim intimidation will cause a mass escape to the West.[30]

Recently there has been an increase of anti-Christian incidents in the Nazareth area, inspired by the rise of Jihadist forces in the Middle East. Many Christians have complained of being targeted by Muslims, whom they believe are trying to either drive them out of cities that have traditionally had large Christian populations, or to "persuade" them to convert.[30] In 1999, for example, radical Muslims in Nazareth rioted as they attempted to wrest land from a major Christian shrine to build a mosque.[30] In one incident during 2014, a flag of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant was installed in front of a church in Nazareth.[31]

There has also been increasing incitement and violence by the Muslims against Christians who voice their support for the Israel Defense Forces. In a recent case, the son of Father Gabriel Naddaf, a prominent Christian who is regarded as being pro-Israel, was severely beaten. Father Nadaf himself has been suffering from vasts amount of Muslim incitement in recent years.[32][33]

The Government of Israel has officially shown supports for Christians, due to large conflicts with its Muslim neighbors.

A 2015 study estimates some 300 Christians from a Muslim background in Israel.[34]

Demographics

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, regarded as the holiest site of the Christian religion where it is believed Jesus Christ was crucified, buried, and rose from the dead.

Education

According to the study "Are Christian Arabs the New Israeli Jews? Reflections on the Educational Level of Arab Christians in Israel" by Hanna David from the University of Tel Aviv, one of the factors why Arab Christians are the most educated segment of Israel's population is the high level of the Christian educational institutions. Christian schools in Israel are among the best schools in the country, and while those schools represent only 4% of the Arab schooling sector, about 34% of Arab university students come from Christian schools,[35] and about 87% of the Israeli Arabs in the high tech sector have been educated in Christian schools.[36][37] A 2011 Maariv article described the Christian Arab sector as "the most successful in the education system",[3] an opinion supported by others who point out that Christian Arabs fared best in terms of education in comparison to any other group receiving an education in Israel.[4]

High school and matriculation exams

The Israel Central Bureau of Statistics noted that when taking into account the data recorded over the years, Christian Arabs fared the best in terms of education in comparison to any other group receiving an education in Israel.[4] In 2012 Christian Arabs had the highest rates of success at matriculation examinations, namely 69%, both in comparison to Muslim and Druze Israelis (50% and 64% respectively), and to the students from the different branches of the Hebrew (majority Jewish) education system considered as one group (61%).[2][38]

Higher education

Christian Arabs are one of the most educated groups in Israel.[39][40] Despite the fact that Arab Christians only represent 2.1% of the total Israeli population, in 2014 they accounted for 17.0% of the country's university students, and for 14.4% of its college students.[41] The percentage of Arab Christian women who are receiving higher education is also higher than that of other groups.[3] There are more Christians who have attained a bachelor's degree or higher academic degrees than the median Israeli population.[4]

The rate of students studying in the field of medicine was higher among Christian Arab students than that of all other sectors.[42]

In 2013, Arab Christian students were also the vanguard in terms of eligibility for higher education,[4] as the Christian Arab students had the highest rates of receiving Psychometric Entrance Test scores which eligible them to be accepted into universities, data from the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics show that 61% of Christian Arabs were eligible for university studies, compared to 50% of Jewish, 45% of Druze, and 35% of Muslim students.[43]

Socio-economic

In terms of their socio-economic situation, Arab Christians are more similar to the Jewish population than to the Muslim Arab population.[44] They have the lowest incidence of poverty and the lowest percentage of unemployment which is 4.9% compared to 6.5% among Jewish men and women.[45] They have also the highest median household income among Arab citizens of Israel and second highest median household income among the Israeli ethno-religious groups.[46] Also Arab Christians have a high presentation in science and in the white collar professions.[47] In Israel Arab Christians are portrayed as a hard working and upper middle class educated ethno-religious minority.

Birth rate

years number of children aged 0–4 in thousands for all Christians
2008-2011 10.7
2004-2007 11.2
2000-2003 12.3
1996-1999 12.7

Age characteristics:

Population by age in thousands, 2015
Age group Total Percent
0 to 14 years 34 20.6%
15 to 64 years 113 68.6%
65 years and over 17.7 10.7%

Live births

years live births for Arab Christians
2015 1,974
2014 2,087
2013 1,908
2012 2,004
2010 1,985

Total fertility rate for Arab Christians:

[49]

Current vital statistics

Arab Christians

Total Christians

See also

References

  1. ↑  McMahon, Arthur. L. (1913). "Holy Sepulchre". In Herbermann, Charles. Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The Christian communities in Israel". Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 1 May 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 "המגזר הערבי נוצרי הכי מצליח במערכת החינוך". Nrg.co.il. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Christians in Israel: Strong in education". Yneynews.com. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  5. ↑ Miller, Duane Alexander (April 2014). "FREEDOM OF RELIGION IN ISRAEL-PALESTINE: MAY MUSLIMS BECOME CHRISTIANS, AND DO CHRISTIANS HAVE THE FREEDOM TO WELCOME SUCH CONVERTS?". St Francis Magazine. 10 (1): 17–24.
  6. 1 2 3 "The Holy Land : Jews, Christians and Muslims" (PDF). Mfa.gov.il. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  7. ↑ Adriana Kemp & Rebeca Raijman, "Christian Zionists in the Holy Land: Evangelical Churches, Labor Migrants, and the Jewish State", Identities: Global Studies in Power and Culture, 10:3, 295-318
  8. ↑ Miller, Duane Alexander (June 2012). "The First Church of the Diocese of Jerusalem: A Work in Progress--or Maybe Not?". Anglican and Episcopal History. 81 (2). Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  9. ↑ Daphna Berman. "Aliyah with a cat, a dog and Jesus". WorldWide Religious News citing & quoting "Haaretz," 10 June 2006. Retrieved 2008-01-28.
  10. ↑ Larry Derfner; Ksenia Svetlova. "Messianic Jews in Israel claim 10,000". rickcross.com, citing & quoting Jerusalem Post 29 April 2005. Retrieved 2008-01-28.
  11. ↑ "Messianic perspectives for Today". leeds Messianic fellowship. Retrieved 2008-01-28.
  12. ↑ "Israel Channel 2 News - 23 February 200...". video.google.com. 8 April 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-28. (9 minute video, Hebrew audio, English subtitles)
  13. ↑ Bromiley, Geoffrey W., "Nazarene," The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: K-P, pp. 499–500.
  14. 1 2 3 Una McGahern (2012-06-25). Palestinian Christians in Israel: State Attitudes towards Non-Muslims in a ... Books.google.com. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  15. ↑ "ADL Urges Israeli Chief Rabbinate to Denounce Ultra-Orthodox Practice of Spitting at Christians". Adl.org. 2011-12-07. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  16. ↑ Bohstromyesterday, Philippe (2004-10-12). "Christians in Jerusalem Want Jews to Stop Spitting on Them". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  17. ↑ Derfner, Larry (2009-11-26). "Mouths filled with hatred". Jpost.com. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  18. ↑ Orlando Crowcroft. "Christians in Israel and Palestine fear rise in violence ahead of pope's visit | World news". The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  19. ↑ Ari, Judah (2013-10-10). "Attack on Jerusalem graves unnerves Christians". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  20. ↑ Jacey Fortin. "Vatican Official Condemns Israeli Discrimination Against Christians". Ibtimes.com. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  21. ↑ BEN LYNFIELD (18 June 2015). "Jewish extremists suspected of torching Sea of Galilee 'loaves and fishes' church in Tabgha". The Independent. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  22. ↑ "Sea of Galilee church where 'Jesus fed 5,000,' torched in suspected hate attack". TIMES OF ISRAEL. 18 June 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  23. ↑ Ari, Judah (2015-06-18). "Sea of Galilee church where 'Jesus fed 5,000,' torched in suspected hate attack". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  24. ↑ "Israeli Priest Gabriel Nadaf Confident of Greater Christian Recruitment Into IDF (INTERVIEW) | Jewish & Israel News". Algemeiner.com. 2014-11-21. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  25. ↑ Bohstromyesterday, Philippe (2012-03-26). "Christian Palestinians: Israel 'Manipulating Facts' by Claiming We Are Welcome". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  26. ↑ "Discrimination & Hate Crimes Against Christian Palestinians in the Holy Land". IMEU. 2015-12-24. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  27. ↑ "Father Nadaf | JPost | Israel News". jpost.com. Retrieved 2014-02-01.
  28. ↑ "Historic new law gives boost to Christians in Israel | The Way, Christianity without walls". theway.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-02-01.
  29. ↑ "Israel's Christian Awakening - WSJ.com". online.wsj.com. Retrieved 2014-02-01.
  30. 1 2 3 "Christians in Israel Well-Off, Statistics Show". Israelnationalnews.com. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  31. ↑ "Photos of ISIS flag at key sites send chill through Israel - Fox News". Foxnews.com. 26 August 2014. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  32. ↑ "Father Nadaf: Arab leaders must stop incitement campaign against me". Jpost.com. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  33. ↑ "Arab-Israeli Priest to UN: 'Israel Only Safe Haven For Christians in Middle East' (VIDEO)". Algemeiner.com. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  34. ↑ Johnstone, Patrick; Miller, Duane Alexander (2015). "Believers in Christ from a Muslim Background: A Global Census". IJRR. 11 (10): 1–19. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  35. ↑ "Demonstration of Christian Schools in Jerusalem - Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation". Hcef.org. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  36. ↑ "With schools starved of funds, Christians question their future in Israel". Middleeasteye.net. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  37. ↑ "Why Angry Christians in Israel Are Crying Discrimination - Features". Haaretz. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  38. ↑ "Christian Arabs top country's matriculation charts". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
  39. ↑ "Christians in Israel: A minority within a minority". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 4 May 2009.
  40. ↑ "Israel's Christian Awakening". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  41. ↑
  42. ↑ "CBS report: Christian population in Israel growing". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  43. ↑ "Christian Arabs Most Likely to Graduate High-School in Israel". Breaking Israel News. Retrieved 25 December 2013.
  44. ↑ "Israeli Christians Flourishing in Education but Falling in Number". Terrasanta.net. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  45. ↑ "Christians in Israel Well-Off, Statistics Show: Christians in Israel are prosperous and well-educated - but some fear that Muslim intimidation will cause a mass escape to the West". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  46. ↑ "פרק 4 פערים חברתיים-כלכליים בין ערבים לבין יהודים" (PDF). Abrahamfund.org. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  47. ↑ "David, H. (2014). Are Christian Arabs the New Israeli Jews? Reflections on the Educational Level of Arab Christians in Israel". Academia.edu. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  48. ↑ "CBS OF BUREAU CENTRAL of Statistics : Specific fertility rate by mother's age" (PDF). Cbs.gov.il. Retrieved 2016-10-21.
  49. ↑ "Vital Statisitcs : TABLE C/1.- LIVE BIRTHS,(1) BY POPULATION GROUP AND RELIGION OF MOTHER" (PDF). Cbs.gov.il. Retrieved 2016-10-21.

External links

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