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Israel – A new study forecasts that haredim will make up half of the population of Jerusalem in 20 years, “endangering” the pluralistic makeup of the capital.
The study, which will be published later this week by the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, finds that haredim will make up 44 percent of the city’s population in a decade and, if the demographic trends continue, over half of the city’s residents by 2030, according to a press release put out earlier in the week by the research center.
The demographic forecast, which is much higher than those of previous studies, comes at a time of growing concern among secular residents over the increased “haredization” of Jerusalem.
Earlier studies have estimated that the haredi population in the city will stand at 34% in a decade, a spokesman for the Jerusalem think-tank said.
Haredim currently make up about one-third of the city’s 500,000 Jewish residents. An additional 250,000 Jerusalem residents are Arabs.
The research, which examines past demographic trends, concludes that a continuing exodus of thousands of secular Israelis each year in search of better jobs and cheaper housing, coupled with a high birth rate among the haredi public, will endanger both the city’s economy and the pluralistic makeup of the capital, the press release said.
“If we do not do anything, this is what will happen,” said the study’s author, Hebrew University economist Prof. Gur Ofer.
The study, entitled “A Vision for Jerusalem,” proposes a variety of steps to revamp the city’s economy and to alter the demographic trends. These include doubling the number of institutes of higher education in the city, as well as implementing joint state and municipal economic ventures.
Some 300,000 Jewish residents have left the city over the past 20 years, primarily in search of affordable housing and job opportunities. Nearly half of those leaving the capital were young Israelis between the ages of 25 and 34.
The study will be released in full on Thursday at a day-long conference at the Jerusalem Institute.
Nebach that’s horrible. What are they going to do, gas chambers?
The government must take seriously the dire demographic trends confroting the Medina and the geogrpahical distribution of certain populations within EY. On the one hand, the growth in the Arab percentage of the total population is increasing but not as fast as it was several years ago. At the same time, the hareidi and ultra frum jewish population is growing faster than ever and crowding out the secular communities from Yerushalayim and surrounding communities. It is not a good sign for the future of EY as a secular state to have these types of concentrations by region. Is it possible we may have to consider new policies to restrict the growth of hareidim in the yerushalayim area and reorient their growth to the Negev and the norther areas around Haifa. It may sound “crazy” to say we would limit frumme yidden from living in Yerushalayim but its one option to consider and could be implemented via incentive for frumme communities that rely on state subsidies and welfare payments to a larger degree to live where the government sees best for klal yisroel. Again, this would be voluntary and we should not at this time consider forcible relocation for either Arabs or Hareidim but simply seek a more balanced population distribution across all of EY.
The very concept that having a frum majority in Yerushalayim being called “endangering” says it all. They should be 100%!
Let anyone who does not like that MOVE OUT.
Maybe they’ll throw money at the lo da’ati to have more than 2.2 kids??
Anonymous 9 said;
“No, most of us do not daven with the hope of seeing, yerushalayim hakodesh, turned into a monolithic community dominated by hareidim who would seek to dictate their values and lifestyles on the rest of us who may not agree with their derech;”
How do you know what the majority daven for? Probably the majority davening are Chareidim and those that agree with them. Those who espouse and advocate chiloni ideals are poison for the Jewish nature of Israel and its survivability.
” yerushalayim was not liberated with the blood of the brave men and women of the IDF for any one segment of yiddiskite to dominate and dictate to the others; to those who say “if you don’t like it, just leave” “”
Hashem gave back Yerushalaim to the real Jews to serve him in the best possible manner. The chareidim who just basically want to live their lives undisturbed by immorality and noxious external influences come closest to this ideal. The vast majority of them are not imposing their derech on anyone. The bnei hayeshiva and the real Chassidim just want to live genuine Torah lives without forcing anyone to do anything but not impose on them.
The brave soldiers that freed Jerusalem had in mind to return it to the Jewish people for the optimum use and did not represent any particular philosophy per se.
” we say to you that in the long term, bezras hashem, it will be you who will be leaving to establish your own walled communities in the Negev while Yerushalayim thrives as a diverse, multicultural, and vibrant urban center as it should be.”
This is a pretty brash and racist statement.G-d forbid that Israel should ever espouse multiculturalism as it’s practiced in America. Diversity and multiculti for their own purposes are destructive and suicidal philosophies. Do we need the diversity of criminals and foreigner who hate Jews and Jewish life?
” The hareidim should learn to “live and let live” and the recent election of a secular mayor in Yersushalayim shows that the future is for a more tolerant city.”
Apparently your definition of tolerant is intolerant to the Orthodox. You better get used to it. The demographics show that the Orthodox will dominate, thank G-d.
There was a recent study, I think it was University of Florida (but I may be wrong on that one part) that said that within the next 30 years Orthodox Jews will be the majority. Their study showed that the intermarriage rates among Conservative and Reform was so great that eventually ONLY Orthodox will survive.
Also, the Conservative and Reform were reproducing at rates insufficient to maintain zero population growth. So, even with no intermarriage, they would eventually disappear. The Orthodox are, Boruch Hashem, reproducing at a positsive growth rate, and the Chareidi Orthodox at an even faster growth rate.
They also have the lowest attrition rate, the lowest intermarriage rate, and the lower out of religion coversion rate.
So, in time, it appears “Secular Judaism” will disappear anyway.
this is an economic issue – if you chase out all the MO’s who will work, pay taxes to support the chareidim and support a vibrant economy. Like it or not, someone has to pay the bills.
Pharoh said “pen yirbu”; he found the Jews endangering Egypt. The Austrian parliment was busy a hundred twenty years ago with the too high percentage of Jews in Austria; read the essay by Mark Twain in 1897 “In defense of the Jews”. The German Reichstag was busy day and night since 1871 with the “Yuden Frage” – too many Jews, how do we get rid of them? THe Gemora in Pesochim tells us that “Tzedokeh osoh Hakodesh Borech Hu, shepizar es Yisroel bein ho’umos, that the Roman Senate started the day and ended the day with their main problem – What to do with the Jews? Now in 5769/2009 come a whole host of modern day (read disguised) Jew haters and are looking for “tachbuless” in how to stop frum Yiddishkeit of flourishing. To them we say: Get over it; the Jewish people have a promise from Hashem that “Netzaxh Yisroel Loi Yeshaker”; ther will always be a Jewish people. Needless to say the future of Klal Yisroel will come davke form the present frum community. It isn’t too late; you too can join the frum and ehrlich crowd and be part of the future of Klal Yisroel. Instead of beating them, (which you can’t) join em.
No one in the Israeli government complains about arabs increasing but Hareidim they are the problem. Arabs blow themselves up to kill Jews but thats ok its politically correct. The supreme court wants arabs to fill the seats as Judges but Hareidim need to be sent to concentration camps and gas chambers. What a sick government especially Livni who wants to bring in reform rabbits to be the clergy. At least the 3 stoodges Olmart,Livni and Barak will lose Feb 10 to Likud.
Chareidim are slowly becoming the majority of Yidden. In the UK this is already happening. With this new reality come new responsibilities.
But the problem is the Chareidim are not used to thinking of themselves as the “majority”. Our mindset is as a “somewhat tolerated minority”.Becoming the majority necessitates a major change in self perception. It involves taking on the responsibility of leading. And that comes through engaging other communities and developing a stable positive relationship. If we continue this self perception that we are a burden on the secular society who can barely tolerate us, we are by no means developing the mindset that is necessary to take a responsible leadership role reflected in our demographic growth.
As we leave our protected minority status (e.g. exemption from the Army for Torah learners) and graduate into majority status, we have must assume responsibilities reflecting this new reality.
In 1948 when the Torah Community was struggling to survive it made sense to demand extra protection. It made sense to be exempt from the Army. We were struggling to survive. Torah was struggling to survive.
Its now 2009. B”H we have succeeded. Torah Yeshivas are flourishing like never before in Jewish history. Chareidim are set to become the majority of Yidden in the coming decades. Is it not time to start re-examining our contribution and responsibilities towards this country, EY? Maybe it’s time to take upon ourselves our due share towards the other responsibilities in society? Like our due share towards making a parnassa for the economy? Our due share towards taxes? Our due share towards defending this country?
We are no longer in danger of extinction. Maybe our responsibilities towards our fellow Yidden in EY should change accordingly.
If secular jews gradually dissappear from Israel, as some of you hope, the country will simply cease to exist. Who will defend it?…Yeshivah Buchers (Gevalt)?…who will pay taxes if the country is dominated by schnorrers with their hands out?..Chareidim are generally a parasitic burden on the state…Israel would be far better off without them…they do nothing for the country