Yet another of my modern philosophy posts. This completes my take on the three main monotheisms. You can read my views on Islam here http://hanrott.com/blog/epicurus-and-islam/, and on Christianity here http://hanrott.com/blog/epicurus-and-christianity/. 

Out of the three Abrahamic monotheisms, Judaism is perhaps the most unique. Unlike Christianity and Islam, it does not aspire to convert large portions of the world to its beliefs. As a result, the Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group. Due to its small size, Judaism has never established a continental sphere of influence, the way Christianity did in Europe or Islam did in the Middle East and North Africa. Moreover, Jews have been subject to extreme discrimination throughout history, unlike Christians and Muslims who have only suffered discrimination periodically. There has been no equivalent for the Holocaust for Christians or Muslims. This is despite Judaism being by far the least threatening of the these three religions.

Theologically speaking, my critiques of Christianity and Islam also apply to Judaism. The notion of submission to a divine being whose nature we cannot discover except for by reading ancient texts is one I find troubling. Like Christianity and Islam, Judaism generally promotes social conservatism, though its liberal denominations are more prominent than either of the other two. But because Jews don’t proselytise, I don’t view Judaism as a threat to liberal values or secular government the way the conservative branches of Christianity and Islam are. For the most part, Jews simply want to be free to practice their religion, which is a fundamental right for everyone.

Having said that, in Israel, the rapid growth of Haredi Judaism is a concern. The Haredi do not integrate with wider Israeli society, preferring to live on their own. They have very low labour force participation rates, often preferring to study the Torah- putting pressure on Israel’s generous welfare state. They are largely exempt from national service, which is resented by secular Israelis who understandably believe that if the Haredi benefit from a secure Israel, they should contribute to it. They also have exceptionally high birth rates, which not only puts pressure on housing in a densely populated country, but it will make Israeli culture more conservative in the future. Wider Orthodox Judaism doesn’t necessarily have these issues. But the Orthodox do tend to vote for some right wing parties, who may make peace with the Palestinians less likely.

The tendency for the more religious Jews to have more children is a worldwide trend, not just in Israel. As a result, global Judaism and Jewish identity will be considerably more socially conservative and distinct. As the West grows more liberal and secular, Jews living outside Israel will become more conspicuous. Religious Jews outside Israel may feel alienated from a wider society that does not share their values. If they stay in their home country, they may be unhappy and feel like non-Jews don’t understand them. If they move to Israel, they will add to the country’s increasing conservatism. The size of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem will have to grow, much to the frustration of the Palestinians and the international community. Outside Israel, the increasing religiosity of the world’s Jews may cause anti-Semitic discrimination to rise. The far right may see a culturally distinct Jewish minority as a threat to the nation’s character, in a similar fashion to their view of Islam now. The far left may be suspicious of the fact that most religious Jews are pro-Israel and tend to vote for conservative parties- orthodox Jews in America are overwhelmingly Republican.

Overall I’m hopeful for the future of Judaism and I wish the world’s Jews the best of luck. Unlike Netanyahu, I don’t believe that Europe is irredeemably anti-Semitic. For the most part, the West will continue to welcome the cultural and economic contributions of its Jewish community. The West will also continue to engage with Israel, not isolating itself from them. But there are significant challenges ahead. Israel’s population, economy and global influence will continue to rise, which will enrage much of the Arab world and the European far left. The need for a peaceful solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict will become more urgent. As Jews living in the West become more distinct, it’s important we teach the next generation tolerance and understanding. Provided we can overcome these challenges, the future of the world’s Jews is very bright. They make a disproportionate contribution to the arts, science, industry and technology, and will almost certainly continue to do so.