MONAMONASH SH AUSTRALAUSTRALIAN IAN CENTRECENT FORRE FOR JEWISJEH WCIIVSIHLI CSAIVTILIIOSNA TION GEN17 AUSTRALIAN JEWISH COMMUNITY SURVEY AUSSIESJEWISH EDUCATION IN THE IN PROMISEDMELBOURNE LAND:ANDREW MARKUS , MIRIAM MUNZ AND TANYA MUNZ FINDINGS FROM THE AUSTRALIAN OLIM SURVEY (2018- 19) Building S,Bu Caildiunlgfi eS,ld Cacampulfieulsd campus 900 Dandenong900 Dandenong Road Road Caulfield CaEausltf iVIeldC Ea31s4t5 VI C 3145 www.monwww.ash.emodun/aarstsh/.aecdjuc / arts/acjc DAVID MITTELBERG AND ADINA BANKIER-KARP All rights reserved © David Mittelberg and Adina Bankier-Karp First published 2020 Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation Faculty of Arts Monash University Victoria 3800 https://arts.monash.edu/acjc ISBN: 978-0-6486654-9-6 The photograph on the cover of this report was taken by David Bankier and has been used with his written permission. This work is copyright. Apart for any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part of it may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction rights should be directed to the publisher. CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................................................. 1 AUTHORS ........................................................................................................................................................................ 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................................. 3 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................................................... 7 JEWISH PEOPLEHOOD ......................................................................................................................................... 8 AUSTRALIAN ALIYAH ........................................................................................................................................... 9 PREDISPOSITION TOWARDS ALIYAH ................................................................................................................. 10 VISITS TO ISRAEL ............................................................................................................................................... 11 THE AUSTRALIAN OLIM SURVEY METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................ 12 THE AUSTRALIAN OLIM ................................................................................................................................................ 13 DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS ................................................................................................................... 13 AGE .................................................................................................................................................................... 14 MOTIVATIONS FOR ALIYAH ............................................................................................................................... 15 JEWISH EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND ..................................................................................................................... 18 COMPARING AUSTRALIAN JEWS WITH AUSTRALIAN OLIM .............................................................................. 18 YOUTH MOVEMENT INVOLVEMENT ................................................................................................................. 19 COMPARING OLIM ALUMNI OF BNEI AKIVA AND HABONIM DROR ................................................................. 22 OLIM AND THE ALIYAH PROCESS .............................................................................................................................. 23 HEBREW FLUENCY ............................................................................................................................................. 23 ECONOMIC STATUS ........................................................................................................................................... 24 RESIDENCE ........................................................................................................................................................ 25 OLIM IN NATIONAL SERVICE ............................................................................................................................. 25 JEWISH IDENTIFICATION AND ATTITUDES ................................................................................................................ 26 THE CONTEMPORARY ISRAELI CONTEXT OF JEWISH IDENTIFICATION ............................................................. 26 DENOMINATIONAL MOVEMENT AND RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCE ..................................................................... 28 COMPONENTS OF JEWISH IDENTITY: AUSTRALIAN OLIM AND GEN17 COMPARED ........................................ 31 COMPARING ATTITUDES TOWARDS ISRAEL: AUSTRALIAN OLIM AND GEN17 ................................................. 34 MIGRATION AND REMIGRATION ................................................................................................................................. 36 GENDER AND DISPOSITION TO REMIGRATE ..................................................................................................... 39 DISCUSSION .................................................................................................................................................................. 41 RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................................................................................... 45 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................................................... 47 LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Gen17, ‘How likely is it that you will choose to live permanently in Israel in the future?’ .............................. 10 Table 2: Gen17, ‘What was the longest time you spent in Israel in any one visit?’ ....................................................... 11 Table 3: Australian olim, ‘What is your country of birth?’.............................................................................................. 13 Table 4: Australian olim and Gen17, comparing Australian cities (for olim, the city they lived in before aliyah) ......... 13 Table 5: Age of Australian olim ....................................................................................................................................... 14 Table 6: Australian olim, comparing Legal status upon making aliyah and currently .................................................... 17 Table 7: Australian olim comparing marital status upon making aliyah and currently .................................................. 17 Table 8: Australian olim and Gen17, comparing years of Jewish day-school education ................................................ 18 Table 9: Australian olim and Gen17, comparing Jewish day-school attended ............................................................... 19 Table 10: Australian olim and Gen17, comparing youth movements attended ............................................................ 20 Table 11: Gen17, youth movement alumni length of time lived in Israel ...................................................................... 20 Table 12: Australian olim and Gen17, comparing by number of years of youth movement attendance ...................... 21 Table 13: Australian olim, comparing Bnei Akiva and Habonim Dror attendees by years of Jewish education ............ 22 Table 14: Australian olim, comparing Bnei Akiva and Habonim Dror attendees by decade of aliyah ........................... 22 Table 15: Australian olim,‘Which of the following best describes your financial circumstances?’ ................................ 24 Table 16: Australian olim, ‘Have you served in the army or Sherut Leumi?’.................................................................. 25 Table 17: Australian olim, denominational affiliation .................................................................................................... 27 Table 18: Australian olim, ‘How satisfied are you with your life in Israel?’ .................................................................... 37 Table 19: Australian olim, ‘Thinking of the next 5 years, how likely are you to continue living in Israel?’ .................... 37 Table 20: Australian olim aged 18 to 49, ‘How satisfied are you with your life in Israel?’ ............................................. 37 Table 21: Australian olim aged 18 to 49, ‘Thinking of the next five years, how likely are you to continue living in Israel?’ ........................................................................................................................................................................... 38 Table 22: Australian olim, ‘Thinking of the next five years, how likely are you to continue living in Israel?’, cross- tabulated with ‘How satisfied are you with your life in Israel?’ ..................................................................................... 38 Table 23: Australian olim, ‘Thinking of the next five years, how likely are you to continue living in Israel?’ cross- tabulated with gender 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