Data indicates that social cohesion – as measured by the widening gaps in living standards and income in Israeli society – is on a path of disintegration and collapse.
The cracks and fissures in society are numerous and significant, including income gaps, the divide between rich and poor, ultra-Orthodox and secular Israelis, Jews, Arabs, and Palestinians, and differing values regarding the "right" path to peace and security. Despite all this, we still face divisions based on nationality or place of origin.
In recent years, Israeli society has witnessed a revolution in the government's approach to the issue of social inequalities. We are transforming from a state that embraces the values of equality and emphasizes the principle of "mutual support," a European-style welfare state, into an American-style capitalist state. The question is: what is the impact of such a transformation on social cohesion, and consequently, on social resilience?
From the papers of the Fourth Herzliya Conference
Report of the "Social Cohesion and Resilience" Team
Team members: Professor Abraham (Rami) Friedman
Dr. Yigal Ben Shalom, Dr. Johnny Gal, Dr. Momi Dahan
Ms. Dalia Lev Sadeh, Professor Hillel Schmid
Social cohesion is defined as the energy that binds the various segments of society together into a single entity. Social resilience is defined as the ability of a society to confront the challenges it faces, whether internal or external.
Without social resilience, a society will not succeed in confronting its internal environment and its external surroundings, which signals the beginning of a process of social disintegration—a process that can lead to the "disappearance" of the society. The prevailing sentiment among most experts in this field is that a high degree of social cohesion is a prerequisite for social resilience. Clearly, alongside cohesion, other factors significantly influence social resilience, and mechanisms exist to enhance its level.
A society rife with divisions and conflicts will be fragmented and disintegrating, struggling to confront the challenges it faces. The current economic, security, and welfare situation necessitates efforts to maximize social resilience in order to navigate and overcome this difficult period.
Data indicates that social cohesion—as measured by the widening gaps in living standards and income levels within Israeli society—is on a path toward disintegration and collapse.
The cracks and fissures in Israeli society are numerous and significant, including income gaps, the divide between rich and poor, ultra-Orthodox and secular Jews, Jews, Arabs, and Palestinians, and differing values regarding the "right" path to peace and security. Despite all this, we still face divisions based on nationality or place of origin.
In recent years, Israeli society has witnessed a revolution in the government's approach to social inequalities. We are transforming from a state that embraces the values of equality and emphasizes the principle of "mutual support," from a European-style welfare state, to an American-style capitalist state. The question is: what impact will such a transformation have on social cohesion, and consequently, on social resilience?
The problem lies not only in the idea or ideology but also in the method of implementation.
Members of the government feel there is a need to halt this process, or at least mitigate its severity. This means returning to a welfare policy based on the European model. The team also feels there is considerable demagoguery in the claim that the State of Israel has, until recently, been excessively generous towards the poor and unemployed. The team found the claim that benefits (assistance allowances) have increased at unprecedented rates in recent years to be false, as the total amount of benefits for those in need has not increased; only their composition has changed.
Based on numerous studies and research, the team emphasizes that the solution to the problem of poverty lies in providing vulnerable groups in society, especially young people, with human capital in the field of education. The quality of human capital in Israeli society must be improved. Only in this way can we truly influence the future of Israeli society and its cohesion and unity.
The current economic crisis has led to an expansion of the poverty rate in Israeli society. The segment of small, self-employed workers who have lost their livelihoods and are burdened with substantial debt constitutes a particular problem in itself.
It is the duty of the authorities, after achieving the desired growth, to ensure that the poor and needy groups who have failed to find work are not left behind as "permanently impoverished."
Israeli society, in the pre-state period and the early stages of its establishment, was characterized by a high degree of social cohesion, expressed in mutual support—the state's guarantee of citizens' rights, and citizens' rights of one another.
The education system and the Israel Defense Forces were key factors in this social cohesion. Civil society organizations stepped in to fill this void, sometimes with the encouragement of the authorities and sometimes without. The current government, however, views civil society as a "burden" and therefore does not involve it in social decision-making processes, despite the considerable professional expertise available within civil society.
Another way to strengthen social resilience is to bolster communal resilience, whether by developing and strengthening the community and its members, or by defining social goals and tasks to be implemented within, by, and for the benefit of the community.
To strengthen social resilience, cooperation and partnership between the state, the community, the army, and local and civil authorities should be increased.
What can and should be done?
1. The staff warns that the state's welfare system is in danger of collapse. The government's approach to welfare policy must be reconsidered, and the severity of the measures taken against the unemployed and the poor who are not working must be eased.
Furthermore, the argument that "there are jobs" must be abandoned when the economy is suffering from high unemployment. While the socialist ideal suggests that Jews should be agricultural workers rather than lawyers, the current government is a capitalist one, opposed to socialism.
The vulnerable classes must be supported and assisted, and efforts must be made to prevent a situation where the "new poor" become the "perpetually poor."
2. The objectives of interventions must be revised regarding the target population groups and the methods of intervention employed by social welfare agencies. Given the increasing number of people in need of assistance, coupled with dwindling resources, it is essential to reconsider providing more community-based work and educational opportunities.
3. A link must be established between welfare, education, and health at the national level, and joint projects should be initiated. A national social welfare body should be established, and resources should be directed towards these areas.
4. Special attention must be given to specific sectors, as there are three million citizens belonging to minority, immigrant, and ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) communities. These groups are growing, requiring the development of specialized services to reduce disparities and inequalities.
Integrating the Haredi community into welfare services necessitates new approaches and tools. In this context, a comprehensive plan should be developed to prepare Haredim for the labor market, in addition to encouraging the development of employment opportunities for the Arab population.
5. Coordination between the National Insurance Institute and social welfare agencies is essential. Currently, there is no coordination between these institutions and government bodies. The population group that relies on National Insurance benefits is not necessarily the same group targeted by social welfare services.
6. Basic living standards must be defined, and the fundamental theory must be completely revised to allow for a gradual transition from relative to absolute poverty. A process must be implemented to ensure that there are no children living in poverty in Israel.
7. Children's rights must be enshrined in law, and children living in vulnerable situations must be granted a minimum set of rights within the framework of legislation. Without this, the process of resource reduction will continue.
8. Community resilience must be fostered and strengthened.
9. A coordinating body, similar to a community council, must be established, bringing together civil society and the government to bridge gaps and combat poverty.
10. Oversight and law enforcement must be strengthened to prevent the misuse of benefits and assistance by those who are not entitled to them.
On the other hand, the unemployed and the poor must no longer be viewed as enemies of economic policy.
11. A social body should be established with the task of defining a national hierarchy of priorities in the social sphere, as there is currently no situation where the government sets "national priorities in social fields."
12. Caring for the next generation, for children and youth, is vital, urgent, and of the highest priority. Attention to the next generation concerns our future, while caring for the elderly secures our present, and this must be taken into account when allocating limited resources.
