The United States Government recognizes
the Provisional Government as the de facto authority of the new
State of Israel.
President Harry S. Truman, May 14, 1948
The world that emerged from the throes of the Second World War
bore little resemblance to the one that existed on the eve of
that terrible conflict.
Perhaps the most significant shift involved the world powers.
The Western European nations, especially the once-great British
Empire, lost their domination of the world stage. Asian and African
nations were able to achieve independence from colonial rule.
At wars end, the United States and the Soviet Union emerged
as the major political entities, or "superpowers." The
U.S. became the backer of the Western European nations and helped
rebuild them, while the U.S.S.R. dominated the Eastern European
nations. Differences in political and social ideology led to rivalry
between the two superpowers. For almost fifty years, they vied
for influence in the Near East, Southeast Asia, and Latin America,
waging a "Cold War."
This unstable world situation was an important factor in Jewish
history. The creation of the state of Israel, for example, was
originally approved by both superpowers. In time, however, Israel
closely allied itself with the U.S.
Since its establishment, Israel has managed to survive five full-scale
wars with its Arab neighbors, including the War of Independence
(1948), the Suez Campaign (1956), the Six Day War (1967), the
Yom Kippur War (1973), and the Lebanon War (1982). Each of these
wars has left its mark on Israeli society. The Six Day War, which
brought hundreds of thousands of Palestinians under Israeli rule,
was a turning point for both Israelis and Palestinians. The debate
within Israel over how best to achieve peace intensified. The
two main campsthose in favor of giving up land for peace
and those determined to keep control of the captured territoriesbecame
more and more polarized. At the same time, the Palestinian resistance
movement increasingly turned to violent acts of terrorism. In
late 1987, unrest in the West Bank erupted into a prolonged period
of street-fighting known as the Intifada. International pressure
on Israeli and Arab leaders to negotiate an end to the conflict
has grown. A series of peace agreements negotiated in the 1990s
led to hope that lasting peace was on the horizon, but there have
since been many setbacks to the peace process.
Meanwhile, Israeli society has continued to evolve. Since its
inception, it has absorbed many waves of immigration. The most
recent influxes have been from Ethiopia and the former Soviet
Union. The schism between "hawks" and "doves"
has been accompanied by mounting tensions between religious and
secular Jews and between Ashkenazim and Sephardim. In 1995, the
assassination of Prime Minister Yizhak Rabin by a right-wing extremist
who opposed his governments negotiated peace settlement
with the Palestinians threw Israel into turmoil.
American Jewish life has also changed greatly since the Second
World War. The destruction of former centers of Jewish life in
Europe left American Jewry the largest Jewish community in the
world. Having ardently participated in the fight against Hitler
Americas and Jewrys common foemost American
Jews were now confident that they were entitled to full participation
in American society. The younger generation was willing to leave
traditional Jewish enclaves in cities and settle in the suburbs
or new urban centers, such as Miami and Los Angeles. Many took
advantage of postwar prosperity and a decline in prejudice to
work in new areas in the economy.
At the beginning of the 21st century, Jews around the world continue
to grapple with what it means to be a Jew in the modern world.
Although there has never been an easy answer to the question,
"Who is a Jew?," the issue of identity seems especially
complex in an era of great diversity in Jewish life. In Israel,
some wonder: Is being Israeli synonymous with being Jewish? If
so, how is Jewishness more than a national identity? In America,
some Jews are trying to imbue Jewish ritual and theology with
a new emphasis on spirituality. Others, seeking to define for
themselves a secular Jewish identity, are turning to the experiences
and culture of their immigrant grandparents for inspiration.