Ethno-religious groups work values and ethics: the case of Jews,Muslims and Christians in Israel

This study examines and compares, for the first time, the MOW (Meaning of Work) among Jews and Arabs (Muslims and Christians) in Israel and attempts to explain the similarities and the differences in work ethics among these ethno-religious groups. The MOW questionnaire was conducted on 898 Jewish, 215 Muslim and 103 Christian respondents who were currently working. The MOW dimensions were: economic orientation, entitlement norms, obligation norms, interpersonal relations orientation, intrinsic orientation and work centrality. The findings reveal significant differences in most of the MOW dimensions between the three religious groups. Overall, demographic factors partially explain the MOW differences. The MOW differences among the three groups can be explained mainly by cultural differences. Since there is mass Arab (Muslims and Christians) immigration from the Middle East to Europe this study provides a better understanding of their perceptions about work and their work values and ethics. The applications of the findings for organizations are discussed.     

The relative centrality of life domains among Jews and Arabs in Israel: the effect of culture,ethnicity, and demographic variables

The centrality of major life domains (work, family community leisure and religion) have not, to date, been studied among Arabs in Israel. This paper examines life domains centrality of 909 Jews and 286 Arabs (or Palestinians that have Israeli citizenship), who work in the Israeli labor market. The findings reveal significant differences in the importance of all life domains. Work centrality, as well as the importance of religion and community is significantly higher among Arabs than among Jews. Among Jews, the importance of family and leisure are significantly higher than among Arabs. A hierarchical regression analysis indicates that demographic variables have a low ability to explain the differences in the centrality of life domains among Jews and Arabs. The findings can be explained by cultural differences, the high degree of segregation, occupational discrimination, and mainly by the regional Palestinian/Arab-Israeli conflict.     

Using Cultivation Theory to Understand American College Students’ Perceptions of Arabs in the Media

Research has shown that Arab portrayals on television have an effect on viewers’ beliefs about Arabs in general. Based on questionnaire responses from 429 undergraduate students, this study sought to examine perceptions of Arabs on television. Results revealed that college students have predominantly antagonistic views about Arabs in general and on television. These findings suggest that television can affect the way college students view reality regarding Arabs and how these perceptions can perpetuate negative stereotypes.     

The power and limits of ethnonationalism: Palestinians and Eastern Jews in Israel, 1974-1991

The relative standings of four ethnic groups - Muslim Palestinians, Christian Palestinians, Asian-African Jews, European Jews -were compared, using mobility data from 1974 and 1991. The findings show that despite the lack of government support and the prevalence of inexorable discrimination against Israeli Palestinians, they have narrowed the gap with Asian-African Jews in both education and occupational prestige. This finding demonstrates that ideological and political hegemony is not always effective in improving the socio-economic standing of preferred minorities (Asian-African Jews), and that social and economic structures may counterbalance the anti-Palestinian nationalist ideology. The analysis suggests that residential and educational segregation of Palestinians protects them from direct competition with European Jews, whereas Asian-African Jews have to compete with this dominant group in schools, as well as in the labour market.     

Internal Migration of Ethno‐national Minorities: The Case of Arabs in Israel

Recent scholarship emphasizes differences among ethnic groups' internal migration patterns. Yet, with few exceptions, research has focused on the Anglo‐American world, neglecting experiences from other regions. This paper is part of a larger research project that studies mobility among the Arab minority in Israel and its driving forces. In this paper we examine patterns of internal migration by analysing the propensity to migrate as well as migrants' individual and social characteristics. First, we survey the theoretical backdrop that is suggested by recent geographic literature on internal migration among ethnic and racial minorities, including native groups. Second, we contextualize the group studied, providing necessary background information on the political, socio‐economic and demographic conditions of Arabs in Israel. We briefly discuss attributes that are – or have been – potential hindering factors to Arab mobility in the Jewish state. Finally, we analyse 1995 national census data at the micro scale and provide a basis for future explanations of the phenomenon. We conclude by outlying some future directions in the study of internal migration of minorities in Israel.     

Cooperative Parenting Arrangements After Marital Separation

The identification of factors that predict cooperation and agreement between ex-spouses is important to understanding and promoting healthy post-divorce among parents and their children. This study of 64 separated and divorced parents was intended as an initial investigation of ex-couples who are able to negotiate and maintain mutually agreeable shared parenting arrangements, without legal or mental health intervention. As expected, these cooperating ex-couples selected from a wider range of custody and access arrangements than demographically similar ex-couples in disagreement about parenting arrangements. Also consistent with expectation, interparental cooperation and disagreements influenced the proportions of time children spent with their parents, whereas type of custody and access arrangement did not. Although all children tended to spend more time with their mothers than with their fathers, this discrepancy was greater for disagreeing than cooperating ex-couples. As hypothesized, histories of domestic violence were less likely among cooperating ex-couples than disagreeing ex-couples. Finally, the hypothesis that cooperating ex-couples are generally more satistied with their lives than disputing ex-couples was supported by the results of a MANOVA. However, subsequent univariate analyses revealed that cooperating and disagreeing ex-couples did not differ in their levels of satisfaction with their social lives and their financial situations. These findings and additional exploratory comparisons between the two groups were interpreted as potential avenues for subsequent investigations of cooperating ex-couples.     

Muslim Political Activism or Political Activism by Muslims? Secular and Religious Identities Amongst Muslim Arab Activists in the United States and United Kingdom

Scholarship on Muslim political mobilisation in the West has developed as an important counterpoint to public discourse, which has tended to cast Muslims as a threat to social cohesion, liberal democracy, and national security. But even as scholarly literature has shed light on civic participation among Muslims, it has sidelined the diversity of political identities and values that motivate them. Most, if not all, Muslims in the West find their identities politicised in some way, but the question of whether this leads to a consensus amongst Muslims about the role of religion in public life often remains unexamined. In this article we draw on interviews with seventy-eight activists in Britain and the United States who are both Muslim and Arab to complicate ideas about the political mobilisation of Muslims in the West. Respondents, we show, are far from unified in their views on religion as a basis for political action and mobilisation. Some are keen to place Islam squarely in mainstream political spaces; most, however, are insistent that Islam should remain a private faith and identity and that political mobilisation should take place under the aegis of Arabness or other ‘secular’ identities. Using theoretical perspectives on the public sphere, we explain the complexity of our respondents' political identities and activism. Our overall aim is to broaden perspectives on the ways in which people from Muslim backgrounds participate in public, political life in Western contexts.     

Intergenerational Support and the Emotional Well‐being of Older Jews and Arabs in Israel

This investigation examined the cultural context of intergenerational support among older Jewish and Arab parents living in Israel. The authors hypothesized that support from adult children would be more positively consequential for the psychological well‐being of Arab parents than of Jewish parents. The data derived from 375 adults age 65 and older living in Israel. Psychological well‐being was measured with positive and negative affect subscales of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. Overall, positive affect was highest when filial expectations for support were congruent with whether or not instrumental support was received. Findings by cultural background revealed that, among older Jews, receiving instrumental support raised positive affect and stronger filial expectations lowered it. Among older Arabs, receiving financial support raised positive affect and receiving instrumental support lowered it. Culture appears to serve as a potent force in determining which types of intergenerational support functions are expected and accepted means of serving the everyday needs of older parents.     

Parent–child relationships as perceived by Arab adolescents living in Israel

This article concerns how Arab adolescents living in Israel perceive their relationships with their parents by examining six domains of the adolescents' worldviews: caring and trust, family support, control and supervision, general attitudes towards parents, and parent–child communication, both instru-mental and intimate. The sample consists of 662 twelfth-grade Arab adolescents from seven high schools. Findings show significant differences in various domains of Arab adole-scents' worldviews according to gender, form of residence and level of religiosity.     

Southward migration season: new Arab teachers from north move to southern Israel1

This study addresses intercultural differences among novice teachers (K-12) who graduated Arab academic teachers’ colleges and lived in northern and central Israel before moving south to teach in Israel’s Bedouin diaspora. The source material consists of stories they entered in a contest, describing the personal and professional aspects of their experiences. These stories are assumed to represent a type of information that reflects human awareness, highlighting the professional elements concerning all new teachers. Content analysis revealed the principal theme of the stories, namely the three stages of coping with the move from north to south: seeking and finding a job; starting work as a teacher and encountering the realities of a different place; and retrospection at the end of the first year. These three stages are assessed in the encounter with disparity over time from: a personal perspective – leaving one’s home and family, encounter with a different landscape and culture, isolation and feelings of both satisfaction and frustration on returning home; and a professional perspective – encounter with the educational environment and cultural-professional disparities. Assessment of the processes involved in teachers’ southward migration may facilitate teacher intake in the educational system.