Rosner’s Domain: The World Has “Values,” Israelis Have “Problems”

Israel is not like all other countries. It is not like most other “western” countries. This has been proven in quite a few studies, and today we have another opportunity to see how differences are manifested. New data from the Pew Research Institute, on no fewer than 19 countries, of which Israel is one, will provide us with three examples.

Israelis do not have a positive opinion of the UN. In this they differ from Spaniards, Australians, Italians, Koreans, Brits, Canadians, Hungarians and French. Almost everyone.

Israelis do not believe that “common values” bring countries closer together. They believe that “common problems” are more important. In this they differ from the French, the Belgians, the Swedes, the Singaporeans, the Dutch and the Americans.

Israelis do not believe that global warming is a “major threat” to them. The proportion of Israelis who believe it is a major threat is lower than in Poland, Greece, Germany, Canada, Singapore and Korea. Only Malaysians ranked global warming lower that Israelis.

There is a connection between these three items. All of them are connected to the relations between countries, refer to the question of whether the outlook of people is directed inward, or outward, and reflect the tendency of people to deal with immediate vs. future problems. The UN is an international institution. Israelis do not trust it. Rightfully so. Global warming is an international problem. The suspicion of Israelis of all things “international,” all things fashionable in international forums, reflects their attitude to global warming. Israelis seem to say: We are busy with the real problems of life now, not with theoretical problems of a fictional world community (this is where it is appropriate to add that sometimes it’s good to try to understand how people think rather than jumping to criticize their tendencies. I’m not here to judge Israelis’ views; I’m here to explain them).

Combine the views we laid out with the firm assertion of Israelis that what brings countries together are common problems and not common values and the picture becomes even clearer. The fight against global warming does not seem to Israelis to be a fight against a “problem.” It is identified as something closer to promoting a “value.” What is a problem? Terrorism in Samaria is a problem. Israelis cannot trust the UN to solve it. Iran’s nuclear program is a problem. Israelis recognize that this is a problem shared by them and other countries, such as Saudi Arabia or Egypt. That’s basis for cooperation. Do Israel and Saudi Arabia have common values? Not really. Still, they are comfortable cooperating with the Saudis against Iran, because there is a common problem — and they do not see how the Belgians can help against Iran, even though they have more values in common with the Belgians (freedom of expression, democracy, freedom of religion, etc.).

We are busy with the real problems of life now, not with theoretical problems of a fictional world community.

Connect the new data to the Jewish People Policy Institute’s survey that was published not long ago, on morality and policy in Israel. It presented two facts that stand at the foundation of the Israeli attitude: belief in the basic morality of Israel, and a motivation to protect the safety of Jews and their state as an overarching goal. Most of Israeli choices are derived from these two basic points. The general position of Israelis is “that it is appropriate to examine Israel’s interests as a first fundamental goal, and then, if possible, add moral considerations.” Replace “interests” with “problems” — replace “morals” with “values” — and the new Pew data sends the same message. Israelis tend to prioritize solving problems over expressing values, and assume that other countries do the same.

This means that they look at the rest of the world and recognize hypocrisy. If the Spanish (71%), the British (62%), the Swedes (61%), the Australians (65%), say that common values are the engine of cooperation, and a clear majority of Israelis (59%) believe that common problems are the engine for cooperation, it means that in the eyes of Israelis most Spaniards, Brits, Swedes and Australians simply do not tell the truth, or do not understand the truth. They do not understand how their countries really work. They say what is fashionable (values) rather than what is true (problems).

Now consider one last thing: All five challenges presented in the survey — global warming, fake news, cyber attacks, the global economy, infectious diseases — are ranked relatively low by Israelis. That is, relative to others, Israelis simply do not see any of these as a “major threat” to their country. Israelis rank global warming second from the bottom; fake news at the bottom; cyber attacks are fifth from the bottom (as mentioned, out of 19 countries). World economy is second from the bottom. In terms of diseases Israel is ninth from the top, and this is the problem that Israelis rank the highest.

What does this mean? Either Israelis are simply a little less hysterical about the future, and don’t see so many “major threats,” or Israelis are no less fearful of the future but for them, the problems are different. They are problems like the danger of war, the threat of terrorism, the persistence of enemies, the imminence of nuclear weapons. They think about local problems. They think about problems that many other countries consider problems of the past.

Something I wrote in Hebrew

The Finance Ministry and the Teachers’ Union agreed that schools in Israel will be off from Yom Kippur eve until after the week of Sukkot. Here’s what I wrote about the new arrangement:

The decision is logical in many ways. But it has a price: School kids will not have time to learn about Sukkot. They will learn a little about Rosh Hashanah, and a little about Yom Kippur, and the days that could be devoted to Sukkot will be erased from the calendar. Does it matter? The existence of a vibrant culture depends, among other things, on preparation, knowledge and education from a young age. Schools without Sukkot means that a significant proportion of Israeli children will grow up without smelling an Etrog, without holding a Lulav. Over time, this will change Israel’s character and its attitude to the holiday. Over time, this will widen the gap between those who know and those who do not know. Maybe there’s no other way, but this outcome of the negotiations should have been considered. 

A week’s numbers

Read the column on the left-hand side to see what this is about. 

A reader’s response:

Myrna Rosenbloom writes: “I think your review of Netanyahu’s book WITHOUT EVER READING IT!!! is chutzpah.” My response: I agree (but I was trying to make a point, not to write a real review of the book).

Shmuel Rosner is senior political editor. For more analysis of Israeli and international politics, visit Rosner’s Domain at jewishjournal.com/rosnersdomain.