Lilach Lev Ari - Contemporary Jewish Communities in Three European Cities

Lilach Lev Ari

Contemporary Jewish Communities in Three European Cities

Lilach Lev Ari

Challenges of Integration, Acculturation and Ethnic Identity

ISBN 9783110698725

e-ISBN (PDF) 9783110698817

e-ISBN (EPUB) 9783110698909

Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek

The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data are available on the Internet at http://dnb.dnb.de.

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The majority of contemporary world Jewry resides in western countries, due to the Wests rather hospitable socioeconomic and political circumstances vis--vis Jewish presence. Jews in western nations constitute a privileged ethnic minority group. Culturally, professionally and economically they integrate well, even if they remain a distinct ethno-cultural group. However, as such, they are particularly vulnerable to attacks from the underprivileged, who direct their resentment against mainstream society towards Jews.

In the last few decades most European Jews can be defined as native-born that perceive themselves as a distinct national group, which became a minority due to political and social changes in their homeland. Jewish immigrants in Europe comprise more than a quarter of the Jewish population. Jews world-wide prefer to live in large cities that provide opportunities for economic, social and cultural mobility. Within these cities many Jews tend to concentrate in neighborhoods that are appropriate to their socioeconomic status, provide nearby employment opportunities, facilitate social mobility and offer religious services and Jewish organizations.

More than half of French Jewry reside in Paris and almost all Belgian Jews dwell equally in the two largest cities in Belgium, Brussels and Antwerp. The three cities were chosen for study since they are geographically adjacent and can be considered as Francophone western countries. The cities are characterized by their ethnically diverse Jewish communities: Secular, religious, ultra-Orthodox, Ashkenazi (parents origin is from Europe or America), Sephardi (parents origin is from Africa or Asia), native-born and immigrant. Furthermore, Paris is a metropolis and a world city, i.e. a global center of business, politics, culture and technology that has attracted for decades many Jewish migrants, particularly from the Middle East. Brussels is also a world city and serves as the center of the European Union. Due to lack of one homogeneous national Belgian population in the city, Brussels, as the center of the European Union, with its EU institutions is considered cosmopolitan, and attracts many migrants from all over the world, including Israel. Antwerp is unique due to its changing scope and structure of Jewish population, mainly owing to the growing ultra-Orthodox population. Antwerp is also internationally known for its diamond trade, a sector that has been dominated by the large Orthodox Jewish community in the city.