The Shtetl of Israel

Ten million strong, with a military the envy of its neighbors and other nations far and wide, not to mention a leading high-tech economy and other strengths (vibrant culture etc.) – and yet internally, Israel acts more like a shtetl than a state. (For those not conversant with Yiddish in general and the word shtetl in particular, it’s just as it sounds: a tiny state – or more like a large village – a universal Jewish phenomenon found not just in Eastern Europe but among Jews in the broad Arab world as well.)

That’s not necessarily a pejorative. Indeed, along with some negative aspects, Israel’s shtetl mentality has some big plusses going for it as well.

As a radio news junkie, the last 16 months have been a frustrating experience for me: one interview after another, either with family members of hostages or those freed, or experts speculating about “the next steps” or “what the war’s outcome will look like.” Of course, the whole Gaza situation is news – but nonstop interviews that add nothing to our understanding of the situation? And these at the expense of major stuff going on around the world?? Yes, Trump is covered in the Hebrew media – but almost exclusively in an Israeli context (e.g., his Gazans transfer proposal; “all hell breaking loose”; etc.).

Such inward-looking news reporting is precisely what one gets within a shtetl environment – otherwise called “social gossip”. Who’s doing what to whom; which child has “gone off”; whose funeral is set for tomorrow; etc. Indeed, one could even go so far and call this a “ghetto mentality” – a product of persecution over many centuries, leading most Jews to “circle the (internal) wagons” and look mostly within their own society.

And yet. Israel has one of the highest life expectancy rates in the world, and that’s not only due to its excellent health system. Rather, as social scientists have increasingly come to understand in serious research, social connectivity is one of the main factors underlying high life expectancy (a recent Economist report on the latest study, found that “social connections and mental wellbeing might be just as important as physical exercise in warding off an early death”: https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2025/02/19/do-lonely-people-have-shorter-lives?). Just as in a shtetl, Israel writ large is a giant social communication system where very few are left out. As counterpoint (one example among several around the world), no longer “Great” Britain has a (sub-)Minister for Loneliness to initiate “loneliness reduction” policies! That is inconceivable in Israel: the phenomenon hardly exists in the Shtetl of Israel.

Here’s a classic example of an unusual Israeli phenomenon: the weekly “parliament.” A bunch of older (mostly retired) men (less widespread among women who have more ad hoc get-togethers with girlfriends), meeting once a week for a few hours at some local restaurant to resolve the world’s problems. There isn’t a town or city in Israel without several such “parliaments,” each continuing for years on end (I belong to one – a rowdy but highly sociable affair).

All this in Israel, however, is not merely a matter of “communication;” at its core, there’s a lot of mutual empathy. The weekly outpouring of demonstrators demanding the quick release of all hostages – people who the protestors do not know and have never met – is but the latest evidence of such social concern, best summed up in the Hebrew expression “koll Yisrael, areyvim zeh ba’zeh” (all Children of Israel are guarantors one of the other).

What are the reasons for Israel’s huge communicative sociability? There are several factors, beyond age-old Jewish culture. First, it’s a territorially small country with most of its population clustered in the center (Hadera to Gedara) so that family members are within easy driving distance one from the other. This facilitates Israel’s nicest shtetl practice: erev Shabbat (Friday eve) meals with the family around the table. As opposed to the once-a-year Thanksgiving family get-together in the U.S., such family meals are a weekly, de rigueur event.

Second, whereas other advanced countries have plummeting birth rates (averaging less than 1.5 children per woman, with a few modern nations under 1.0!), Israelis continue to have relatively large families – averaging around three kids per female adult. The chances of them all not being around for Mom or Dad in their later years are close to nil. “Honor thy Father and Mother” is probably the only commandment still universally applied in Israel, so that few elderly find themselves alone in the world when a spouse passes away.

Third, countries temporarily beset by external enemies will tend to have greater internal cohesion and communication. Israel’s situation is not temporary – unfortunately for the nation as a whole, but fortunate for continuing social solidarity in the face of perpetual, outside animosity. Yes, there’s quite a lot of bickering (it’s a Jewish state, no?), and even some bilious interaction between Left and Right, but that too is “communication.”

Moreover, given that most sectors (excluding the Muslim, and most of the ultra-Orthodox) end up serving in the IDF – Israel’s great “melting pot” – lasting friendships evolve between people who otherwise would never be acquainted, not to mention becoming lifelong friends.
In short, Israel’s shtetl-like atmosphere has a few frustrating elements – especially for anyone interested in ongoing news about the wider world. But its internal social benefits can’t be beat.