Yesha Residents – Let the Facts Speak for Themselves
By Baruch Gordon, is Director of English Development for Bet El Institutions and former editor of INN.
Over the years, many entities in Israel have made systematic attempts at delegitimizing the sector of the Israeli public that lives in Judea, Samaria and Gaza (Yesha). The media, politicians and various spokesmen have done their best to demonstrate that the Jews of Yesha are outcasts, on the fringe, and all in all, a burden on Israeli society.
But recently-released facts suggest otherwise. Compared with other sectors of Israel, the citizens of Yesha are outstanding in their contribution to society and take a disproportionate share of the burden in defending the country.
According to statistics from the IDF, the percentage of enlistment into combat units amidst the incoming soldiers from Yesha is 61%, compared to 36% of new soldiers from Greater Tel Aviv and 44.2% of enlistees from throughout Israel.
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| Students from the IDF Prep Academy in Bet El |
Yesha residents have stepped up to the challenge of educating the next generation: 23.4% of the Yesha workforce are teachers, as compared to the national average of 12.6%. Many of these educators work at institutions outside of Yesha.
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| Religious teachers at a conference in Bar Ilan University |
Absorption of new immigrants into academic institutions is particularly high in Yesha. For example, at the University Center in Ariel (in Samaria), 400 Ethiopian students are studying towards their BA and Masters Degrees, as compared to a total of 25 Ethiopian students at the University of Tel Aviv.
Yesha residents do, however, have a weakness: they are terrible at waste production. The average Israeli in Yesha produces only 1.31. kilograms of trash per day, while Tel Avivians average 2.09 kilograms.
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| The future Tel Aviv skyline? |
Women’s place in Israeli society has conquered the headlines in recent days, and in this regard too, the woman of Yesha have a higher than average employment rate standing at 64.2%.
Like Tennesseans (the Volunteer State), Yesha residents excel at chipping in for the sake of society. Ben Gurion University surveyed the various sectors of the Israeli public for the rate of volunteering for organizations. They found that 51% of Yesha residents volunteer, compared with 40% from Jerusalem and 32% from Tel Aviv.
A final point of interest is that in a survey held one year ago, 95% of Yesha residents said they led “happy” or “very happy” lives.
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| Happy Smiles in Bet El |
While Israel’s electronic media (radio and television) continue to do all in their power to demonize the residents of Yesha and paint them as terrorists and spies, it behooves a prudent observer to pay a visit to these blossoming Jewish towns to judge for himself the nature of this segment of Israel’s populace, without the agenda-driven verbiage of the radio and TV commentators.
If the Continental Congress were the Knesset and the British were the arabs, then Paul Revere would be arrested by the Colonial Government as a spy for warning that there was danger of destruction.
So insane has the Government of Israel become to arrest Jews for warning of internal enemies.
Thank you for a great article. Can I also say that it is rare to see a cop “on the beat” here in Yesha. Crime is nearly non-existent here.
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At one time it was a good thing to be a settler, it was considered patriotic. Now, due to political expediency, it is not good to be a settler- they are “trouble, they are violating laws, they are committing terror. ” If the truth be told, the settlement movement in Judea and Samaria is the most powerful grassroots political movement in modern day Israel. The biblical lands have been restored, and there are now vineyards fruit groves, orchards of wheat, flowers, vegetables, and best of all Jews, growing more Jews, and ensuring that the land is secured, always. The mountain tops protecting all of Israel from land invaders. Israel’s future is at stake right now. We can survive another 4,000 years, but only if we are courageous enough and bold enough to say no to land for peace. And yes to the settlers- annexation of all of Judea Samaria. Not an inch should be relented. Not an inch. This notion of land for peace is in essence i the “Final Solution” Ethnic cleansing and death to those who remain. Once the territories are given up, the essence of israel is jeopardized. Imagine rockets aimed at the incoming international flights to Ben Gurion for starters. That would be the beginning of the end of all of us.
No surprise that religious conservatives are far more generous than the secular liberals who demonize them. For all of their talk of helping the less fortunate and bemoaning “greed”, liberals are the most selfish and greedy, wasteful and materialistic people you will ever meet. They want the government to take care of the poor and sick to absolve themselves of any responsibility. Religious conservatives simply take the initiative by volunteering their own time rather than demanding more government programs.